A featured snippet is a Google search result that shows an extract from a web page first, above or in place of the usual title-and-link layout, to answer the query directly. Google chooses which page and which passage to feature; you can’t mark a page up to become one, but you can make your content easier to pick, or opt out.
Key takeaways
- Google says plainly that you “can’t” mark up a page to be a featured snippet: its systems decide whether a page would make a good one and elevate it.
- Ahrefs found featured snippets on 15.41% of 1 million sampled US desktop results pages in January 2025, but only 5.53% by June 2025, while AI Overviews rose from 3.93% to 27.43%.
- In Ahrefs’ older 2017 study, 99.58% of featured snippets came from pages already ranking in the top 10, so ranking on page one comes first.
- The
nosnippetrule removes your page from featured and regular snippets and, per Google’s robots meta documentation (updated 24 March 2026), also stops it being a direct input for AI Overviews and AI Mode. - A page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet to appear as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, so snippet-friendly content still matters.
What is a featured snippet?
Google’s documentation (last updated 10 December 2025) describes featured snippets as special boxes that “reverse the usual format” of a result: the descriptive text comes first, the page title and link second. They can also appear inside the “People also ask” group. Google’s consumer help page adds that they can sit at the top of results or next to Knowledge Graph information, and are “especially helpful” for people on phones or searching by voice.
When someone clicks a featured snippet, Google takes them straight to the section of the page that appeared in the snippet. Google says this happens “automatically, without any additional annotation by the site”. If the browser doesn’t support it or Google can’t find the exact spot, the visitor lands at the top of the page.
How does Google choose featured snippets?
There is no tag, schema type or setting that makes a page a featured snippet. Google’s help page says it picks snippets based on how well they answer the question and how helpful they are, and its developer documentation says “Google systems determine whether a page would make a good featured snippet for a user’s search request”.
Featured snippets also carry their own content policies on top of normal search policies. Google blocks snippets that break policies on dangerous, deceptive, hateful, harassing, medical, sexually explicit or violent content, and applies a snippet-only policy against “contradicting consensus on public interest topics” such as civic, historical, medical or scientific questions. If a site has many snippets that break these rules, Google says it stops showing featured snippets from that site at all.
What the research says about selection is consistent: you need to rank on page one first. Ahrefs’ 2017 study of its 112-million-keyword US database found 99.58% of featured snippets came from pages already ranking in the top 10, and only 30.9% came from the page ranking #1. Being the best answer on page one beats being #1 with a vague answer.
Are featured snippets disappearing?
They are much rarer than they were. Ahrefs analysed 1,000,000 random US desktop results pages and found featured snippet visibility fell 64%, from 15.41% in January 2025 to 5.53% in June 2025. Over the same months AI Overviews grew from 3.93% to 27.43%, and Ahrefs measured a strong negative correlation (−0.9053) between the two. Glenn Gabe at GSQi saw the same pattern in Ahrefs data for individual sites: drops of 35% and 57% in queries showing featured snippets between September 2024 and March 2025.
| Study | Sample and date | Key finding |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs, “Study of 2 million featured snippets” | ~112M US keywords; published 29 May 2017 | ~12.29% of queries showed a featured snippet; 99.58% of snippets came from top-10 pages |
| Ahrefs, same study (CTR test) | 100K keywords, 2017 | Snippet ~8.6% of clicks, the result below it ~19.6%; a #1 result with no snippet ~26% (Ahrefs: take “with a grain of salt”) |
| Ahrefs, “Goodbye, Featured Snippets” | 1M US desktop SERPs; Jan vs Jun 2025 | Featured snippets 15.41% → 5.53%; AI Overviews 3.93% → 27.43% |
| GSQi (Glenn Gabe) | Two sites’ Ahrefs data; Sep 2024 – Mar 2025 | 35% and 57% fewer ranking queries showing a featured snippet |
The click data is old and should be read with care, but the logic still holds: a snippet can send fewer clicks than the plain #1 result when it answers the question completely on the results page. We cover the AI side of this shift in our guide to AI Overviews and SEO.
Should you still optimise for featured snippets?
Yes, but as a by-product of clear, well-structured answers rather than a goal in itself. The same qualities that win snippets help elsewhere: Google’s AI features guide (updated 10 December 2025) says there are “no additional requirements” to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond being indexed and eligible to show with a snippet, and that these features may use a “query fan-out” technique that issues related searches across subtopics.
Worth chasing when…
- You already rank on page one for the query.
- The query asks for a definition, steps, a list or a comparison.
- A snippet still shows for it today (check the live results).
- Your page can add value beyond the short answer, so people still click.
Probably not worth it when…
- The results page now shows an AI Overview and no snippet.
- The full answer fits in one line, leaving no reason to click.
- You don’t yet rank in the top 10.
- The topic is sensitive and falls under Google’s snippet policies.
How to make content snippet-ready: a six-step process
- Find queries that still show a snippet. Filter your ranking keywords in Ahrefs or Semrush by the “featured snippet on SERP” feature, as GSQi describes, and confirm with a live search. Expect this list to be shorter than a year or two ago.
- Keep only queries where you rank top 10. Given the 99.58% finding, work on these first and improve rankings for the rest.
- Match the intent and format shown. If the current snippet is a list, a table or a short paragraph, that tells you what Google thinks answers the query. Our search intent mapping guide explains how to read the results page.
- Put a direct answer under a clear heading. Use the question (or a close version) as an H2 or H3, answer it in the first sentence or two, then expand. Use real HTML lists and tables for steps and comparisons.
- Keep the answer accurate and current. Google’s snippet policies penalise answers that contradict expert consensus, and stale facts are easy to replace.
- Measure clicks, not just wins. Track the page’s clicks and click-through rate in Search Console before and after; a snippet that cuts clicks may be a poor trade.
Featured snippets come from page content, so they work hand in hand with the regular snippet text Google shows. See our guide to title tags and meta descriptions for how Google builds those.
How do you stop a page appearing as a featured snippet?
Some publishers prefer not to give the answer away. Google offers three page-level controls, documented in its featured snippets page and robots meta tag reference:
| Control | Featured snippet | Regular snippet | AI Overviews and AI Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
<meta name="robots" content="nosnippet"> | Blocked | Blocked | Not used as a direct input |
max-snippet:[number] (low value) | Less likely, not guaranteed; Google publishes no exact minimum | Shortened to the limit | Limits how much content is used as a direct input |
data-nosnippet on a span, div or section | Marked text excluded | Marked text excluded | Listed by Google as a way to limit what’s shown |
max-snippet:0 | Blocked | Blocked (same as nosnippet) | Same as nosnippet |
Be careful: nosnippet makes your result plain and can reduce clicks, and it also takes the page out of AI answers as a direct input. For most businesses, a lower max-snippet value on specific pages is the gentler test.
Frequently asked questions
Can schema markup get my page into a featured snippet?
No. Google says you can’t mark up a page to be a featured snippet; its systems decide. Structured data helps with other rich results, but featured snippets are drawn from the visible page content.
Do I need to rank #1 to win a featured snippet?
No, but you almost always need to be on page one. Ahrefs’ 2017 study found 99.58% of featured snippets came from top-10 pages, and only 30.9% came from the #1 result.
Have AI Overviews replaced featured snippets?
Not entirely, but they have pushed them back. Ahrefs measured featured snippets on 5.53% of sampled results pages in June 2025, down from 15.41% in January, while AI Overviews rose to 27.43%.
Will opting out of featured snippets hurt my rankings?
Google’s documentation doesn’t describe any ranking effect. The controls change how your result is displayed, but nosnippet also removes the text snippet and stops the page being a direct input for AI Overviews and AI Mode, which may cost clicks.
Sources
- Featured snippets and your website — Google Search Central, last updated 10 Dec 2025: definition, selection, opt-out options, click behaviour.
- How Google’s featured snippets work — Google Search Help: placement, content policies, feedback.
- Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet, and X-Robots-Tag specifications — Google Search Central, last updated 24 Mar 2026: nosnippet, max-snippet, data-nosnippet and AI features.
- AI features and your website — Google Search Central, last updated 10 Dec 2025: eligibility and query fan-out.
- Goodbye, Featured Snippets: How SERP Features Have Evolved in the AI Era — Ahrefs (Ryan Law), 22 Jul 2025: 1M SERPs, January vs June 2025.
- Ahrefs’ Study of 2 Million Featured Snippets: 10 Important Takeaways — Ahrefs (Tim Soulo), 29 May 2017: prevalence, top-10 share, CTR test.
- Are Featured Snippets Losing Their Feature? — G-Squared Interactive (Glenn Gabe), 3 Mar 2025: site-level declines and tracking method.
Cite this article: Bright Harbour Media. “Featured Snippets in 2026: How They Work and When to Chase Them.” Bright Harbour Media Insights, October 2026. https://brightharbourmedia.com/featured-snippets/
You are welcome to reference the charts and frameworks in this article with a link back to this page.
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