How SERP Features Affect Your Ranking Position

By Keyword Position Checker. Updated October 26, 2026.

How do SERP features affect a ranking position?

A ranking position counts only organic results, but the page Google shows also contains featured snippets, AI Overviews, map packs, question boxes, videos and ads. That is why position 3 can sit far down the screen on one keyword and near the top on another.

What counts as a position

A ranking position counts only classic organic listings with a title, URL and description. Rank trackers, including our free checker, never count ads and usually skip map packs and carousels. Position 4 means the fourth organic result, not the fourth item onscreen.

Ads are never counted.

Most tools also skip boxes that are not a single organic listing, such as the local map pack or a carousel of videos. So "position 4" means "the fourth organic result", not "the fourth thing on the screen".

The main SERP features

The main SERP features are featured snippets, AI Overviews, the local pack and People Also Ask, plus image packs, videos, top stories and shopping results. Each feature takes screen space above or between organic listings and changes how visible a position is.

Featured snippets

A featured snippet is a highlighted answer box pulled from one ranking page, shown near the top of the results. The winning page usually already ranks on page one. Short, clear answers directly under a question heading give a page the best chance.

A featured snippet is a highlighted answer box pulled from one ranking page, shown above or near the first organic result.

If your page owns the snippet, you get prominent placement; if a competitor owns it, your organic listing is pushed down.

AI Overviews

AI Overviews are generated summaries at the top of some results, with links to the pages they draw on. They leave your numeric organic position unchanged, but they absorb attention, and pages that state facts plainly have the best chance of citation.

They can take a large share of the screen on informational queries.

Being cited as a source is valuable, and pages that state facts plainly and are already trusted for the topic are the ones that tend to be cited. They do not change your numeric organic position, but they change how much attention that position gets.

Local pack

The local pack is a map with three business listings for searches with local intent. Google ranks Business Profiles there separately from web pages, so a business can lead the map and sit eighth organically. Local sites should check both rankings.

For searches with local intent, such as "dentist near me" or "plumber in Austin", Google shows a map with three business listings. These come from Google Business Profiles, not from normal web ranking.

A local business can rank well in the map pack and still be at position 8 organically, or the reverse, so check both.

People Also Ask

People Also Ask is an expandable list of related questions, each with a short answer from a web page. It often appears after the first few organic results. Answering common questions on your page with clear headings can earn you a spot there.

Other features

Image packs, video carousels, top stories, shopping results and sitelinks also compete for space. Search intent decides the mix: shopping queries show products, news queries show stories and how-to queries show videos, so each keyword gets a different results layout.

How to read your position with features in mind

Read a position together with the features around it. Check which features appear above you, treat a page one position on a crowded results page as less visible, compare the top 10 list, and structure content for any feature you could win.

• Look at the live results page for your keyword to see which features appear above you.
• Treat a page-one position on a feature-heavy keyword as less visible than the same position on a plain results page.
• Use the top 10 list in the free checker to see who ranks around you, then search the keyword yourself in a private window to see the features.
• If a feature you could win is present, structure your content for it: a direct answer for snippets, question headings for People Also Ask, a complete Business Profile for the local pack.

Mobile shows features differently

On a phone, each SERP feature takes more vertical space, so organic results sit lower on the screen. A position that is visible without scrolling on desktop can need two or three swipes on mobile, which reduces clicks even when the position matches.

See how location and device change rankings for more.