To rank in SERP features, first earn a top-ten organic position for the query, then format the page to match the exact feature you want: a 40 to 60 word answer under a question heading for featured snippets and AI Overviews, valid schema for rich results and star ratings, optimized images and video for the media packs, and a strong Google Business Profile for the local pack. Google now shows some feature on almost every first-page result, so knowing how to rank in SERP features across the whole page beats chasing a single blue link. This guide maps every major feature and the concrete steps to win each one.
SERP features are the blocks Google adds to a search results page beyond the standard ten blue links: AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask, image and video packs, knowledge panels, sitelinks, top stories, the local pack, and review stars, among others. They exist because Google wants to answer more queries on the page itself, and they now dominate the space a searcher sees first.
The scale is easy to underestimate. GrowByData's 2026 count found 37 distinct SERP features in the US, and Semrush Sensor data from March 2026 showed only about 1.16% of first-page results appear with no feature at all. GrowByData's own real-estate analysis found that on commercial queries, features occupy 60 to 80% of everything above the fold. If your strategy still targets one ranking position, you are competing for a shrinking slice of the page.
This is also where AI search and classic SEO meet. The same formatting that wins a featured snippet tends to win an AI Overview citation, which is why answer engine optimization and traditional SERP-feature work now overlap heavily. The rest of this guide treats them as one connected job.
Google chooses SERP features per query by testing results with and without a given feature and keeping whichever version better satisfies searchers, based on the intent behind the query and the signals your page sends. A how-to question triggers snippets and video; a product query triggers shopping and stars; a local query triggers the map pack. You cannot force a feature that Google does not show for a keyword, so the first move is always to read the live SERP.
Two rules hold across nearly every feature. First, eligibility usually requires ranking in the top ten already, because most features pull from pages Google already trusts for that query. Second, format decides selection: Google can only lift an answer, an image, or a rating if your page presents it in a shape the feature can use. Get both right and you become eligible; miss either and you stay invisible no matter how good the writing is.
Here is the full map. Each row names the feature, what triggers it, and the single most important move to win it. The sections below expand the ten that matter most.
| SERP feature | What triggers it | How to win it |
|---|---|---|
| AI Overviews | Informational and complex questions | Rank top ten, front-load quotable answers, cite named sources, cover follow-ups |
| Featured snippets | Question, definition, and comparison queries | Rank top ten, answer in a 40 to 60 word paragraph, list, or table |
| People Also Ask | Informational queries with related follow-ups | Answer each related question in its own tight, self-contained block |
| Image pack | Visual intent: products, travel, how-to, design | Original images, descriptive file names and alt text, fast loading |
| Video results | Tutorials, demos, reviews, experiential queries | Publish on YouTube, strong titles and chapters, VideoObject schema |
| Knowledge panel | Recognized entities: brands, people, places | Strengthen entity signals, sameAs schema, consistent facts everywhere |
| Sitelinks | Branded and navigational searches | Clear site structure, strong internal links, distinct key pages |
| Top Stories | Trending and current-event queries | Timely content, Article schema, authority in the topic, fast site |
| Local pack | Local intent and "near me" searches | Complete Google Business Profile, reviews, consistent NAP citations |
| Reviews and star ratings | Products, services, recipes, businesses | Valid review or aggregateRating schema on genuine reviews |
To appear in an AI Overview, rank in the top ten for the query and write self-contained, quotable sentences that state a fact or definition without needing the paragraph around them, each attributed to a named source. AI Overviews synthesize an answer from several pages and cite them, so your goal is to be one of the sources the model trusts and pulls.
AI Overviews are now the dominant feature at the top of the page. Semrush Sensor data from March 2026 put them on more than 30% of Google's first-page results, up sharply over the prior year.
The winning moves: put a direct answer under every question-style heading, keep facts attributed to credible named sources so the model can verify them, add an FAQ block, and cover the topic completely enough that an AI Mode follow-up is also answered on the page. This is the core of modern Google's AI search experience, explained in our SGE guide, and it is the same discipline that wins featured snippets. If getting cited by AI is your priority, our dedicated answer engine optimization page goes deeper on the tactics.
To win a featured snippet, rank in the top ten and then present a clean, direct answer that Google can lift in one piece: a 40 to 60 word paragraph for definitions, a numbered list for steps, or a table for comparisons, placed right under a question heading. The format has to match what the query wants.
Ranking first is nearly a prerequisite. Ahrefs studied 2 million featured snippets and found 99.58% of them come from pages already in the top ten, and that snippets skew toward long-tail, question-shaped keywords. There is a catch worth knowing: a snippet gives away the answer, so it can cost you clicks.
So win the snippet when the query is one where searchers still need to click through for the full answer, and where owning position zero keeps a competitor out of it. For a straight definition where the snippet gives everything away, the calculus is different. Either way, the technique is the same: answer first, expand below.
People Also Ask boxes reward pages that answer a cluster of related questions clearly, each in its own short, self-contained block under a matching heading. PAA is one of the most common features on the page, appearing on around 53% of US queries according to Advanced Web Ranking data cited by GrowByData, so it is high-leverage on almost any informational topic.
The mechanics reward depth. Google populates PAA with follow-up questions related to the search, then pulls concise answers from ranking pages. To win them, research the questions your topic generates, give each one a clear H2 or H3 that mirrors how people phrase it, and answer in two to four tight sentences before expanding. This is exactly the structure that also feeds AI Overviews and snippets, so one well-built page can win all three. We cover this feature in depth in our guide on how to rank in People Also Ask.
Image and video packs trigger on visual intent, so you win them by producing genuinely useful media, describing it clearly for crawlers, and placing it next to the text it illustrates. Google shows these features when it detects that people want to see something rather than read it: products, recipes, travel, design, and step-by-step how-tos.
For the image pack: use original, high-quality images, give each a descriptive file name and alt text that includes the keyword naturally, compress files so they load fast, and add a caption where it helps. For video: YouTube remains the dominant source, so publish there, write a keyword-clear title and description, add chapters for step-based content, and mark up embedded video with VideoObject schema. GrowByData notes videos of some kind now appear on roughly half of results, so a single strong tutorial can earn visibility that text alone cannot.
Knowledge panels and sitelinks are earned through authority and site structure rather than page-level formatting, so you win them by strengthening entity signals and building a clean, well-linked site. Both features signal that Google understands who you are and how your site is organized.
A knowledge panel appears for recognized entities: brands, organizations, people, and places Google treats as known things. To build toward one, keep your core facts identical everywhere, add Organization or Person schema with sameAs links to your official profiles, secure a Wikidata or Wikipedia presence where it genuinely fits, and earn authoritative coverage that establishes you as an entity, not just a domain. Sitelinks are more mechanical: they appear mostly on branded and navigational searches, and you influence them with a logical site architecture, descriptive internal links, and distinct, clearly-titled key pages so Google knows which sections deserve their own link. Strong content optimization across your key pages makes both easier to earn because it clarifies what each page is about.
The local pack ranks businesses on three factors Google states openly: relevance, proximity, and prominence, so you win it with a complete Google Business Profile, real reviews, and consistent citations. The pack shows three map listings for any query with local intent, and for a local business it is often the single most valuable feature on the page.
Practically, that means claiming and fully completing your Google Business Profile with the right primary category, accurate hours, photos, and services; earning a steady flow of genuine reviews and replying to them; and keeping your name, address, and phone number identical across your site and every directory. Proximity you cannot change, but relevance and prominence you can, and they are what separate the businesses inside the three-pack from everyone below it.
Star ratings come from valid review structured data on pages with genuine reviews, and Top Stories comes from fresh, authoritative content marked up with Article schema. Both are format-plus-trust features rather than pure ranking plays.
For star ratings, add correct review or aggregateRating schema to pages that actually collect reviews, such as products, recipes, courses, or a local business, make sure the reviews are real and visible on the page, and validate with Google's Rich Results Test. Google will not show stars for a business reviewing itself on its own site, so the reviews have to be legitimate. For Top Stories, publish timely content quickly on topics with news value, use Article schema, keep the site fast and clean, and build a track record of authoritative coverage so Google trusts you as a source. Being in Google News helps but is no longer strictly required for the carousel.
You do not chase every feature at once. Work in this order.
Run that loop on your priority pages and you shift from fighting for one link to owning a block of the page. That is what ranking in SERP features means in practice, and it is why whole-SERP visibility now beats a single position.
Winning SERP features is not theoretical. We helped LiveHelpNow grow organic traffic by more than 3,000 visits a month, and their content is now cited inside AI Overviews, which is the clearest signal that a page has been formatted to be quoted rather than just ranked. The same answer-first structure that earns an AI citation also tends to earn the snippet and the PAA slots on the same query.
We saw the pattern again with Heartbeat AI, which added more than 4,000 monthly organic visits after we rebuilt pages around clear intent, self-contained answers, and clean structure. Both cases came from the same discipline in this guide: rank first, then format each page so Google and its AI systems can lift the answer.
What are SERP features? SERP features are the elements Google adds to a search results page beyond the plain blue links, such as AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask, image and video packs, knowledge panels, sitelinks, top stories, the local pack, and star ratings. GrowByData counted 37 distinct features in the US in 2026, and Semrush Sensor found only about 1.16% of first-page results now appear with no feature at all.
How do you rank in SERP features? You rank in a SERP feature by first ranking in the top ten organic results, then formatting the page to match what that specific feature pulls. Answer the question in a tight 40 to 60 word block under a question heading for snippets and AI Overviews, add valid schema for rich results and stars, optimize images and video for the media packs, and keep a strong Google Business Profile for the local pack.
How do I get my content into an AI Overview? AI Overviews pull from pages that already rank and that state facts in self-contained, quotable sentences. Front-load a direct answer under a question heading, attribute claims to named sources, add an FAQ block, and cover the topic completely so follow-up questions are answered on the same page. Being cited matters more than position because Google's AI Overviews now appear on more than 30% of first-page results, per Semrush Sensor.
Do you need to rank on page one to win a featured snippet? Almost always. Ahrefs analyzed 2 million featured snippets and found 99.58% of them come from pages already ranking in the top ten. So the play is to earn a top-ten position first, then format the answer as a clean paragraph, list, or table that Google can lift directly.
How do I rank in the image pack? Use original, high-quality images with descriptive file names and alt text that includes the keyword, compress them so they load fast, and place each image next to the text it illustrates. Image results trigger on visual intent such as products, travel, and how-to steps, so match the visual to what the searcher wants to see.
How do you get a knowledge panel? Knowledge panels appear for recognized entities, so you build one by strengthening entity signals: consistent name, address, and details everywhere, a Wikipedia or Wikidata presence where it fits, Organization or Person schema with sameAs links to your official profiles, and enough authoritative coverage that Google treats you as a known thing rather than just a website.
Are featured snippets and AI Overviews the same thing? No. A featured snippet lifts one passage from a single ranking page and shows it at the top with a link. An AI Overview generates a summary from multiple sources and cites several of them. You optimize for both the same way, with front-loaded, quotable answers, but an AI Overview can appear even when no single featured snippet does.
How do I get star ratings to show under my listing? Star ratings come from valid review or aggregateRating structured data on pages that genuinely collect reviews, such as products, recipes, or a business. Add the correct schema type, make sure the reviews are real and visible on the page, and validate the markup with Google's Rich Results Test. Google will not show stars for self-serving reviews of your own business on your own site.
How do I show up in Top Stories? Top Stories favors fresh, newsworthy content from sources Google trusts for that topic. Publish timely articles quickly, use Article schema, keep a clean and fast site, and build a track record of authoritative coverage in your niche. Being in Google News helps but is no longer strictly required for the Top Stories carousel.
Which SERP feature should I target first? Start with the features that already appear for your target keywords and where you already rank in the top ten, since that is the fastest win. For most informational topics that means AI Overviews, featured snippets, and People Also Ask. For local businesses the local pack and star ratings usually pay off first. Check the live SERP before you commit.
Pick your five most important keywords, open each one in a fresh search, and write down which SERP features appear. Then match your best pages to the features you can realistically win, format them the way this guide describes, and track feature presence over time. If you want a faster read on which features you are leaving on the table, book a free AEO audit call with Rankite and we will show you where the quickest wins are.
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