Featured snippet

A featured snippet is the highlighted answer block Google shows at the top of the results, with a direct answer to the question and a link to the page the answer comes from.

How do you win a featured snippet?

You rarely win the snippet with tricks, but rather with a clear answer that matches the search intent exactly. A few recurring patterns:

• Answer the question in a short paragraph, right under a heading that repeats the question.
• Use lists for steps and tables for comparisons, because Google often highlights those literally.
• Write for one clear question per section instead of piling everything together.

Why it matters

The snippet sits above the first organic link, in the so-called “position zero”. That gives your brand extra visibility and authority, even if you are not in first place. The downside is that a snippet sometimes answers the question completely, so the user no longer clicks. That feeds the pattern of zero-click searches. Even so, the snippet remains worthwhile, because your brand is then at the top of the screen at the moment someone searches, and that builds recognition.

The link with AI

Featured snippets and the AI Overview draw from the same source: content that gives a clear, structured answer. Whoever builds their pages so a snippet can highlight them also makes that same content usable for AI answers. Related questions from the People Also Ask block additionally point you to the exact phrasings your audience uses to search.

For B2B you do not look at the number of snippets, but whether the snippets you win sit on questions buyers ask just before they make a choice. That is the visibility that generates enquiries.