Featured Snippet
A prominent search result displayed above the organic results that directly answers a search query with content extracted from a web page. Featured snippets appear as paragraphs, lists, tables, or videos and receive significant click-through rates.
Featured snippets (also called position zero) are Google's way of providing direct answers to search queries. The search engine extracts the most relevant content from a ranking page and displays it prominently above all organic results. Types include paragraph snippets (definitions and explanations), list snippets (steps and rankings), table snippets (data comparisons), and video snippets.
For content strategy, winning featured snippets can dramatically increase traffic from informational queries. Optimize for featured snippets by structuring content to directly answer common questions. Use clear question headings (H2/H3) followed by concise 40-60 word answers for paragraph snippets. Use ordered lists for how-to and step content. Use HTML tables for comparison data. The page must already rank on page one for the query to be considered for the featured snippet. Track featured snippet ownership in rank tracking tools and protect your snippets by keeping content fresh and accurately answering evolving search intent. Note that featured snippets sometimes reduce clicks when the answer is complete enough that users do not need to visit the page.
Related Terms
Core Web Vitals
A set of three Google-defined metrics that measure real-world user experience for loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability. Core Web Vitals are a confirmed ranking factor in Google Search.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
A Core Web Vital that measures the time from page load start until the largest visible content element (image, video, or text block) is rendered on screen. Good LCP is 2.5 seconds or less.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
A Core Web Vital that measures the latency of all user interactions (clicks, taps, keyboard input) throughout the page lifecycle, reporting the worst interaction. Good INP is 200 milliseconds or less.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
A Core Web Vital that measures the total amount of unexpected layout shifts that occur during a page's entire lifespan. Good CLS is 0.1 or less, where layout shifts are calculated from the impact and distance of moving elements.
Time to First Byte (TTFB)
The duration from the user's request to the first byte of the server response reaching the browser. TTFB measures server-side processing speed and network latency, directly impacting all subsequent loading metrics.
Crawl Budget
The number of pages a search engine bot will crawl on your site within a given timeframe, determined by crawl rate limit and crawl demand. Crawl budget optimization ensures important pages are discovered and indexed efficiently.