SERP Features
Non-standard elements that appear on a Google results page beyond the ten blue links, including featured snippets, AI Overviews, image packs, knowledge panels, and local packs.
Also known as: Rich results, SERP elements, Google SERP features
What are SERP features?
SERP features (Search Engine Results Page features) are any element on a Google search results page that is not a standard organic blue link. They are Google's mechanisms for providing richer, more directly useful responses to queries by surfacing specific types of content in more prominent, visually distinct formats. Some SERP features can be earned by any page through schema markup or content structure; others (like the Knowledge Panel) are awarded by Google based on entity recognition.
Major SERP features in 2026
- AI Overview: AI-generated synthesised answer appearing above all other results for approximately 48% of queries.
- Featured Snippet: A single extracted answer from one page, shown in a box above organic results.
- Knowledge Panel: A branded information card on the right side of desktop results for well-known entities (companies, people, places).
- Image Pack: A row of images appearing in organic results for queries with visual intent.
- Video Carousel: Embedded video results from YouTube for video-intent queries.
- Local Pack: Map and business listing results for location-based queries.
- People Also Ask (PAA): An expandable accordion of related questions with extracted answers.
- Shopping Pack: Product listing ads and organic shopping results for commercial queries.
- Sitelinks: Additional links to subpages below a brand's main organic result.
SERP features and click distribution
SERP features significantly affect how clicks are distributed across a results page. When an AI Overview appears, only 8% of users click organic results below it, according to Pew Research. Featured snippets reduce clicks to lower-ranking results. Local packs capture most clicks for location queries. Understanding which features appear on your target queries helps you optimise for the right visibility type rather than assuming all traffic flows through organic position 1.
Earning SERP features
Most SERP features can be earned by optimising content and markup specifically for them. FAQPage schema increases the chance of appearing in People Also Ask. Clear paragraph answers increase featured snippet probability. Product schema enables shopping rich results. Article schema with author and date supports news and topical features. The AI Overview is influenced by general E-E-A-T signals, existing rankings, and content structure rather than a specific schema type.
FAQ
Common Questions
Not always. Featured snippets and AI Overviews can reduce total clicks to organic results by answering the query directly. However, being cited within a SERP feature (especially an AI Overview) is more valuable per impression than being an uncited result below it.
Search your target keywords in an incognito browser and observe which features appear. Rank tracking tools including Minineo's keyword rank tracker record which SERP features are present for each tracked keyword.
Yes. Featured snippets, People Also Ask results, and AI citations are all achievable for pages that answer questions well, regardless of domain size. Knowledge Panels are harder for smaller brands without entity recognition.
Glossary