Glossary entry featured-snippetEngines & bots

Featured snippet

The boxed direct answer at the top of Google search. It's the predecessor to AI Overviews.

Filed under: Engines & bots

Definition

A featured snippet (position zero) is a boxed direct answer Google extracts from a result page and renders above the organic listings. Pulled from pages with high topical authority + BLUF-format content + clear answer paragraphs. Many of the same patterns that earn featured snippets also earn AI Overview citations; the two systems share architectural DNA.

Example

Query 'how to tie a tie' → Google shows a 50-word numbered list extracted from a page, with the page's link below.

How to optimize

Lead pages with 40–60 word direct answers. Use ordered lists for 'how to' queries. Use tables for comparison queries. The same patterns lift AI Overview eligibility.

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