Search surfaces
Position Zero
The informal name for the featured snippet that sits above the #1 organic result.
Position zero is an informal name for the featured snippet — the answer box that sits above the first organic result, effectively a slot 'before' position one. The term caught on because winning it means appearing above everyone else, even the top-ranked link.
The idea still matters in AI search because position zero was the first widely understood form of being quoted rather than ranked. The behaviour it rewarded — writing the cleanest direct answer to a question — is exactly the behaviour AI citations reward, so position zero is a useful mental bridge from SEO to AEO.
In practice, chasing position zero and chasing AI citations are largely the same editing work done on the same high-intent questions.
Related terms
Featured Snippet
Google's boxed answer at the top of results, lifted verbatim from one ranking page.
AI Overviews
Google's AI-generated answer box at the top of search results.
Answer-First Writing
Leading a section with the direct answer, then justifying it, so machines can lift it.
Structured Answer Block
A self-contained passage formatted so an engine can lift it whole as a direct answer.
Zero-Click Search
A search that ends on the results page, with no click to any website.
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