Search Engines Are Now Feature Markets: A Framework to Prioritise Effort Across PAA, FAQ, AIO, Carousel & Video Blocks

Once upon a time, achieving “position one” on Google was the ultimate win. But that world no longer exists. SERPs have become interactive environments, not simply a collection of blue links. Today’s SERPs are a quilt of search engine features — AI-generated summary snippets, video carousels, FAQ sections, and “People Also Ask” boxes.

For businesses and SEO professionals, that means one thing: visibility is no longer linear. To compete, you need to be an expert on SERP feature optimization — focusing on securing space in each interactive element of the results page, not merely a higher keyword position.

The goal of this blog is to provide a practical framework to identify, prioritise, and win in the new “feature market” of modern search.

What Are Search Engine Features and Why They Matter

Search engine features are enhanced elements found within results pages, designed to deliver quicker, richer and more visual answers. These features include items such as Featured Snippets, PAA (People Also Ask) boxes, carousel results, FAQS, video, and generated answers through AI.

Each one of these features is a piece of the user attention pie — and there are more and more of them. The one organic link that used to rule is up against 10 features trying to get noticed.

Optimising for these features requires a different mind shift. Standard targeting a keyword is not enough — what matters is how Google determines relevance to content and then makes a decision about whether it is going to show the content or feature and where. This is why optimising for the SERP feature is such a crucial change.

From Search Results to Feature Markets

Search engines now operate as markets for attention. Every feature of a search engine denotes a competitive space that businesses need to earn — whether through the technical aspect, the depth of content, or the general brand authority.  

This has changed bodily changed the rules of SEO strategy into a resource allocation model. You cannot (and shouldn’t) attempt to dominate all SERP features simultaneously. You need to understand which SERP features lend themselves to your audience and commercial objectives. 

For example, a search engine optimization agency in Dubai will likely look to build visibility in video blocks and in FAQs to showcase its expertise and capture local leads. In contrast, an e-commerce brand might veer heavily into carousel results SEO, so their products could visually stand out in discovery and shopping carousels.

Mapping the Modern SERP: Core Feature Types to Optimise

Here is how to deconstruct the main feature category groups:  People Also Ask (PAA) – provides quick visibility for brands answering user questions directly. 

• FAQ Schema Blocks – are valuable for brand reinforcement and increasing click-through rates using structured Q&A content.
• AI Overview (AIO) – an emerging SERP format that uses AI to summarize answers with AI-generated context.
• Carousel Results – visually appealing, swipeable blocks of content – valuable for brands in visually or product-led industries.
• Video Blocks- very powerful for tutorial, review, and explanatory content.

When used strategically, each element supports the others. For example, FAQ content can be ambitiously written for PAA optimization, and video transcripts can provide context for AIO visibility. If you are unsure where AIO fits, check our related blog guide on what is AI Overview for more details.

Why SERP Feature Optimization Is Now Core to SEO ROI

In 2025, the term “number one” no longer guarantees clicks. Even if a result outranks another, it may show up as the fifth result in one of 5 search features on the SERP, meaning it may not be seen at all.

Optimising for SERP features ensures that your content receives visibility throughout the search ecosystem and that your pages are featured in all the right boxes, summaries, or visual placements, each of which has a measurable impact on performance metrics such as:

• Clickthrough rate (CTR)
• Brand impressions
• Engagement and dwell time
• Conversion rates

Optimising for search engine features is not just a nice-to-have value-added performance activity; it is the central tenet for scalable organic growth in a new-age world of search.

A Framework to Prioritise Your Search Feature Efforts

Here’s a straightforward framework you can use to focus your energy most effectively across search features:

Step 1: Assess the relevance of features

Review which features appear most often for your keyword themes. Informational queries tend to drive PAA boxes or AIO snippets, while product-led queries tilt toward carousel results SEO.

Step 2. Assessment of difficulty for features

Estimate how achievable each feature is. The FAQ schema is considered low effort and quick to implement (this is positive). Ranking in AIO or Video blocks means a sizable investment in time, authority, and/or media.

Step 3: visibility measurement

Certain features take up more space than others. For instance, AI answers SERP results almost dominate the result space of mobile pages; an important consideration when prioritizing via visibility.

Step 4. Selection based on the funnel stage

All brands should select features that position them within the funnel.

• PAA and FAQ = Awareness and credibility.
• AIO = Expertise and topical authority.
• Carousel & Video = Engagement and conversions.

This prioritized approach gives you assurance that you are investing in effort with the highest potential return on effort.

Winning Through PAA Optimisation and FAQ Schema

Few strategies yield quicker results than the utilisation of PAA. These question-style snippets can increase topical footprint and capture curiosity-based queries. 

To optimise for gain:

• The goal: to look for “People Also Ask” data around your niche, as well as note people also search from related questions.
• Write concise answers in a conversational tone – 40 to 60 words is ideal.
• Utilise a structured markup to show relevance to Google.
• PAA and FAQ schema combined allow for increased authority, as the content is fulfilling both informational and trust-building purposes. This also increases your chances of getting into the “related questions” panels and to be included as a voice search answer.

For internal content organisation purposes, you may want to consider creating a living knowledge hub or SEO FAQs section on your site to centralise all the question-type insights.

AI Answers SERP and the Rise of AIO Blocks

The future of SERP feature optimization is with AI. Google’s AIO (AI Overview) SERP results and AI answers create conversational summaries rapidly by synthesizing information from multiple trusted sources. If you’d like to be present in these zones, prioritise:

• Clear, evidence-based explanations.
• Structured markup and semantic clarity.
• Recent, factually accurate information.

Brands that embrace AIO visibility early can assert a dominant position in these layers of the SERP, often ahead of competitors implementing traditional ranking systems.

Carousel and Video Features: The Power of Visual Discovery

Visuals inform the decision-making process. Carousel results SEO gives brands the opportunity to occupy premium visual real estate — from products to image galleries.

Best practices include

• Leveraging keyword-optimized image file names and alt tags.
• Creating multiple visuals for each product or category.
• Having a fast image load time and making use of schema tagging.

Finally, videos are still a critical asset. A well-optimised YouTube or embedded video frequently ranks within video carousels, above traditional listings. Titles, transcripts, and timestamps can significantly enhance discoverability in search engine features.

Tracking and Measuring Feature Visibility

Performance measurement must be adapted along with your optimization strategy. Don’t just focus on keyword rank; start measuring feature presence: 

• The number of features where your brand is represented.
• Start measuring impressions and CTR for each feature type.
• Start measuring conversions or assisted actions by feature type.

New SEO tools offer SERP overlays and dashboards that monitor how your content performs by feature type. This allows you to improve performance continually and ascertain where your time results in the greatest return.

A Real-World Example of Balanced Feature Strategy

Imagine a technology company rolling out a new software-as-a-service platform. Rather than focusing purely on keyword ‘rankings’, this brand started by auditing its SERP footprint and building a holistic strategy:

• FAQ schema to capture long-tail intent.
• PAA (People Also Ask) optimisation to enhance discovery for “how” and “why” intent queries.
• SEO for carousel results (to “show the demo” visually).
• A knowledge article optimised for the “AI answers” SERPs to improve its chances of being included in an “AI answers” summary.

Six months later, organic impressions have increased by 40% – despite relatively similar average rank positions. That’s what happens when you treat search like a feature market, instead of a results list.

FAQs: Common Questions About SERP Feature Optimization

Q1. Is it advisable that all businesses try to optimise for every feature?

No. Concentrate on the features best aligned with your priorities – trying to optimise for everything would dilute your time and efforts.

Q2. How often do SERP features change?

Features change all the time. Check back monthly, as AIO and the carousel can easily change effects.

Q3. Is PAA optimisation applicable to all niches?

Almost always, particularly for education, service, and B2B industries.

Q4. Could schema help with many features?

Yes. Schema can help with FAQs, AIO definitions, and video marking all at once with structured data.

Conclusion: Competing in the Feature Market, Not the Keyword Race

Searching is not simply a race to the top; instead, it’s the competition for visibility across constantly changing features. For brands to be successful, they need to thoughtfully invest in optimizing SERP features in a way that aligns with the user’s intent and the evolution of any given platform.

Look at search engine features as opportunities rather than deterrents, and you will become more adaptive and diversified in terms of visibility strategy.

In this AIO and PAA, and carousel world, the smartest brands will be those that understand where presence matters.