Updated on 9 November 2026 by Nicolas Finet, CEO of Sortlist. This article has been rewritten because the facts changed: Google restricted FAQ rich results in August 2023 and, according to its documentation, stopped showing them for every site on 7 May 2026. Here is the full timeline, what FAQ markup still does and what to do with the FAQ sections on your site.
FAQ rich results were once one of the easiest ways to take up more space on Google's results page: a list of questions that expanded under your link. Many sites added FAQ markup to every page. That tactic no longer works, but FAQs themselves still do. This guide explains what happened and how to adapt.
Key takeaways
- From August 2023, Google showed FAQ rich results only for well-known, authoritative government and health websites. For other sites, the rich result was no longer shown regularly.
- Google's documentation says that FAQ rich results no longer appear in Google Search as of 7 May 2026, with the Search Console report and Rich Results Test check scheduled for removal.
- FAQPage remains a valid Schema.org type and you do not need to remove it, but write FAQ sections for readers and for AI answers, not for a rich result.
What are FAQ rich results?
A rich result is a search listing enhanced with extra information taken from structured data on the page. FAQ rich results showed a set of questions and answers beneath the page title and description. They were generated from FAQPage structured data, a type of markup (usually JSON-LD) that tells search engines which text on the page is a question and which is its answer.
Timeline: from FAQ boost to FAQ removal
| Date | What changed | Effect on your site |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Google began showing FAQ rich results for pages with FAQPage markup | Many sites added FAQ markup to gain space in results |
| August 2023 | Google limited FAQ rich results to well-known, authoritative government and health sites | Most sites stopped seeing the expandable FAQ in results |
| 7 May 2026 | Google documentation states FAQ rich results no longer appear in Search | No site is eligible any more |
| June 2026 | FAQ rich result report in Search Console and the Rich Results Test check scheduled for removal | You will no longer see FAQ reports for validation |
| August 2026 | Search Console API support for FAQ scheduled for removal | Tools that rely on it need updating |
“Going forward, FAQ (from FAQPage structured data) rich results will only be shown for well-known, authoritative government and health websites. For all other sites, this rich result will no longer be shown regularly.”
Google Search Central Blog, Changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results (August 2023)
The 2026 dates are as reported by SEO publications that cite Google's documentation; check Google Search Central's current structured data pages for the exact status.
What this means for your SEO
- No FAQ snippet: adding FAQPage markup will not make an expandable FAQ appear under your result.
- No penalty: Google has said before that unused structured data does not cause problems for Search, so you are not required to delete it.
- Click-through effects: if you saw changes in click-through rate in 2023, that was the rich result disappearing, not a quality issue.
- Reports disappear: the Search Console FAQ report and related checks are being removed, so do not rely on them for audits.
Past advice about increasing click-through rate through FAQ snippets, including earlier versions of this article, no longer applies.
Do FAQ sections still matter?
Yes, for users and for search more broadly. Questions and answers on a page help people find what they need, and well-structured answers are the type of content that search engines and AI assistants can quote.
- User value: FAQs handle objections and reduce support questions.
- Content coverage: real questions from customers reveal topics for articles.
- Answer visibility: clear, concise answers can be cited in AI-generated overviews and answer boxes, although Google does not guarantee this.
- Long-tail queries: question headings match how people phrase searches.
How to write FAQs that work in 2026
- Use real questions. Source them from customer emails, sales calls, search queries in Search Console and "People also ask".
- Answer directly. Start with the answer in one or two sentences, then add detail or a link.
- Use headings. Make each question an H2 or H3 so that it is easy to scan and to link to.
- Keep answers accurate and dated. Update prices, rules and statistics.
- Do not duplicate. Avoid the same FAQ block on many pages; each page should have questions that fit it.
- Link inside answers to relevant pages: see internal linking.
- Show the full text. Collapsed accordions are fine, but the content must be present in the page for users and crawlers.
Should you keep or remove FAQPage markup?
| Option | When it makes sense |
|---|---|
| Keep the markup | It is already in place and valid; it adds machine-readable structure at no cost, and other tools may still read it |
| Remove the markup | It is hard to maintain, or you want to simplify templates; no SEO penalty either way |
| Add new markup | Only if it is easy to generate from the visible content; do not expect a rich result |
If you keep it, make sure the markup matches the visible text exactly: marking up questions that are not on the page breaks structured data guidelines.
Example of valid FAQPage markup
FAQPage markup lists each question with its accepted answer as JSON-LD, with the same text that readers see on the page. The structure is: a FAQPage containing a mainEntity array, each item being a Question with a name and an acceptedAnswer of type Answer with text. It is still valid Schema.org, but it is no longer tied to a Google rich result.
Structured data that still earns rich results
FAQ is one of several rich result types that Google has reduced over time. Types that remain useful depend on your content, so check Google's current gallery. Commonly relevant ones include:
- Article and breadcrumb markup for editorial sites.
- Product, review and merchant listing markup for ecommerce.
- Organization and local business markup for company details.
- Event, recipe, video and job posting markup where the content fits.
Structured data helps Google understand a page. It is not a ranking factor on its own, and eligibility for rich results is never guaranteed. For the wider SEO picture, see our Google SEO guide and canonical tags.
Checklist
- Stop planning for FAQ rich result click-through gains.
- Keep FAQ sections where they help users, with visible, accurate answers.
- Decide whether to keep or remove existing FAQPage markup, and do it consistently.
- Remove FAQ rich result checks from your SEO reports and dashboards.
- Use Search Console performance data to find the questions people actually ask.
- Review other structured data types for validity and relevance.
Conclusion
The lesson of FAQ rich results is that search features come and go, and tactics built on a single feature are fragile. Write useful answers for people, use structured data to describe real content and measure results by traffic and conversions, not by the presence of a snippet.
Frequently asked questions about FAQ rich results
Are FAQ rich results still shown in Google?
No. After being limited to authoritative government and health sites in August 2023, Google documentation says FAQ rich results no longer appear in Search as of 7 May 2026.
Should I remove FAQPage schema from my site?
You do not have to. Unused structured data does not cause problems for Search. Keep it if it is valid and easy to maintain, or remove it to simplify.
Do FAQ sections still help SEO?
Yes, as useful content. They cover long-tail questions and give clear answers that search and AI systems may quote, but they do not earn a special result.
Why did my FAQ snippet disappear?
Because Google restricted the feature in 2023 and then removed it. It is not a penalty on your site.
Is the Search Console FAQ report going away?
Yes. The report and the Rich Results Test check for FAQ were scheduled for removal in June 2026, with API support following in August 2026.
How can I get more visibility with FAQs now?
Answer real customer questions clearly, keep content accurate and up to date and link to related pages.
Want help with technical SEO? Post your project on Sortlist and compare UK SEO agencies for free.
Sources: Google Search Central Blog, August 2023, Quattr, FAQ schema in 2026, SEO Strategy, FAQ schema deprecation, Alev Digital, FAQ structured data 2026. 2026 dates are as reported by these publications.
