Featured snippets infographic: a Google results page for how to descale a kettle with a featured snippet answer and steps highlighted, four facts about featured snippets, a four-step playbook and the nosnippet and max-snippet controls.

Oct 5, 2026

Featured Snippets Infographic: How to Win Position Zero

How featured snippets work and how to win one: what they are, who decides, the controls you have, and a four-step playbook.

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<a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/featured-snippets"><img src="https://searchinsider.io/research/featured-snippets/featured-snippets-infographic.png" alt="Featured snippets infographic: a Google results page for how to descale a kettle with a featured snippet answer and steps highlighted, four facts about featured snippets, a four-step playbook and the nosnippet and max-snippet controls." style="max-width:680px;width:100%;height:auto;" /></a><p>Source: <a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/featured-snippets">How to win featured snippets infographic</a> by Search Insider.</p>

How do you win a featured snippet?

The short answer: A featured snippet shows part of a page first, above the usual results. You can't mark up a page to get one: Google picks the page. What you can do is answer the question clearly on a page that already ranks.

Based on Google Search Central, Google Search Help and Google Search Liaison.

What it shows

A featured snippet shows the descriptive snippet first, then the page title.
Clicking it takes people to that section of the page.
Google's systems decide; there's no markup for it.
Since January 2020, a featured snippet page isn't repeated in the page-one results.
nosnippet blocks all snippets; a low max-snippet discourages featured snippets.

What to do

Choosing targets: Pick questions you already rank on page one for.
Writing: Answer the question in the first sentence under a question heading, and use lists or tables.

The walkthrough

What is a featured snippet?

Featured snippets are special boxes where the normal search result is reversed, showing the descriptive snippet first ^[1]. Clicking one takes the user directly to the section of the page that appeared in it ^[1]. Google describes them as appearing at the top of search results, among other placements ^[2].

Can you mark up a page to get a featured snippet?

No. Google's systems determine whether a page would make a good featured snippet for a search and, if so, elevate it ^[1]. There is no markup that requests one.

Does a featured snippet page also appear lower on page one?

No. In January 2020 Google Search Liaison said that a page shown in the featured snippet isn't repeated in the page-one listings, while page one still has 10 unique listings ^[3].

How do you win a featured snippet?

Search Insider's playbook: target questions you already rank on page one for, plus their People Also Ask questions. Put the question in a heading and answer it in the first sentence underneath, use numbered lists for steps and tables for comparisons, and make the answer complete on its own before going deeper.

How do you stop a page appearing as a featured snippet?

The nosnippet rule blocks all snippets, including featured snippets ^[1]. A lower max-snippet setting can discourage featured snippets, but Google doesn't guarantee it will stop them ^[1].

Sources

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