What to do with FAQ after the cancellation of Google FAQ Rich Results

• What is FAQ and FAQ Rich Results
• History of FAQ: from the 1980s forums to Google 2026
• When and whom should use FAQ
• How FAQ affects website promotion in 2026
• How to use FAQ on the website in 2026
  • How to format FAQ on pages
  • What to do with existing FAQ after the cancellation of FAQ Rich Results
  • How to avoid problems with FAQ in 2026
• What exactly did Google do with FAQ

On May 7, 2026, Google officially removed FAQ Rich Results. The same expandable blocks with questions and answers that previously appeared directly under the link to the site in search results disappeared. But the concept of FAQ remained — answers to the most common user questions about a product, service, or company. And when used correctly, you can reduce the load on customer support, increase the loyalty of your target audience, and gain more customers. Moreover, they remain important for both Google and artificial intelligence systems. Just now they no longer take up extra space in the search results. So, I suggest we figure out what FAQ is as a concept, what FAQPage markup is, and what the FAQ Rich Results feature is that Google just removed. To avoid panic and to get more quality traffic.

What is FAQ and FAQ Rich Results

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) is a format for presenting information in the form of questions with specific, clear answers. It allows you to provide your target audience with quick answers to their most common questions about a product, service, company, or specific process, as well as to relieve the support service.

Content marketer from Cityhost Bohdana Haivoronska talks about ways to use FAQ:

You have seen FAQ many times. For example, in Cityhost articles, we use it in the format of one or two questions for the corresponding section. Classic blocks are present on all service pages, for example, if you need to buy affordable reliable hosting, you will find answers to questions about its types, selection rules, and saving money on the page. For greater convenience, we have another technical type of FAQ — a separate section with questions grouped by topics such as hosting, domains, virtual and dedicated servers, payment methods, etc.

However, search bots need to understand that there is a question-answer structure on a specific page of the site. For this, they use FAQPage Schema — a JSON-LD code snippet that informs search algorithms that there is a block of frequently asked questions and answers on the page. For years, Google used this markup to display questions and answers directly in search results.

Example of FAQ Rich Results in 2019 from Search Engine Journal

But after years of abuse by some SEO specialists and the overall trend towards simplifying search results, on May 7, 2026, Google officially canceled FAQ rich results — a visual feature displaying in search results where 2-3 expandable questions appeared under the link block. Although all the hype surrounding this news is just a logical sequence of actions, which I will explain further. Even more interesting is that you may not have received any traffic from FAQ Rich Results for 3 years, and most regular users did not see them in the results.

Also read: How to pull a site out of the traffic pit after Spam Update and AI Overviews

History of FAQ: from the 1980s forums to Google 2026

The concept of Frequently Asked Questions appeared in the early 1980s. In 1982-1983, on early computer networks, administrators created text guide files so that newcomers would not ask the same questions in network groups. In November 1983, Jerry Schwarz published the first collection formally titled Frequently Submitted Items in Usenet network groups. With the advent of hypertext in the 1990s, developers transferred Usenet text guide files into HTML format, and the FAQ section became an integral part of the design of almost any website.

To avoid going through the entire history, let’s focus on key events that directly led to Google’s decision on May 7, 2026:

• 2011 — launch of Schema.org, after which search engines began actively encouraging website owners to add markup to make search results more useful;
• 2019 — Google implements full support for FAQPage Schema, displaying expandable accordions for any valid pages;
• 2019-2023 — SEO specialists add FAQ to all types of pages solely for the sake of space in the results, not for the benefit of the reader;
• August 2023 — in response to mass abuses, Google limits FAQ Rich Results only to authoritative government and medical resources;
• June 2025 — Google removes 7 outdated types of structured data (CourseInfo, ClaimReview, EstimatedSalary, LearningVideo, SpecialAnnouncement, VehicleListing, and Book Actions) due to their low usefulness and abuse, continuing the overall trend towards simplifying the structure of traditional search results;
• March 2026 — during the March Core Update, the visibility of FAQ snippets for government and medical sites drops to such a level that visual blocks practically disappear from the results;
• May 7, 2026 — Google publishes a message in the Search Central documentation about the cancellation: FAQ Rich Results are no longer displayed in search for any site in the world.

And this is not the end. In June 2026, Google will completely remove the FAQ search view filter, specialized reports on the status of rich results in Search Console, and will also stop supporting FAQ schema validation in the Rich Results Test tool. The final stage is scheduled for August 2026 — the complete removal of FAQ data support from the Search Console API, which will make it impossible to obtain this data via API for those who used Search Console in their analytical systems.

Important: Google did NOT publish a separate blog post explaining the reasons. It simply added a message to the documentation. This is fundamentally important — the company does not consider this a significant event because for most sites, rich results have already disappeared for three years.

Such actions reflect a fundamental change in Google’s interaction with content. The search engine is transforming from classic link ranking to directly providing answers through AI Overviews. Modern AI algorithms have become significantly better at understanding unstructured text, but this does not mean that structured markup has lost its meaning. On the contrary: it helps AI systems read content more accurately and with greater confidence. That’s why Google continues to recommend using it.

However, the concept of "frequently asked questions" has existed, exists, and will continue to exist. It is needed by websites — and owners must use it correctly. Moreover: real questions from your audience are both the basis for FAQ blocks and a source of topics for full articles. This is the kind of content that Google and AI systems value and cite the most.

When and whom should use FAQ

In 2026, Frequently Asked Questions have finally ceased to be a way to gain more visibility in Google search results. However, it continues to help attract the target audience and instantly resolve their questions. Now the FAQ block performs a dual function: it helps visitors quickly find answers while also allowing search bots and AI systems to understand the structure and content of the page.

Based on the concept itself, I can confidently say that FAQ is needed by:

• e-commerce sites — answers that alleviate doubts before purchase: return conditions, delivery features, warranty obligations, payment methods;
• service companies — answers to recurring questions about transfers, cancellations, and service provision processes, prepayment conditions allow customer support to spend more time on complex individual requests;
• SaaS platforms — clear answers to questions about integrating third-party services, plan limits, data security;
• hosting providers — specific instructions for changing the server location, updating contact details, restoring access rights to files and folders, enabling maintenance mode, and other typical technical questions;
• medical and legal websites — here FAQ is especially important because users come in stress and want clear answers without unnecessary text, and Google preserved FAQ Rich Results specifically for these resources from 2023 to May 2026.

The short rule: FAQ is needed where users truly have real questions, and where answers to them help them make decisions instantly. Writing full articles to answer the same questions makes no sense, just as directing users to customer support does. Instead, it’s better to create a separate page with all frequently asked questions or place FAQ directly on the page of each product or service. Both options save time for both customers and support.

However, there are situations where FAQ should not be added, as it only clutters the page and brings no benefit to either the reader or the search engine:

• news materials — they do not have "recurring questions," there is a specific event and a specific account;
• portfolio pages — a photographer, designer, or developer showcases their work, not answering typical client questions (for this, there is a services or contacts page);
• articles with a clear answer to one question — if the text itself is a detailed answer, the FAQ at the end will only duplicate what has been said;
• pages without questions — if a visitor came to fill out a form, an artificial FAQ will only distract them from the action.

FAQ works somewhat differently on informational sites — blogs, media, review resources, where the main product is the content itself, not a product or service. Here it is worth structuring content around real audience questions. People ask questions in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude in natural language and expect direct answers. An article built in the same way gives them just that. The exception is situations where answering with a long article makes no sense for your web resource.

For example, on my site in the article "Best Apps for Breathing Practices," there is no sense in detailing each technique or creating separate long reads about it. My site is about apps, not breathing practices, accordingly, materials like "Performing the 4-7-8 Technique" or "Features of the 'Wave' Breathing" would only dilute the thematic authority of the site. This means Google will stop clearly understanding what this resource is about and will lower its ranking in search results for relevant queries.

At the same time, people are interested in knowing what these techniques are described in the app's functionality. So I have two ways to resolve the situation: either say nothing about it and let them search on Google themselves, or give them an answer in 1-2 sentences. And it’s better for me to provide the target audience with a complete understanding of the app's functionality immediately than to force people to search for answers on Google for each feature.

How FAQ affects website promotion in 2026

There is no direct impact of FAQ on the site's positions in the results — Google confirmed more than once before the cancellation that FAQ Schema is not a ranking factor, and adding FAQPage will not raise your site higher in the results. The only direct advantage until 2023 for all sites and until 2026 for medical and government portals was rich snippets — the ability to take up more space in the results.

So for the vast majority of commercial sites, there is no practical impact — their FAQ rich results have already disappeared in 2023. If you have an online store or B2B service, your site has probably not received FAQ rich results for three years. The changes only affected medical and government sites that received FAQ rich results until May 2026, especially those web resources for which these rich snippets provided a significant share of traffic.

However, there is a significant indirect impact of FAQ on website promotion:

• coverage of search queries — they cover long-tail queries like "how much does it cost to connect a plan," "can I change the plan after a month," "what is included in free hosting."
• behavioral signals — a user finds an answer on the page and does not return to Google, which is a sign of the quality of your material;
• E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness — criteria by which Google evaluates content quality) — detailed answers to typical questions demonstrate that real specialists stand behind the site;
• internal linking — answers often refer to detailed articles, pricing pages, documentation, which in turn can link back to FAQ, strengthening the internal structure of the site and helping users navigate.

The concept itself remains important not only for Google but also for artificial intelligence systems. According to a study by Pew Research Center from July 2025, 58% of users in March 2025 encountered AI Overview in at least one query. And users are getting used to this, accordingly, they increasingly formulate queries as questions. FAQ sections naturally form this type of content, so well-structured FAQs are a chance to be among the cited sources in AI Overview.

Google confirmed this in a new guide Optimizing your website for generative AI features, published on May 15, 2026. Key points (my translation):

"Structured data is not required for generative AI search, and there is no specific schema.org markup to add. However, continuing to use structured data is a good idea as part of an overall SEO strategy."

That is, Google is directly saying: there is no magical AI markup. The format of the content itself works — clear question, clear answer, relevant context. You can learn more in the article "How to dominate in AI search in 2026," where I talked about the features of optimizing a website for artificial intelligence, the importance of traditional SEO, and the news from May 15, 2026, about Google's comments on "life hacks for AI."

It is also worth remembering that clearly formulated questions and answers in the text of the article increase the chances of getting into a featured snippet (zero position in the results) — and this works regardless of the presence of FAQPage markup.

How to use FAQ on the website in 2026

Currently, an FAQ section on the site is still needed if it answers typical questions from the target audience and provides them with useful additional information. If you used the markup, keep it where it accurately describes the content: there will be no penalties for its use. There is no need to place FAQPage on new pages for Google, but for other search engines and artificial intelligence, it remains a convenient way to quickly extract information for citation. And write content not for rich snippets, but for people and AI citations, providing complete answers to real questions.

How to format FAQ on pages

There are three main ways to add FAQ to a site. The simplest is to make the question a H3 subheading, and place the answer in 2-3 sentences below it in regular text. The second is the same format, but with visual highlighting: a frame, a different background color, or an icon next to the question. The third is to take questions to separate pages and gather them in a single "Frequently Asked Questions" section.

The external appearance can be anything — this is already a matter of your taste. Just don’t forget about user convenience, meaning your artistic vision is important, but it should not hinder users from obtaining information. And in no case should you hide answers under complex interactive blocks: the site visitor, search bots, and artificial intelligence systems should be able to quickly view questions and answers.

Example from my site, where questions are a natural part of the article itself.

Another example where questions related to the article's topic are collected separately. To add the block, I used the FAQ by Rank Math widget, which automatically changes the formatting and embeds the markup.

What to do with existing FAQ after the cancellation of FAQ Rich Results

First, export all historical data regarding the impressions and clicks of FAQ snippets from Google Search Console for the last 16 months in CSV format. Then, if you are not using the Search Console API or BigQuery — go directly to auditing the FAQ; if you are using it — the next paragraph is for you.

You need to remove or modify the parameters that request FAQ Rich Results data in the Search Console API scripts and BigQuery queries, especially those that feed dashboards in Looker Studio. It is important to do this as soon as possible, because when Google completely turns off support for this type of data in its databases and API in August 2026, the corresponding fields and query parameters will simply disappear or change names. If your script or dashboard continues to call the API with the request "give me data on FAQ Rich Results," the Google server will return an error, which may completely halt the update of the entire report.

Then conduct an FAQ audit on the site:

• questions are important, content is relevant and visible, markup works — do nothing;
• questions are important, but markup is missing — it’s not mandatory, but it’s advisable to add markup as insurance for Bing and AI systems;
• FAQ created solely for rich results, content brings no benefit — delete the block and markup.

Considering that support for FAQ in the Rich Results Test will also be removed in June 2026, it is better to switch to the Schema Markup Validator now. This way, you will avoid syntax and semantic errors in the structured data code.

How to avoid problems with FAQ in 2026

The main rule of the "Frequently Asked Questions" block, regardless of whether you place it on a separate page or add it in articles, is to answer only real user questions. There is no need to invent questions or search for low-frequency queries and make a separate FAQ for them, inflating the answer to hundreds of words when it can be answered in one small sentence. Similarly: if the material already clearly answers the question "What is cloud hosting," then there is no need to duplicate the text at the end of the article or rephrase the question in order to "just in case the first one doesn't make it to the results, at least the second will bring traffic."

Here are a few more points regarding FAQ that I often encounter, and some of them — even 5 years ago I did with my online course site:

1. Full visibility of FAQ. All text of questions and answers contained in the structured data code must be fully visible to the user immediately after the page loads. Do not use hidden blocks that load only after a click through dynamic JavaScript scripts, as this is considered a violation of Google’s structured data guidelines.
2. Make unique questions. Do not create a "Frequently Asked Questions" block on a separate page and then duplicate the same questions on each page. Questions on a specific product page should only relate to that product.
3. Neutral style. The text of the answers should not contain blatant promotional calls, slogans, affiliate links, or repeated commercial anchors. AI is now very attentive to user safety, as there have been scandals regarding false accusations and false information from artificial intelligence, which undermined trust in their answers.

Interesting point! In May 2026, Yoast SEO founder Joost de Valk proposed to Schema.org a new type FAQSection — a subtype of WebPageElement. The logic is simple: FAQPage means "this entire page is an FAQ." But on a typical product card, where there are 5 questions at the bottom, FAQ is a section, not the entire page. The proposal has not yet been accepted by Schema.org, but it is a good guideline: do not abuse FAQPage where it does not accurately describe the essence of the page.

What exactly did Google do with FAQ

On May 7, 2026, Google removed only one detail — the expandable accordion in the search results. The concept of FAQ, which appeared back in 1983, has not disappeared anywhere. FAQPage markup remains a valid type of Schema.org and continues to help search engines and AI read your content more accurately. And the questions and answers themselves, if they are real and useful, remain one of the most effective formats for attracting traffic, reducing support load, getting into AI Overviews, and other AI systems. So don’t panic and continue creating useful unique content!