For a few years, winning a featured snippet felt like a double prize. Your page appeared in the answer box at the top of Google and, very often, again as a normal blue link a little further down. In January 2020 Google ended that. A page shown in a featured snippet would no longer be repeated as a regular listing on the first page of results.
The change was small in engineering terms but significant for click-through rates, reporting and strategy. It also gives a useful window into a family of systems Google now openly documents: its deduplication systems.
This guide explains what changed and when, what Google's Search Liaison said at the time, how the change fits Google's broader deduplication systems, and how to decide whether a featured snippet is worth keeping or whether opting out makes sense.
Key Takeaways
- From 22 January 2020, a page shown in a featured snippet stopped being repeated as a regular organic listing on page one.
- Google framed it as decluttering: before, a snippet page could take 11 listings on page one with 10 unique; afterwards it was 10 and 10.
- Google said the deduplication applied only to page one and gave no guarantee the listing would reappear on page two.
- Deduplication of featured snippets is now documented as part of Google's deduplication systems.
- Opting out with nosnippet or max-snippet is possible but rarely the right default; test carefully on a page-by-page basis.
The facts at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Featured snippet deduplication |
| Date | Announced and observed on 22 January 2020; Seer Interactive notes Google had been testing it since at least November 2019 |
| Type | Change to how results are displayed (part of Google's deduplication systems), not a core or spam update |
| Confirmed by Google? | Yes, by Google's Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan |
| Scope | Page one of web results where a featured snippet appears, including a right-hand featured-snippet-style variant on desktop |
| What did not change | Other SERP features were not deduplicated in this change, according to Google's answers at the time |
What exactly changed
Before the change, the URL in a featured snippet usually appeared again in the organic results below it. After 22 January 2020, Google removed that repeat listing from page one. Google's Search Liaison answered a series of questions on the day, which Seer Interactive collected. The clearest explanation was about the number of listings:
“If there's a featured snippet, it was 11 net listings, 10 unique. Now it is 10 net and unique.”
— Danny Sullivan, Google Search Liaison, quoted by Seer Interactive, Featured snippets will no longer be repeated in search results
Other details from those answers are worth knowing:
- Google said it was simply deduplicating on the first page and that there was no guarantee the page would show up on page two in position 11 or anywhere else.
- If two featured snippets appeared, Google said both were deduplicated.
- A desktop right-hand panel some SEOs thought was a Knowledge Panel was described by Google as a featured-snippet-like variant, and deduplication applied there too.
- Google noted the change made particular sense on mobile, where snippets appear inline with the results.
- When asked whether a page that lost its snippet would return to the normal results, Google indicated it expected so, because a page had to rank in the top results to be a snippet in the first place.
How it fits Google's deduplication systems
Google's ranking systems guide (see our ranking systems guide explainer) now describes deduplication as a standing system. Searches can match thousands of very similar pages, and Google aims to show only the most relevant ones. The guide states directly that if a web page listing is elevated to become a featured snippet, Google doesn't repeat the listing later on the first page of results. In other words, the January 2020 change is now simply part of how Search works, sitting alongside the idea behind the site diversity system, which limits how many results one site gets for a query.
What it meant for clicks
Seer Interactive's write-up at the time noted that featured snippets can result in a lower click-through rate for some queries, because the answer is visible on the results page, and said it was unclear how the change would affect traffic. No official Google data on the CTR effect was published, so be cautious with any precise percentage you see quoted. The direction of the trade-off is easy to reason about, though:
| Situation | Before January 2020 | After January 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Your page holds the featured snippet | Snippet plus a regular listing on page one | Snippet only on page one |
| Query answered fully in the snippet | Fewer clicks overall, two chances to be seen | Fewer clicks overall, one place to be seen |
| Query needs more depth than the snippet gives | Snippet often drives clicks | Snippet still often drives clicks |
| You lose the snippet to a competitor | Your regular listing remains | Your regular listing remains (expected by Google) |
Today the trade-off is more complicated because zero-click searches, AI Overviews and other features compete for attention. Our guide on telling AI Overview CTR loss apart from ranking loss applies the same thinking to modern SERPs.
Should you opt out of featured snippets?
Google offers controls that affect snippets. As Seer summarised, nosnippet blocks all snippets for a page (featured and regular), data-nosnippet keeps specific text out of snippets, and max-snippet limits snippet length and can be used to avoid featured snippets while keeping a normal description. These are blunt tools, so use a careful process:
- List the pages and queries where you currently hold featured snippets, using your rank tracker and Search Console.
- For each, compare clicks and impressions for the query over a stable period, ideally with no other site changes.
- Judge whether the snippet fully answers the query (likely low clicks) or teases a longer answer (often good clicks).
- Only for pages where you have clear evidence the snippet hurts, test
max-snippeton one or two URLs rather than site-wide. - Measure again over several weeks, remembering you may not regain a standard position-one listing, and roll back if results are worse.
- Document the test so future changes are not misread as an algorithm update.
For most sites, the better move is to improve the snippet so it earns the click, as covered in our featured snippets guide and our tips to improve organic CTR.
Common mistakes
- Reading the drop as a penalty. Losing the duplicate listing is a display change, not a ranking demotion.
- Opting out site-wide.
nosnippetalso removes normal snippets, which can hurt CTR everywhere. - Relying on FAQ markup to stand out. Some 2020 advice suggested it, but FAQ rich results are no longer shown in Google Search, so it is not a CTR lever now.
- Reporting average position without context. A snippet counts as position one; compare clicks, not just positions, in client reports.
- Assuming page two will catch you. Google said there was no guarantee of a page-two listing.
Where this fits in the timeline
The change landed just after the January 2020 core update (13 to 16 January), so January 2020 data for snippet-heavy sites mixes two effects. A few months later came the May 2020 core update. For the full picture, see our Google algorithm updates history.
Related Guides
- Google's January 2020 Core Update Explained
- Google's December 2020 Core Update: A Big Update at Year-End
- Google Passage Ranking: How Individual Passages Get Ranked
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Google start deduplicating featured snippets?
The change was announced and observed on 22 January 2020, after testing that Seer Interactive says began by at least November 2019.
Does a featured snippet page still appear in the organic results?
Not on page one. Google said it deduplicates on the first page and gave no guarantee of a listing on page two.
Is featured snippet deduplication still in place?
Yes. Google's ranking systems guide describes it as part of its deduplication systems.
Should I use nosnippet to avoid featured snippets?
Usually not. nosnippet removes all snippets for the page. If you have evidence a snippet hurts clicks, test max-snippet on a few URLs first.
Did the change affect rankings?
It was a display change rather than a ranking demotion. Your page kept its top placement as the snippet; only the duplicate listing was removed.
Conclusion
Featured snippet deduplication turned a double listing into a single, more valuable one. The smart response is not to panic or opt out, but to measure which snippets earn clicks and make the rest more compelling. If you want an expert review of your SERP features and CTR, our on-page optimization team can help, or you can get a quote.
