Use a list only when the answer is genuinely a list, and keep prose when the answer is explanatory, because the right format follows what the answer actually is rather than what format the snippet happens to favor. If the searcher’s real answer is a sequence of steps or a set of items, a list presents it accurately and a list-snippet rewards that fit. If the answer is a single explained idea, forcing it into bullets distorts it, and winning a snippet with a misshapen list serves neither the reader nor the accuracy of the page.
The pivot to apply is is-the-answer-actually-a-list. Ask what the correct answer looks like before you decide the format. “What are the steps to reset a router” is a sequence, so a numbered list is honest and clean. “Why does my router need resetting” is an explanation, and chopping it into bullets would strip the reasoning that makes it useful. The format is a consequence of the answer’s shape, not a lever you pull because lists tend to win features.
The trap is treating “lists win snippets” as a rule and contorting prose to match. A bulleted answer to an explanatory question reads as a set of fragments that lost their connective logic, and even if it captures a snippet, the page underdelivers the moment a real reader arrives. Google’s formats reward content that matches the answer’s structure, so a list that misrepresents an explanatory answer is working against itself. The snippet is not worth winning if the form damages the answer.
When you draft an answer, decide first whether it is genuinely a sequence or set, and only then choose a list; otherwise write the clearer prose. Let the snippet follow from an accurate format rather than bending the answer to chase a feature. Use a list when the answer is list-shaped, write prose when it is not, and you will serve the reader and the snippet both.