Featured Snippet
A selected search result displayed at the top of Google SERPs in a special highlighted box, also called "Position Zero."
Definition
A featured snippet is a special search result box that appears above the standard organic listings (hence the term "Position Zero") when Google determines a particular page directly and concisely answers the search query. Featured snippets are triggered most often by question queries (how, what, why, when) and informational intent searches. The snippet displays a brief excerpt from the page along with the page URL and title.
There are four main types: paragraph snippets (a 40–60 word text answer), list snippets (numbered or bulleted lists), table snippets (data in tabular format), and video snippets (a YouTube video with a timestamp). Paragraph and list formats are most common. Winning a featured snippet typically requires being in the top 5 organic results, having content that explicitly and directly answers the target question, and using clear formatting (concise opening answer, then expanded explanation below).
Featured snippets drive significant CTR advantages for informational queries — studies show 8%–12% average CTR on featured snippet positions. However, for simple factual queries (where the snippet fully answers the question), some users don't click through, a phenomenon called "zero-click searches." The net effect on traffic depends on the query type and how completely the snippet answers the question.