What is a featured snippet, and how does position zero work?

Definition

Featured snippets are excerpts that Google shows at the top of its search results to answer a question directly, often as text, a list or a table.

A featured snippet is Google's way of highlighting the most direct answer to a search query. The excerpt is shown above the organic results – often called position zero – and is pulled automatically from a page that already ranks on the first page.

Winning the spot is worth the work. According to a compilation of click data from First Page Sage (May 2025), a featured snippet that replaces the first-position result has the highest click-through rate of any search result – 42.9%, higher than an ordinary number-one result.

What formats do featured snippets come in?

Google chooses the format according to the kind of question. The four most common are:

• Paragraph – a short text answer, most common for "what is" and "why" questions.
• Bulleted list – lists of things such as features or examples.
• Numbered list – step-by-step instructions and rankings.
• Table – comparisons, prices and data.

The format Google chooses dictates how you should structure the answer. You rarely win a "how do I" query with a block of running text – that calls for numbered steps.

Pages outside the top spot can win the snippet

Unlike ordinary rankings, featured snippets depend not on the page's overall strength but on precision. Google looks for the content that answers one specific question most clearly.

So a page in position four or five can quite possibly take the snippet if its answer is better worded and more clearly defined than the top result's.

But there is a threshold. In Ahrefs' study (from 2017) of two million featured snippets, 99.58% of all snippets came from pages already ranking in the top 10. Chasing position zero therefore pays off best when the page is already in positions 2–5, where a featured snippet is within realistic reach. If you are only on page two, it is more effective to get the page into the top 5 before you optimise for the snippet.

How do you optimise content for featured snippets?

• Use the exact question as a heading and put the answer directly below it – short and self-contained.
• Match the format: a list for enumerations, a table for comparisons, a concise paragraph for definitions.
• Keep the core answer to around 40–60 words. Longer answers are truncated or passed over.
• Write content that can be lifted out of context – every paragraph should make sense on its own.

Featured snippets vs AI Overviews – what is happening in 2026?

In 2025, position zero changed dramatically. According to a 2025 analysis by Ahrefs of one million randomly selected search results, the frequency of featured snippets more than halved in the first half of the year, while Google's AI Overviews grew rapidly.

The reason is that the two features do the same job: both answer the question directly in the search results. When an AI Overview appears, it often takes the place that used to go to a featured snippet. On informational searches AI Overviews are now common, while featured snippets remain relevant for transactional queries and how-to searches looking for structured guides.

Is it still worth chasing position zero?

Yes, but the goal has broadened. The same work that wins a featured snippet – clear questions, concise answers, the right format – also increases the chance of being cited in an AI Overview. The structure carries over.

The difference is that you are no longer optimising for a single box but to become the source the machine chooses to highlight. We have covered how that landscape is developing in AI Overviews and GEO and How is SEO affected by AI?.