Ten blue links stopped being an accurate description of Google years ago.
On a lot of queries the first organic result now sits below an AI Overview, a People Also Ask block and a set of images. You can be ranked first and still be well below the fold.
Which changes what you optimise for. This page maps what the results page is made of; the wider strategy is in our SEO guide.
The features that matter, and what you can do about them
| Feature | What triggers it | Can you influence it? |
|---|---|---|
| AI Overview | Informational and increasingly commercial queries | Indirectly — clear, quotable answers and strong topical coverage. See ranking in AI Overviews. |
| Featured snippet | Question queries with a concise answer available | Yes, and it is the most winnable. See featured snippets. |
| People Also Ask | Almost any informational query | Yes — question-form headings with direct answers underneath |
| Map pack | Local intent, explicit or implied | Yes, through your Google Business Profile and reviews |
| Image pack | Visual queries | Yes — real images, descriptive filenames, proper alt text |
| Video carousel | How-to and demonstration queries | Yes, mostly through YouTube |
| Site links | Brand and navigational queries | Indirectly — clear architecture and internal linking |
| Review and product rich results | Product and review pages with valid markup | Yes — Product schema with genuine review data |
| Top stories | News queries | Only if you are a recognised news publisher |
| Shopping ads | Product queries | Paid — this is Merchant Center, not SEO |
What schema still earns a rich result — and what does not
This is where a lot of advice is now years out of date, so it is worth being blunt.
Types that still produce rich results include Product, Review, Recipe, Event, Job Posting, Breadcrumb, Video and Organisation. Our schema markup guide covers implementation, and the schema generator builds the blocks.
How SERP features change your strategy
- Position one is worth less than it was. On a query with an AI Overview and a People Also Ask block, the first organic listing can be several scrolls down. Impressions are not the same as visibility.
- Some queries are not worth targeting at all. If a definitional query is fully answered by an AI Overview above the fold, ranking first there earns very little. Spend the effort where a click still has to happen.
- Structure beats length for extraction. Features are assembled from content that is easy to lift: a direct answer in a short paragraph, a clean table, a numbered list.
- One page can hold several features. A well-structured page can take the featured snippet, appear in People Also Ask, and be cited in the AI Overview — three placements from one piece of work.
How to see what your queries actually return
- Search your top twenty target queries manually, on mobile, and note which features appear. Tools report this, but seeing the layout tells you how much space is left.
- Look at where the first organic result sits. If it is below the fold, treat the query as a visibility problem, not a ranking one.
- Note whose content is being pulled into the features — that tells you what format Google finds extractable for this query.
- Check Search Console for high-impression, low-click pages. That pattern often means a feature is absorbing the clicks.
- Restructure the page to be liftable: direct answer first, question-form headings, tables, short paragraphs.
Where to go from here
Take one high-impression, low-click page and restructure the opening — a direct 40 to 60 word answer immediately under the heading, then the detail.
That single change is what wins featured snippets, PAA placements and AI Overview citations, all at once. It is also the closest thing to a free win left on a results page this crowded.
Frequently asked questions
What are SERP features?
SERP features are the elements on a Google results page that are not standard organic listings. They include AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, map packs, image packs, video carousels, site links, and rich results such as product and review markup.
Does FAQ schema still produce a rich result?
No. Google fully deprecated FAQ rich results on 7 May 2026, and HowTo rich results were removed in 2023. Keep the visible FAQ on your page regardless — question-form headings with clear answers are what earn People Also Ask and AI Overview placements, and the markup was never what did that.
Which SERP features can you actually influence?
Featured snippets and People Also Ask are the most winnable, through clear answer-first structure and question-form headings. Map packs respond to your Google Business Profile and reviews. Image and video packs respond to genuinely useful media. Product and review rich results need valid schema and real data.
Do SERP features reduce organic clicks?
Often, yes. When a query is fully answered by an AI Overview or a featured snippet above the fold, fewer people scroll to the organic results. The practical response is to check which of your target queries are heavily featured and to invest where a click still has to happen.
How do I find which SERP features appear for my keywords?
Search them manually on mobile and note the layout, including how far down the first organic listing sits. Keyword tools also report features per keyword. Then cross-check Search Console for pages with high impressions and unusually low clicks, which usually means a feature is absorbing them.
We structure pages for extraction, not word count
Answer-first formatting that wins snippets, PAA slots and AI Overview citations from one page.