A featured snippet is a search answer shown at the top of Google page 1. Also called an “Answer Box,” it helps provide a concise answer to a query right then and there.
How featured snippets appeared pre – Jan 2020
Up until January 2020, a search result that appeared on Google’s featured snippet also appeared somewhere on the first page – among the top 10 organic results. This meant that there was one result which appeared twice on Google Page 1. However, that is no longer the case and a featured snippet result won’t be repeated on page 1. Read more to find out why.
January 2020 update to featured snippets
In January 2020, Google announced that they will be de-duplicating the featured snippet results. This means that if a result is already appearing in a featured snippet, it will no longer be repeated in the first SERP.
If a web page listing is elevated into the featured snippet position, we no longer repeat it in the first page of results. This declutters the results & helps users locate relevant information more easily. Featured snippets count as one of the ten web page listings we show….
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) January 23, 2020
Previously, Google displayed a featured snippet result and 10 organic results for several search queries. This was why featured snippets were called “position zero” as they appeared above the first organic result. Now, featured snippets are being considered position 1, and Google will display 9 other organic results on their first SERP.
Does that mean I will have the 1st result on the 2nd page?
Well, no. Not definitely. There have been certain featured snippet results that are currently ranking as the first result on the second page of SERPs; or anywhere on the second page for that matter. According to Google Search Liaison, this is by no means a guaranteed position, and goes on to say that Google does not purposefully move the de-duplicated URL to the second SERP.
Some have noted that a deduplicated URL may appear on the second page of results. This is not a guaranteed position, nor by design, nor might it stay that way. Deduplication does not purposefully move the deduplicated URL to the second page….
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) January 23, 2020
Since these changes are relatively new (the update isn’t even official yet), some URLs occupying the featured snippet might have been moved to page 2. However, if you think about it, if position zero is actually the new position one, then it doesn’t make sense for that particular result to appear again on any other page.
The transition would certainly take some getting used to, as it is reduces SERP visibility by 50% for the current snippet holder. In a way, it almost seems like Google is penalizing websites for reaching the coveted position zero.
Should I de-optimize my page for snippets?
Some webmasters have expressed concern over this issue, and some are wondering whether it’s smart to add a “no-snippet” tag into their code. However, we believe there are a lot of reasons NOT to do this.
Despite losing out on digital real estate, snippet remains the most coveted SERP spot with higher visibility, CTRs and ultimately traffic.
In addition, opting out of featured snippets is almost as good as kissing voice search results goodbye. Google’s Danny Sullivan has confirmed that if a voice response comes from a featured snippet, then you will completely lose that opportunity by de-optimizing for snippets.
