--- title: "FAQ rich results are gone but you should keep your FAQ schema" description: "Google removed FAQ rich results, but your FAQ sections still help SEO, AI search, and user experience. Here's why you should keep them." author: "Andrea Tendero" date: "2026-08-08T12:00:00.000Z" url: "https://freshjuice.dev/blog/faq-rich-results-gone-keep-faq-schema/" --- # FAQ rich results are gone but you should keep your FAQ schema August 8, 2026 • Written by [Andrea Tendero](https://freshjuice.dev/authors/atenlotrad/) Marketers have been focusing on adding FAQ sections to their blog posts and pages to get better positions in Google since Google introduced FAQ Rich Results in May 2019. Now, Google has decided to remove FAQ Rich Results from its search results and, even though it might seem like a random decision, it isn’t. As a result, you may feel like all the work you’ve done is now useless. However, it isn’t, and you shouldn’t remove those FAQ sections from your site. ![FAQ Rich Results are gone but you should keep your FAQ schema](https://freshjuice.dev/_astro/faq-ends.BXeJVMDT_Z2bq5TK.webp) Here, we’ll explain why Google made this decision and why you should keep your FAQ sections, as all the work you’ve done is still highly beneficial for your site. ## Why did Google remove FAQ rich results? The news came directly from Google, as the company announced the removal of FAQ Rich Results in its [FAQ Structured Data documentation](https://developers.google.com/search/updates?utm_source=freshjuice.dev#removing-faq-rich-result) earlier this year. In that notice (which you had to go looking for, as they didn’t exactly make a big announcement) they said that, starting on May 7: Deprecating the FAQ rich result feature What: Added a deprecation notice to the FAQ rich result documentation. Why: This feature will no longer appear in Google Search starting May 7, 2026. The truth is that Google actually removed this feature a long time ago (in 2023!), leaving FAQ Rich Results only for relevant and authoritative sites such as government and health websites, as mentioned in a [Reddit thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/bigseo/comments/1tcrp0n/google_has_removed_faq_rich_results_from_google/?utm_source=freshjuice.dev). However, the company hasn’t shared anything else about the complete removal of the feature this year. They haven’t explained why they made this decision or added any further comments about it. As we like to speculate, this is probably because Google wants to boost other features and tools, such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, while also reducing clutter in search results. How does this help? Well, it’s true that the search interface already has a lot of features: Google Shopping, Maps, AI Overviews, Ads, and more. FAQ Rich Results added yet another element that took up space, especially on mobile devices. Besides, this feature had already started appearing less prominently as Google prioritized AI-powered features in Search. Moreover, as always happens with anything SEO-related, marketers started using it in a spammy way once everyone figured out how to appear in those results. And, you know, Google doesn’t like that at all. Does this mean it’s our fault? Well, a little bit. ## Why you shouldn’t remove FAQ sections regardless of the rich results removal It might seem like those FAQ sections you spent so much time working on are now useless, but far from it. They are actually still [useful from an SEO perspective](https://freshjuice.dev/blog/faq-section-for-seo/). First of all, the removal of this feature doesn’t mean you’re going to lose ranking positions. You’ll simply experience some changes in how your pages are displayed in search results. No penalties will be applied, and your rankings won’t be affected just because you keep or remove your FAQ schema. Besides, FAQ sections are still valuable for users. They help answer common questions, improve the overall user experience, and can keep visitors on your page for longer by providing the information they’re looking for. They also give you a great opportunity to cover a topic more comprehensively and can even help improve conversions. If you actually think about it, the questions included in an FAQ section are usually real questions that users ask themselves and actively search for. So, it’s still valuable content that, even though it doesn’t generate rich results anymore, is worth having on your site. Another interesting reason why you should keep the FAQ section on your site is that structured data still plays a role in AI search. As we’ve explained in other articles published here, [schema markup helps search engines better understand your site](https://freshjuice.dev/blog/why-schema-markup-is-important/) by providing context about your content and its structure, even if it no longer generates rich results. That’s why AI-powered search experiences can also benefit from schema markup, which is increasingly important for [AI answer engine optimization](https://freshjuice.dev/blog/ai-answer-engine-optimization-aeo-future-of-seo/). Large language models and AI search engines rely on structured information to better interpret content, identify entities, and understand the relationships between different pieces of information. While FAQ Rich Results are gone, the FAQ schema itself can still help search engines and AI systems understand your content more effectively. And last but not least, we have to remind you that Google isn’t the only search engine out there. Plenty of people use other search engines that still support FAQ Rich Results, so your FAQ schema can continue to provide value beyond Google. Keeping it in place means your content can still benefit from enhanced visibility on those search engines while remaining well-structured for users and AI-powered search experiences alike. In summary, removing the FAQ section will involve unnecessary work that you shouldn’t invest in, as the content is still good and can provide plenty of benefits from a UX and SEO perspective. And, let’s be honest, as marketers, we know that Google is constantly changing the way the search engine works, removing and reintroducing features (or expanding them to different types of sites). So, removing all your FAQ markup now might mean you’d have to add it back if Google changes course in the future. ### What are the key benefits of still having a well-organized FAQ section? Besides the usefulness of having FAQ sections on your website, there are still other benefits that we haven’t covered and that we think will make you keep those sections and not feel as stupid as you did when you first read that Google was removing that feature. Among the most important benefits of having an FAQ, you will find that: - **They can target long-tail searches:** The questions included in FAQs are often very similar to the queries users type into search engines as well as AI tools, allowing you to cover more specific search intents, whether they are long-tail keywords or AI prompts. This can help you get ahead of your competitors as you are specifically targeting long-tail searches that are difficult to cover when, for example, writing an article or product descriptions. - **They can help generate rich snippets:** Even though Google has removed the FAQ Rich Results feature, this doesn’t mean that all enhanced search results have disappeared. Well-structured content and the appropriate schema markup can still help your pages qualify for other types of rich results and enhanced search appearances, depending on the content and Google’s eligibility requirements. - **They can reduce friction and support the customer journey:** Instead of making users look elsewhere for information about pricing, delivery, compatibility, requirements, returns, etc., you can address those concerns directly on the relevant page, reducing emails and calls from clients asking for information. This is a step that can sometimes even discourage potential clients from purchasing a product. - **They are relatively low-maintenance once created:** If the questions and answers are genuinely useful and accurate, there’s little reason to remove them simply because one Google search feature disappeared. These questions usually address topics that don’t change over time, so if you write them correctly in the first place, you won’t have to edit them afterwards. Besides this, we can also remind you of some of the benefits mentioned in other sections of this article, like: - **They answer users’ questions directly:** A well-organized FAQ can give visitors the information they’re looking for without forcing them to navigate through your entire page or leave your site and search other websites that might even provide inaccurate information about your brand if you’re a company. - **They improve the user experience:** FAQs make information easier to find, especially when users have specific questions or concerns before taking an action. This is particularly useful on product pages when users and potential purchasers want to know everything before making a decision. - **They help cover a topic more comprehensively:** FAQs allow you to address related questions and details that don’t naturally fit into the main body of the content. - **They can remain useful across search engines:** As we have already mentioned in the previous section, Google isn’t the only search engine, so the value of your structured FAQ content isn’t necessarily limited to Google’s treatment of it. With this type of content, you can still get FAQ-related rich results in other search engines. - **They can support AI and search-engine understanding:** Well-structured content, including appropriate structured data, can make it easier for search engines and AI systems to understand what your page covers. Schema markup can provide additional context and structure that helps these systems interpret your content. - **They can help with conversions:** As already hinted at before, FAQs can remove doubts and objections before a purchase, signup, contact request, or other conversion. This is particularly useful for product and service pages. As you can see, the benefits quite clearly outweigh the fact that they no longer help you appear in FAQ Rich Results, making the time you could spend removing these sections from your site not worth the effort. ### Best practices for writing clear and concise FAQ answers Even though the FAQ sections are still valuable, we recommend reviewing them, as when you added them you were thinking about how Google liked them and built the content based on that. As now Google doesn’t consider these sections as important, it can be interesting to check them and edit them from a more user-focused point of view. What would we do with them then? Well, we would follow the following steps for not only writing new FAQ answers, but editing the existing ones: - **Review your previous FAQ sections:** As we have already mentioned, the best practice starts with reviewing what you have already been doing. Check whether the questions are still relevant, whether the answers are accurate, and whether they actually provide valuable information to users. - **Answer the question directly:** Don’t make users read a long introduction before getting the answer they’re looking for. Start with the answer and then provide additional context or details if necessary. A higher word count doesn’t mean better anymore, especially from an SEO perspective. - **Make them clear and concise:** Similar to the previous tip, keep your answers as short as possible while still providing all the necessary information. Avoid unnecessary explanations, complicated language, and filler that could make it harder for users to find the answer. - **Don’t add unrelated questions:** Every question should be directly connected to the page and its topic. Don’t add questions simply because they contain keywords you want to target or because you think they might bring additional traffic. Focus on answering the questions that are actually useful and relevant to your users. - **Write for humans, not search engines:** This is key, and we see a lot of people doing this. The FAQ should sound like something a real person would ask and answer, rather than a collection of keywords created specifically for SEO. Try to find a balance between the keywords and prompts you find and the real questions users are searching for. - **Use natural language:** Write questions and answers in the way your customers actually speak and search. “Robotic-like” content can make your users feel weird about it, as it doesn’t feel real or natural. Besides, when it comes to keyword targeting, you don’t need to force exact-match keywords into every question or answer to get AI or search engines to rank your content like we used to do before. Prioritize content that feels natural and human-made. - **Avoid repeating information already on the page:** If the answer is already clearly explained elsewhere, don’t simply copy and paste the same paragraph into the FAQ, as unnecessary repetition can make your content less useful and potentially create SEO issues. Instead, use the FAQ to clarify something that might otherwise be difficult to find or understand. - **Focus on real user concerns:** Look at customer questions, sales calls, support emails, search queries, reviews, and other sources to identify the questions people genuinely have. This will make the FAQ much more useful than simply creating questions based on keywords or AI prompts. - **Keep answers accurate and up to date:** This is especially important for things like pricing, shipping, returns, product specifications, policies, or anything else that can change. The same goes for blog posts: just as users expect updated information, search engines and AI systems also need accurate and current content to provide useful answers. An outdated FAQ can be worse than having no FAQ at all. - **Don’t force an FAQ onto every page:** If there aren’t genuinely useful questions to answer, you don’t need to create an FAQ just because other websites have one. Quality matters more than having a certain number of questions. ## Conclusion As we have explained throughout the article, regardless of whether this information came as a surprise or not, you don’t have to worry about this decision made by Google. Even though, as marketers, we saw that feature as an opportunity to get our sites ranked in Google, its removal won’t have any negative consequences for our sites, and that’s the most important part of it. However, as explained here, all the work done for FAQ Rich Results won’t be worthless, as we can still benefit from having a structured section that will provide not only useful information for users, but also help us get visibility in both search engines and AI tools if done correctly. In summary, start by reviewing all the FAQ sections on your site to see if they can be improved, and don’t waste your time removing anything. It won’t be worth it, and it could even negatively impact your site. ## Related - [Why schema markup is important](https://freshjuice.dev/blog/why-schema-markup-is-important/) - [FAQ section for SEO](https://freshjuice.dev/blog/faq-section-for-seo/) - [AI answer engine optimization: the future of SEO](https://freshjuice.dev/blog/ai-answer-engine-optimization-aeo-future-of-seo/) - [#FAQ](https://freshjuice.dev/tags/faq/), - [#SEO](https://freshjuice.dev/tags/seo/), - [#SchemaMarkup](https://freshjuice.dev/tags/schema-markup/), - [#StructuredData](https://freshjuice.dev/tags/structured-data/)