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Featured snippet: what is it?
The box above the results where the answer comes before the link.
A featured snippet is a special Google box that flips the usual result layout: it shows a passage answering the search first, followed by the title and link of the page it came from. Google alone decides which pages appear there, and no markup lets a site request or reserve that spot for itself.
In short
- No markup lets you request a featured snippet.
- Featured snippets also appear when someone expands a question in the “People also ask” box.
- The nosnippet rule is the only sure way to opt out.
- Lowering max-snippet may remove a featured snippet, with no guarantee.
How do you recognize a featured snippet?
Google describes them as special boxes where a regular result's format is reversed, with the descriptive snippet shown first [1]. Search “how often should a chimney be swept” and the box shows a few lines of answer right away, then the site's name.
The same snippets show up in the related-questions group known as People Also Ask: when someone expands a question, what appears is a featured snippet [2].
Can you mark up a page to win a featured snippet?
No. Google puts it bluntly: you can't. Its systems decide whether a page would make a good featured snippet for a given search [1]. Structured data helps describe a page, but no schema.org type triggers the box.
What you can do is write so the page is a strong candidate: phrase the question the way people ask it, answer in the first sentence, then add detail. That is the idea behind AEO.
How do you opt out of featured snippets?
Google offers two approaches [1]. To block every snippet, regular ones included, add the nosnippet rule. To keep just one passage out, use the data-nosnippet attribute. To target only the featured snippet, lower the max-snippet value, though that isn't guaranteed to work.
Google's page on controlling snippets explains these rules and how to write them [3].
| Control | Effect | Certainty |
|---|---|---|
| nosnippet | No snippet at all, regular or featured | Guaranteed, per Google |
| data-nosnippet | The marked passage is never used as a snippet | Limited to that passage |
| max-snippet (low value) | Shorter snippets; may remove the featured one | Not guaranteed |
Per Google, nosnippet wins if both rules are present.
What does a page well placed for a snippet look like?
What are common featured-snippet mistakes?
- Paying for a service that “guarantees” a snippet, when Google says you can't designate one [1].
- Putting the answer inside an image, where the text can't be quoted.
- Using nosnippet on the whole page to hide one sensitive passage instead of data-nosnippet.
- Switching topics every paragraph so the page never gives a clean answer.
- Forgetting that AI Overviews follow the same snippet controls.
What does Pilotiko do about featured snippets?
Pilotiko can't put a page into a featured snippet; nobody can. For the site it builds and hosts, it generates the structured data and the technical files that support SEO, such as the XML sitemap. Its audit of an existing site highlights pages where the answer arrives too late, and any text it drafts waits for your approval.
Frequently asked questions
What is “position zero”?
It's the industry nickname for the featured snippet, because the box sits above the regular results. Google itself just calls it a featured snippet.
Does a featured snippet bring clicks?
It depends on the question. If the answer is enough, the reader may not click; if it sparks interest, the box puts your page in view. There is no universal official figure.
How do I stop Google from showing one specific passage?
Wrap it in an element carrying the data-nosnippet attribute. The rest of the page can still be used as a snippet.
Does structured data help win the snippet?
It helps search engines understand the page, but Google says you can't designate your page as a featured snippet. The visible text and how clearly it answers matter most.
Is a featured snippet permanent?
Nothing makes it permanent. Google decides for each search whether a page fits, so another page can take the spot or the box can stop showing.
Sources
- Google Search Central, Featured snippets and your website (accessed on October 15, 2026).
- Google Search Central, Visual elements gallery of Google Search (accessed on October 15, 2026).
- Google Search Central, Control your snippets in search results (accessed on October 15, 2026).
Read next
People Also Ask: what is that question box?
Google's People Also Ask box explained: how it works, how to use it to pick topics, and a worked FAQ example for a Quebec service business with real numbers.
AEO: what is answer engine optimization?
Answer Engine Optimization explained: what AEO covers, what Google actually says about answers, and a worked FAQ page example for a Quebec service business.
AI Overviews: what are Google's AI-generated summaries?
Google's AI Overviews explained: what they do, what it takes to appear, the controls site owners have, and a page-by-page eligibility check for a small firm.
Structured data: what are schema.org and JSON-LD?
Structured data, schema.org and JSON-LD explained: formats Google accepts, a LocalBusiness markup example for a Quebec small business and the usual mistakes.