Featured Snippets

Definition: Featured Snippets are short excerpts that Google displays at the top of traditional search results to provide a direct answer to a user’s query. AI Overviews build on this concept by synthesizing information from multiple sources using large-language-model reasoning (instead of extracting text from a single page.)

Scope:

  • Includes: direct-answer extractions from webpages; concise, question-aligned summaries; formatting and clarity signals that make content snippet-eligible.
  • Excludes: multi-source synthesis produced by AI Overviews; paid placements or knowledge-panel content; snippets generated from structured-data fields alone.
  • Notes: Featured Snippets represent the earliest form of “answer-first” search behavior. Many structural cues that once determined snippet selection now influence which sources appear in AI Overviews.

Why it matters: Understanding Featured Snippets helps explain how Google and other engines learned to identify authoritative, answer-ready content. The same structural discipline—clear questions, concise answers, and contextual completeness—remains critical for visibility in generative search (GEO/AEO/AISEO).

See also: AI Overviews; Answer Engine Optimization (AEO); Format Discipline; Generative Engine Optimization (GEO); Source Eligibility

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