Featured snippet
Why it matters
One page gets prominent attention and is presented as the authority on that exact question, without needing the top ranking as well. Since 2020 Google has shown the page only once, in the snippet, rather than again in the normal listing. The catch is zero-click search: a snippet that fully answers the question can satisfy the searcher without any visit to the site.
How to apply it
- Put the exact question in a heading, then answer it straight away in a tight paragraph, list or table before adding detail.
- Check what shape Google already shows for the query, whether a paragraph, a list or a table, and match it.
- Aim at questions where the snippet builds trust but the full answer still needs the page behind it.
- Keep the page ranking well. Google picks from pages already near the top of the results.
- To keep a page out of snippets, the data-nosnippet attribute or a max-snippet setting limits what Google may show.
What it is
When a question has a clear short answer, Google may pull a passage from one ranking page and display it at the top, in a box. The answer appears as a paragraph, a numbered or bulleted list, or a table, depending on the question. It is often called position zero because it sits above the first organic result. Google chooses the page automatically. It cannot be bought.
Common mistakes
- Answering so completely that nobody needs to click.
- Targeting questions the page ranks nowhere near for.