Glossary · Glossary

Snippet

A snippet is the descriptive preview text or result excerpt that search systems generate for a search result.

A snippet is the descriptive preview text or excerpt shown for a search result. It helps users decide whether the result is likely to answer their query before they click.

Snippets are generated search presentation. A meta description can contribute to the text, but search systems can also use visible page content or other available signals.

Why it matters

Snippets shape interpretation. A result can have a strong title link and still look weak if the snippet is vague, mismatched, or missing the core user task.

For GEO and AI visibility work, snippets are also a useful comparison point. Classic snippets preview a source page inside search results. AI answers and answer surfaces may synthesize information differently, cite sources differently, or answer without sending the user to a classic result.

How it differs

A snippet is not the same as a meta description. The meta description is written by the publisher. The snippet is generated for a result and can vary by query.

A snippet also differs from an AI answer. A snippet previews a result. An AI answer may combine, summarize, or transform information across sources inside a separate answer interface.

Example

Possible search snippet:

Canonical URLs help search systems choose the representative URL for duplicate or near-duplicate pages...

Snippet control example:

<meta name="robots" content="max-snippet:160" />

That directive can limit snippet length for compliant crawlers. It does not let the publisher write every exact snippet for every query.

How teams use it

Teams review snippets when a page attracts impressions but weak clicks, when the result preview seems misleading, or when a page exposes content that should not be summarized. A practical review checks the visible introduction, headings, concise definitions, meta description, and meta robots controls.

Common misunderstanding

Writing a meta description does not guarantee the same text will appear as the snippet. If visible page text better matches the query, search systems may choose that instead.