What is featured snippet?

A box at the top of some results that answers a question directly, taken from a web page.

The plain definition

A featured snippet is a highlighted answer that Google sometimes shows above the usual results. It pulls a short passage, list or table from a web page and shows it with a link to the source. It appears mostly for questions, such as “how long does a water heater last?”.

An example

A page on your site has a heading that asks “How often should a furnace be serviced?” followed by a short, direct answer in two sentences and then a longer explanation. That clear structure makes the page easier for a search engine to quote.

Why it matters for a local business

You cannot request a featured snippet, and nobody can promise one. What you can do is answer common customer questions clearly, put the short answer first, use plain headings and add a question list to your key pages. Those habits help readers whether or not a snippet appears.

Check it for free

See where you stand with the free keyword density checker. If you would rather have it handled, our Local SEO service covers this as part of the monthly work.

Related terms

Part of the SEO glossary. New to all this? Start with the beginner’s SEO guide.

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