What Google says
We read Google's featured snippets page on 9 October 2026. It was last updated on 10 December 2025.
- Google describes featured snippets as special boxes where the format of a regular search result is reversed.
- Google's systems decide whether a page would make a good featured snippet for a search, and if so, they raise it.
- You cannot mark a page as a featured snippet. Google's page describes no way to opt in.
- Featured snippets can also appear in a group of related questions, the box people know as People also ask.
- When a person clicks a featured snippet, Google takes them to the relevant part of the page. If it cannot find that part with confidence, the click goes to the top of the page.
Google's page does not describe the shapes a featured snippet can take, so we do not list them. It also says nothing about how many clicks they bring, so we do not quote a figure.
How a page gets chosen
Google does not publish a recipe. What we can say comes from its starter guide. The guide says a snippet is taken from the actual content of the page. It also says content should be easy to read and well organised, with headings to help people move around.
From that, here is our advice, not a Google rule. Where a page answers a question, put the answer in plain words under a heading that asks the question. Then give the detail below it. This is good writing for readers whether or not Google picks the page.
A made-up example
A brassware seller in Moradabad writes a page called How to clean a brass lamp at home. Near the top, under that heading, sits a short paragraph that gives the method in a few lines. Below it are the full steps and a note on what to avoid.
If a person searches for how to clean a brass lamp, Google may show that paragraph in a box with a link to the page. It may also choose another page, or no box at all. The seller cannot ask for the box. The seller can only make the page clear.
Controls you have
Google's page gives you ways to keep a page out of featured snippets:
- nosnippet: blocks all snippets for the page, featured and regular.
- data-nosnippet: keeps marked text out of snippets. If both rules are on a page, nosnippet wins.
- max-snippet: sets a limit on snippet length. Google says a low value can make a page less likely to show as a featured snippet, but it does not guarantee it.
Only nosnippet is certain. Use these only if you really want to hide text, because nosnippet also removes your normal description from results.
Common mistakes
- Believing you can apply for a featured snippet, or add a tag to get one.
- Leaving a nosnippet rule on a page by accident, which hides every snippet.
- Stretching a page with filler to look longer. Our advice is to answer the question, then stop.
- Treating a featured snippet as a ranking you own. Google chooses again for each search.
Related terms
- SERP (search engine results page) features: the special blocks Google shows apart from plain text results.
- SERP (search engine results page): the page of results Google shows after a search.
- Meta description: the short summary that can appear under a title.
- Search intent: what a person really wants when they type a search.
- AI (artificial intelligence) Overviews: summaries written by AI that Google shows for some searches.
To plan pages that answer real questions, read about search intent or see our SEO (search engine optimisation) work.
Sources
- Google Search Central, "Featured snippets and your website" (developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/featured-snippets), last updated 10 December 2025, read 9 October 2026.
- Google Search Central, SEO Starter Guide (developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide), read 9 October 2026.
