What is Featured Snippet?

A featured snippet (sometimes called an "answer box" or "position zero") is the framed text box Google sometimes shows at the very top of the search result — even above the ordinary first-place link. There, Google pulls out a short, direct answer from a web page and shows it straight away, often with the site's name and a link.

Think of it as being chosen to stand at the podium and answer the audience's question, while everyone else sits in the seats. If someone asks "how long do you boil an egg?", Google may lift your sentence about cooking times to the top, so it is visible before all the other links. That gives enormous visibility.

Snippets can be a paragraph of text, a bullet list, a numbered step-by-step list or a small table — depending on what best fits the question.

Why do featured snippets matter for your business?

Winning the answer box gives you the most visible spot on the entire page, often without needing to rank first otherwise. It also builds trust — people perceive it as Google's "chosen" answer, which makes your brand feel like an authority.

It is especially valuable in a time when more people search by voice and AI. That short, clear text is often what gets read aloud or quoted when someone asks their phone or an AI assistant.

Featured snippet in practice

Say you run an accounting firm and have a page that clearly explains "what is a provisional tax return?" with a short, direct answer followed by more detail. If Google likes the wording, your box may land at the top when people search for the question — and suddenly thousands know your firm.

The trick is to state the question clearly on the page (ideally as a heading) and give a short, concise answer straight afterwards, before going deeper. That makes it easy for Google to pull out the answer.