On this page
Search "how long is a notice period" or "how much does a website cost" and you often get a box above the ordinary results with a paragraph, a list or a table and a link to the page it came from. Being in that box puts you above number one, hence the name position zero. Since January 2020 the page in the box no longer appears again among the ordinary results: you win the top spot and give up your regular place.
The new layer on top: AI Overviews
On more and more queries something else sits at the top: the AI Overview, an answer Google writes itself with a language model, linking to the pages it drew on. AI Mode, since 2025, lets people ask follow-up questions. These exist alongside the classic snippet; the figure shows how the layers stack.
| Featured snippet | AI Overview | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A verbatim excerpt from one page | Text Google writes itself |
| Sources | One page | Several pages as links |
| What you win | The mention on top, and often the click | A mention as a source, fewer clicks |
| How you get in | Give the answer briefly and clearly | The same basics, and being worth citing |
The effect on clicks has been measured. Pew Research found that when an AI summary appeared, users clicked an ordinary result in 8 percent of visits, against 15 percent without one. Being inside the answer matters more than being below it, which is the job of generative engine optimisation; the difference between the two approaches is set out in SEO vs GEO.
What sits above the ten blue links
- AI Overviewtext by Google, with sources as links
- Adsup to four, paid per click
- Featured snippetan excerpt from one page
- Local mapthree businesses on a map
- Plain resultsthe ten blue links
Sketch. Which layers appear differs per query.
Answers written to be lifted
For Business Centrum, a payroll bureau in Ghent, we wrote 41 questions employers ask, each answered in its first sentence: yes, no, or yes if. The explanation per situation follows underneath. That is exactly the shape that fits a snippet and an AI Overview: an answer that can stand alone, with its source attached. Together with the guides and pay scale pages, the site went straight in at position 2 for searches such as "bouwverlof 2027" in its first weeks. Our own questions section follows the same pattern.
When a snippet brings you nothing
A snippet brings visibility and often more clicks than position one, especially for questions where people want more than the excerpt: a price that "depends on", a step-by-step process, a comparison. On short factual questions ("population of Ghent") you get the mention but the searcher has what they need and does not click. Choose questions where your full page offers more than the answer alone.
If a box above you is stealing clicks, Search Console shows it as a falling click-through rate at a stable position. The SERP preview tool shows how your title and description read, and a clear page structure with headings and tables helps Google find your answer; the foundations are in our guide to technical SEO. For local searches the map pack often comes first, which is local SEO territory.
Writing a page Google quotes on top
- Use the question as a headingPhrase it the way people type it. Google looks for a heading with the answer directly beneath.
- Answer in the first sentenceTwo or three sentences, roughly 40 to 60 words, that answer fully. Explanation, exceptions and examples come after.
- Steps as a list, figures as a tableA numbered list for how-to questions, a table for comparisons and prices. Google often copies the format as is.
- Rank on page one firstThe excerpt almost always comes from a page already in the top ten. No ranking, no snippet.
Questions about answers on top
Can I apply for a featured snippet?
No. Google chooses. You raise your chances with a clear question as a heading, a short answer beneath and a page-one ranking.
Do I need structured data?
Not for a featured snippet: Google takes it from your normal text. Structured data helps with other rich results.
Can I keep my text out of snippets and AI Overviews?
Yes, with nosnippet for a whole page or data-nosnippet for a section. You lose that visibility too.