徐逸飞

Yifei Xu.


PSA on Misleading Google Search Featured Snippets

Fri, 2022 Aug 05

When you make a Google search, there’s a chance that a result will be contained inside a featured snippet. This is what it looks like:

Screenshot of a Google search containing the keywords “Pairwise Key”

Featured snippets are supposed to make it easier for people to find key information relevant to their search, but the system isn’t always perfect. In fact, the screenshot above shows misleading results.

So whenever you’re searching for a quick fact, as tempting as it may be to accept the first bolded answer that shows up, take the extra minute to carefully verify what you’ve been shown.

If you ever notice an inaccurate snippet, you can submit a report using the “Feedback” button on the bottom right of the snippet (on desktop at least). If you’re on your phone, then oh well.