Many websites have used FAQ Schema to get the snippet-rich content for their questions and answers in Google’s search results. But here’s the bad news: Google plans to remove FAQ rich results from 2026, and the ball is already rolling.
It isn’t an unconfirmed prediction but a Google official announcement made on May 7, 2026, by itself. The functionality that was once the key to increasing SERPs and click-throughs has become obsolete. While many in the SEO community have expected this from 2023 onwards, the recent confirmation has thrown many digital marketing experts off balance.
In this post, we break down exactly what happened, what the deprecation timeline looks like, what it means for your search visibility, and most importantly, what you should do next.
What Happened: The Official Announcement
Google also published a deprecation notice in its FAQ structured data developer documentation, where it stated that Google would no longer display FAQ rich results on Google Search. This announcement means that Google will phase out its FAQ search appearance filter, rich result report in Search Console, and FAQ functionality in Rich Results Test by June 2026. Moreover, Google will discontinue its support for FAQ rich results through the Search Console API by August 2026. These changes will provide extra time for teams to rework their integration process within the Search Console API.
Google did not release any official blog posts regarding its new policy on FAQ rich results.
This Removal Didn’t Come Out of Nowhere
To grasp the rationale behind the deprecation of FAQ rich results in 2026, it is imperative to consider Google’s gradual retreat from them starting from 2023.
Google decided to diminish the presence of FAQ rich results across all types of queries in April 2023. In August of the same year, Google declared that FAQ rich results would become applicable solely for well-known, authoritative government and health websites. Additionally, the update deprecated HowTo rich results on mobile searches. Thus, the vast majority of websites, businesses, blogs, online stores, advertising agencies, and software solutions were deprived of the opportunity to use them.
Finally, in May 2026, the eligibility will no longer apply to even those few types of resources.
In short: this is the end of a feature that was already on life support.
The Deprecation Timeline at a Glance
Here’s a clear breakdown of what’s happening and when:
| Date | What Changes |
| May 7, 2026 | FAQ rich results stop appearing in Google Search for all sites |
| June 2026 | FAQ search appearance filter, rich result report in Search Console, and FAQ support in Rich Results Test are removed |
| August 2026 | FAQ rich result support in the Search Console API is discontinued |
If you or your development team are pulling FAQ structured data via the Search Console API, you have until August to adjust your workflow.
Should You Remove FAQ Schema From Your Website?
That is the question being asked by every SEO today, and the answer is yes, you do not have to remove it, but you can.
Google has stated that there will be no detrimental effect to your ranking or performance in Search from removing your FAQ structured data. The removal of the FAQ schema will neither hurt nor help your site. It will just stop displaying the rich result for your FAQ.
That said, there are practical reasons you might consider cleaning it up:
Reasons to keep it:
- Other search engines (Bing, DuckDuckGo) may still read and use the FAQ schema
- Some evidence suggests structured data helps AI systems parse content more effectively, a consideration as AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and other AI-powered search tools grow in importance
- Removing code introduces the risk of unintended errors if done carelessly
Reasons to remove it:
- Cleaner, leaner code reduces page weight marginally
- Avoids confusion for developers auditing your structured data
- Keeps your schema implementation aligned with what Google actually supports
Our recommendation: prioritise a schema audit, but don’t treat FAQ schema removal as urgent. Direct your energy toward what will actually move the needle now.
What This Means for Your SEO Strategy
It is true that the absence of FAQs rich results can impact how your webpages are displayed within search. The expandable faq answers provided extra height to your search listing, which translated to better visibility and click-through. Your organic search listings will go back to the usual blue-link look without the rich results.
Here’s what you should focus on instead:
1. Audit Pages That Relied on FAQ Rich Results
Use Google Search Console to identify which pages previously held FAQ rich results (before the June 2026 report removal). If specific pages drove strong CTR through FAQ snippets, you’ll want to monitor their performance closely over the next 60–90 days.
2. Double Down on Other Eligible Rich Results
The FAQ schema deprecation does not affect other schema types. Review pages where you can implement or improve:
- Review schema (star ratings for products/services)
- How-To schema (still valid for desktop search, though its own mobile deprecation is noted)
- Product schema (pricing, availability, ratings)
- Article schema (for news and editorial content)
- Event schema, Recipe schema, Video schema
These are still active and supported by Google. Prioritising them is a smarter use of your structured data budget.
3. Optimize for AI Overviews and Generative Search
The broader context is that Google is moving from conventional SERP features to AI-powered answers. It is the FAQ-type content with well-formulated questions and direct answers that are extracted in AI Overviews. The form of presentation is good; it’s the rich snippet that isn’t.
Keep using headings for questions, providing brief paragraphs as answers written in natural language. This increases your likelihood of being cited in AI Overviews, featured snippets, and AI chatbot platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
4. Strengthen Your Featured Snippet Strategy
Featured snippets remain an active Google Search feature and often serve the same function as FAQ rich results, surfacing direct answers at the top of the page. Focus on writing clear, definitive answers to the primary question of each page within the first 100–150 words. Use structured formatting: numbered lists for processes, short paragraphs for definitions, and tables for comparisons.
5. Watch Your Organic CTR
If your pages benefited from FAQ rich results, expect a potential short-term dip in CTR. Compensate by A/B testing your meta titles and descriptions to make them more compelling. A stronger meta description now has to do the job that expanded FAQ snippets used to do.
The Bigger Picture: Google’s Shift Away from SERP Features
The depredation of the FAQ rich result is just one more example of this growing trend. For quite some time now, Google has been taking steps to remove various SERP elements, including how-to rich results on mobile devices, structured data previews, and now FAQs, as the company makes its way towards building search through AI technology.
Implications for SEO: Forget about winning through schema hacks. In the future, SEO will be all about creating high-quality content and building authority within your topics – becoming a reliable source that an AI would like to cite.
It does not mean that structured data becomes redundant. It just means that you should pay close attention to which schema markup to use and why.
FAQ Section
No. Google added a deprecation notice to its developer documentation without publishing a blog post or providing public reasoning. The change had been building since 2023, when Google began restricting FAQ rich results to government and health sites only.
FAQ rich results stopped appearing in Google Search on May 7, 2026. The Search Console reporting features will be removed in June 2026, and the Search Console API support ends in August 2026.
No. Removing FAQ structured data will not cause any ranking penalty. Equally, keeping it won’t cause harm, but it also won’t produce FAQ rich results in Google Search. The decision should be based on your site’s technical hygiene preferences and whether other search engines or AI tools still benefit from the markup.
Potentially. Some SEO practitioners argue that structured FAQ markup makes it easier for AI systems to parse and understand your content, which could support your chances of being cited in AI Overviews or AI chatbot responses. Google has not officially confirmed this connection, but the logic aligns with how language models consume structured data. Well-formatted Q&A content with clear answers remains valuable regardless.
Yes. FAQPage remains a valid Schema.org type and is not deprecated at the schema vocabulary level. The change is specific to Google’s support for displaying it as a rich result in Search.
Prioritise schema types that still generate visible rich results in Google Search: Review/Rating schema, Product schema, Article schema, Video schema, Event schema, and Breadcrumb schema. These remain active and can meaningfully improve your listing’s appearance.
Not significantly. FAQ rich results have been unavailable for most commercial websites since August 2023. If you’ve been implementing the FAQ schema since then, hoping it still provided a benefit, the May 2026 announcement is the formal close of that chapter. Redirect your structured data efforts toward schema types that are still supported.
Go to Google Search Console → Search Appearance filter (while it’s still available, before June 2026). Pull a performance report filtered by FAQ rich result appearance to identify which pages were previously benefiting. This data will help you track any CTR changes post-deprecation.
The broader trend is the move from static SERP features to dynamic AI-generated responses. Google’s AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, and ChatGPT search are reshaping how users get answers. SEO success increasingly depends on being a credible, well-cited source in AI-generated content, which requires high-quality, authoritative, well-structured content rather than schema shortcuts.
Final Takeaway
The move by Google to discontinue FAQ rich results sends a strong message that there is a change happening in the world of search, and optimization of structured data should adapt to it. The effect on most websites is relatively small due to the restrictions in place since 2023 regarding FAQ rich results. However, the underlying message is loud and clear: it’s time to abandon yesterday’s SERP optimization techniques and embrace the new search world.
Here at Weblumino LLP, we specialise in guiding businesses through exactly such transformations, conducting thorough audits of structured data and developing strategies for future-proofed SERP visibility.
Need help auditing your structured data or adapting your SEO strategy to the new search landscape? Get in touch with Weblumino LLP — we’ll help you stay ahead of what’s next.
