Google Search Results No Longer Display Featured Snippets
In a surprising turn of events, Google search results are no longer showing featured snippets. This change, which occurred on the morning of February 15th, has left many wondering whether it was intentional or simply a bug in Google’s search feature.
For those unfamiliar with featured snippets, they are machine learning-based snippets that often appear at the top of search results and provide direct answers to users’ queries. These snippets have become a valuable tool for websites looking to increase traffic and visibility. However, as of 7 am ET on Thursday, featured snippets have disappeared from the search results.
Examples provided by Glenn Gabe and Shameem Adhikarath clearly show the absence of featured snippets. Gabe even tweeted his suspicion that this is a bug rather than an intentional change. He mentioned that a similar bug occurred recently when the local pack and map search results disappeared for a few hours before being fixed by Google.
While it is unclear whether the removal of featured snippets is intentional or not, website owners who rely on this position zero location may experience a decrease in traffic as a result. It is important to note that this could be a temporary issue, as Google has been quick to fix similar bugs in the past.
In an effort to get to the bottom of this, we have reached out to Google for a comment. Once we hear back from them, we will provide updates on any new information we learn.
Update: After approximately an hour or two of not working, the featured snippets issue seems to be resolved. Users are now able to see featured snippets in their search results again.
In conclusion, the sudden disappearance of featured snippets from Google search results has caused concern among website owners who rely on this feature for increased visibility. Whether intentional or not, the absence of featured snippets may result in decreased traffic for some websites. However, it appears that Google has resolved the issue and featured snippets are once again appearing in search results. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as we receive more information from Google.
