FAQ schema: what still works
The Doily team
Reviewed by the Doily team, Oct 2026 Updated 4 min read
Quick answer
Google stopped showing the FAQ rich result in Search on May 7, 2026, and removed its FAQ documentation. FAQ markup no longer earns that display. Keep a visible questions section on the page, because people and AI engines read it, and treat FAQPage markup as optional and harmless rather than a ranking tactic.
Why it matters
For years FAQ markup was a common tactic for taking up more space in results. Google's documentation updates page records that the feature was deprecated with a notice on May 8, 2026, stating it would no longer appear in Google Search starting May 7, 2026, and that the documentation was later removed.
That does not make question-and-answer content useless. A plain list of questions with direct answers is still one of the clearest ways to serve a reader and to give any engine a short passage worth quoting. What changed is the markup payoff, not the content value.
Key takeaways
- FAQ rich results no longer appear in Google Search, per Google's documentation updates page.
- Do not add or keep FAQ markup in the hope of a richer listing in Google.
- Write visible questions and answers on the page anyway, because they help readers and give engines clean passages.
- Never mark up content that readers cannot see on the page.
Step by step
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Check what markup you have now
Search your templates and a sample of pages for FAQPage in the page source. Note whether the markup comes from a plugin, a theme, or hand-written code. Check Search Console for any rich result reports that still list FAQ items.
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Decide whether to keep or remove it
Google's documentation says the display is gone, so removing the markup will not cost you a listing you currently have. Keeping it does no harm if it is valid and matches visible content. Remove it if it adds weight to templates or breaks, and keep it only if another system you use reads it.
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Keep the questions on the page
A visible question section is still worth having. Pick real questions customers ask by phone, email, and in sales calls. Place them near the end of the page, under a clear heading, in the order a reader would ask them.
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Write answers that stand alone
Start each answer with the direct response in one or two sentences, then add a short qualification if needed. Use plain text a person can read in ten seconds. Avoid links buried in the first line, since a quoted passage should make sense without them.
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Match the markup to the page if you keep it
Google's structured data guidelines say not to mark up content that is not visible to readers and that markup must represent the main content of the page. Every question and answer in the markup must appear on the page in the same words. Validate it with the Rich Results Test and fix errors.
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Move your effort to better schema types
Mark up what the page truly is: Organization on the home page, Article on guides, LocalBusiness on location pages, and BreadcrumbList where breadcrumbs show. The schema markup basics guide walks through these.
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Track the passages, not the snippet
Instead of watching for an FAQ display, check whether your answers are being used. Run the questions as prompts on the AI engines your customers use and note whether your page is cited. Repeat monthly.
Example of a clean on-page answer
A visible answer works best when the first sentence is the answer. Compare these two versions of the same reply on a plumbing company page.
Weaker: “That depends on a number of factors, and every home is different, so it is hard to say.”
Stronger: “Most water heater replacements take 2 to 4 hours. Older tanks or moved gas lines can add time, and we confirm the estimate before we start.”
Example data: the stronger version names a range, gives the reason it can change, and states what the business does about it. A reader gets the answer immediately and an engine gets a passage that makes sense on its own.
How Doily helps
Doily's AI visibility tracking runs your question prompts on a schedule across 9 AI engines, so you can see whether pages with a questions section are being cited.
Questions
Should I delete all my FAQ schema?
You do not have to. Google says the FAQ rich result is no longer shown, so the markup no longer earns that display in Google Search. If it is valid and matches the visible content it is harmless, but it is not worth building new pages around.
Do AI engines use FAQ schema?
Google has not said that FAQ markup is needed for its AI features. Its AI features guide says there are no extra technical requirements beyond being indexed and eligible to appear with a snippet. Clear visible answers are the safer investment.
Is the HowTo rich result also gone?
Google's documentation updates page states the How-to rich result is deprecated and that it is no longer shown in search results on desktop and mobile. The same logic applies: write clear steps for readers and treat markup as optional.
Sources
Primary sources, checked Oct 11, 2026.
