Featured Snippets (Position 0)
Snippet Types
| Type | Format | Trigger Queries |
|---|---|---|
| Paragraph | 40-60 words, direct answer | "what is", "how to", "why" |
| List | <ol> or <ul>, 4-8 items |
"steps to", "ways to", "best" |
| Table | <table>, comparison data |
"X vs Y", "compare" |
| Video | YouTube embed + timestamps | "how to" with visual benefit |
Paragraph Snippet Recipe
<h2>What is <topic>?</h2>
<p>
<topic> is a <category> that <main function>.
It <key benefit> by <method>.
Common use cases include <list>.
</p>
40-60 words, direct answer, no fluff, no marketing speak.
List Snippet Recipe
<h2>How to <task></h2>
<ol>
<li><strong>Step 1</strong>: <action></li>
<li><strong>Step 2</strong>: <action></li>
...
</ol>
Table Snippet Recipe
<h2>X vs Y</h2>
<table>
<thead><tr><th>Feature</th><th>X</th><th>Y</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>...</tbody>
</table>
AI Overviews Connection
Featured snippets are primary training data for AI Overviews. Structured answers ranking in position 0 are 70%+ likely to appear in AI Overview citations.
Anti-Patterns
- ❌ Hiding answer at bottom of article
- ❌ Vague intro paragraph ("In this article we'll explore...")
- ❌ Marketing in snippet target ("our amazing solution")