Featured Snippets sit at the intersection of SEO and AEO. They appear at 'position zero' in search results, intercepting a large portion of clicks. More importantly, Google AI Overview frequently cites featured snippet content.
Featured Snippets come in three main formats: paragraph (answering 'what is' and 'why' questions), list (steps, rankings, checklists), and table (comparisons, data).
Strategies for optimizing featured snippets include: directly answering common questions with H2/H3, providing concise 40-60 word answer paragraphs, using ordered/unordered lists, and adding comparison tables.