Featured snippets: the box above the results.
The featured snippet is the box Google shows above the first result, with a passage lifted from one page. It comes in three shapes, each fits a different kind of park question, and it goes to the page with the cleanest passage, which is often not the page ranking first.
IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Google shows a featured snippet when a search is a question it can answer from one passage. Paragraph snippets answer "how far," "is there," "what is." List snippets answer "how do I" and "what is included." Table snippets answer comparisons and rates. Google picks the passage that most cleanly answers the question from a page ranking on the first page. To win one: a heading matching the question, the answer in forty to sixty words or a tidy list or table directly under it, on a page that already ranks in the top ten. Parks can own snippets for their own name plus a question, and often for their town plus a question.
The three shapes and which park questions fit
- Paragraph. "How far is [park] from [attraction]," "Does [park] have a dump station," "What is the longest site at [park]." One clean sentence, then detail.
- List. "What is included in the monthly rate at [park]," "How do I check in after hours," "What should I bring to a cabin." A short numbered or bulleted list under the question heading.
- Table. "[Park] rates," "cabin vs RV site," "site lengths and hookups." A small table with a header row, directly under the heading.
What one looks like
Search: "what is included in monthly rate Willow Lake RV Park." The list snippet, lifted from the monthly page:
- Full hookups: water, sewer, 50-amp electric with a $50 utility allowance
- WiFi at the site
- Laundry room access
- Mail delivery to the office
- Two vehicles and one pet
On the page: that exact heading, that exact list, nothing between them. Google lifted it because it was the cleanest list answering the question on a page already ranking for the park's name.
How Google chooses
From pages on the first page of results, it looks for the passage that best matches the question's shape and answers it completely. Signals that help: the heading matches the question wording, the answer is immediately below, the passage is self-contained, the page is about that topic, and the site is trusted for it. Signals that hurt: the fact split across paragraphs, marketing language before the answer, the answer inside an image or a PDF.
What it looks like when it is missing
Search "[your park] rates" and the box shows a booking platform's table, or a directory's guess from 2021. Search "[your town] RV park with cabins" and the box quotes a competitor. Your site has the same facts, spread across paragraphs under headings like "Stay With Us."
How to check your own
- Search ten questions about your park, five with the park's name and five with the town. Note which show a box and whose page it quotes.
- For each box a competitor or a directory owns, open your page and find the same fact. Is it under a matching heading, in one clean passage?
- Fix the three easiest and search again in two weeks.
What we do about it
The pages we build put every fact in snippet shape: question heading, clean passage, list or table where the question wants one. In the Marketing band we keep a list of the questions the park owns and the ones it could, and write to take them. Tables and lists, in detail.
Questions about this.
What is a featured snippet?
The box Google shows above the first result with a passage lifted from one page: a paragraph, a list, or a table that answers the search directly.
How do I get a featured snippet for my RV park?
Rank on the first page for the question, then answer it under a heading that matches the question, in forty to sixty words or a short list or table, with nothing between the heading and the answer.
Do featured snippets take clicks away?
Sometimes, for simple facts. For a park, the snippet is the answer the guest was going to call about, and it carries the park's name to the top of the page, which is worth more than the click.
Can a small park win snippets against booking platforms?
Yes. Snippets go to the cleanest passage, not the biggest site. A park's own page stating its own rates in a tidy table beats a directory's guess.
Want your pages written to be the answer?
Every site we build is written this way. Tell us about your park and we will show you which questions you could own. SEO and AEO with us start at $250 a month.
Part of the RV park AEO guide. Previous: Question headings with the answer in the first sentence. Next: Voice search: the one answer the phone reads out loud. See also the SEO guide and the GEO guide.