Overview
A featured snippet is the extracted answer block Google shows above the first organic result. It comes in three shapes: paragraph, list, and table. Google selects the passage automatically and publishes no selection criteria, so the lengths and limits below are practitioner heuristics from observing SERPs. The structures still pay off without a snippet, because the same short, query-shaped answer is what answer-first-content recommends for AI citation. For the wider SERP feature landscape, including People Also Ask and retired rich results, see serp-features.
Structure paragraph snippets as a 40-to-60-word direct answer under an H2
Third-party SERP studies consistently report the paragraph snippet as the most common type. Google extracts a short passage and shows it above the result. In practice the winning passage is often the paragraph directly after a heading that paraphrases the query, and 40 to 60 words is a common practitioner target.
Template:
## What is a featured snippet?
A featured snippet is a result block at the top of Google's SERP that
extracts a direct answer from a page. It appears above the first organic
link and credits the source page with a link. Google selects the passage
automatically; site owners can opt out with nosnippet controls.The H2 mirrors the query. The opening sentence states the definition or answer. The remaining sentences add one specific fact each. No preamble, no marketing copy, no filler phrasing.
Structure list snippets as an ordered list under a step-or-rank H2
Google extracts list snippets from <ol> or <ul> blocks immediately following an H2 that signals enumeration: “how to,” “steps to,” “best ways to,” “types of.”
## How to set a canonical URL
1. Add a `<link rel="canonical" href="...">` tag inside the page `<head>`.
2. Point the `href` at the absolute, HTTPS, self-referential URL.
3. Confirm one canonical per page, no duplicates.
4. Verify the Google-selected canonical with URL Inspection in Search Console.Long lists get truncated in the snippet with a “more items” link. Front-load the steps the searcher actually needs.
Structure table snippets as a single comparison HTML table
Google extracts table snippets from HTML <table> elements, typically for comparison queries: “X vs Y,” “X by year,” “X pricing.” Use a real header row so the columns are unambiguous.
| Plan | Price | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 GB |
| Pro | $20 | 100 GB |
| Team | $50 | 1 TB |As a heuristic, keep tables compact; large tables get truncated in the snippet. The first column is the row label; the first row is the column header. See schema-markup-deep for the optional Product schema that pairs with pricing tables.
Opt out per passage or per page when a snippet hurts
Some pages lose clicks when the snippet answers the whole question. Google supports data-nosnippet on an HTML element to keep that passage out of snippets, max-snippet:[n] to cap snippet length, and nosnippet to block snippets for the whole page. These same controls also limit how the page appears in AI Overviews and AI Mode, so apply them deliberately.
Common errors
- Answer blocks that ramble. Google truncates long passages, so the snippet can end mid-sentence. Keep the answer block tight.
- No keyword anchor in the first paragraph. The H2 matches the query but the body opens with backstory. Lead with the answer.
- Forcing a snippet structure onto a query whose SERP shows none. Audit the live SERP first; see serp-features.