If you added FAQ schema to your pages to get those expandable questions under your Google result, that payoff is gone. Google says the FAQ rich result no longer appears in Google Search starting 7 May 2026. Here is what changed, what it means for a small business site, and what to do with the markup you already have.
What Google changed
According to the Google Search Central documentation changelog:
- 8 May 2026: Google added a deprecation notice to the FAQ rich result documentation, stating that the feature will no longer appear in Google Search from 7 May 2026.
- June 2026: Google removed the documentation for the FAQ rich result feature, explaining that the feature is no longer shown in Search.
This was not a surprise to anyone watching closely. The same changelog records that in 2023 Google already limited the FAQ result to well-known, authoritative government and health websites. Most small business sites stopped seeing it back then.
What this does and does not mean
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Will FAQ rich results come back for my site? | Google has said the feature no longer appears in Search, so plan as if not |
| Is FAQPage still a real schema type? | Yes. schema.org still lists FAQPage, and its page reports usage on 1M to 10M domains (Google, August 2026) |
| Is my existing markup now an error? | Nothing in the sources we read says it is. It is simply no longer used for that Google feature |
| Does removing it help rankings? | We found no source saying so |
Notice what the sources do not say. They do not say FAQ markup helps you appear in AI answers, and they do not say it hurts. Treat anyone who claims either as guessing.
What to do now
1. Keep the FAQ content, not the hope of a rich result. A visible FAQ section still does real work: it answers the objections that stop people from enquiring, it cuts repetitive support questions, and short question-and-answer passages are easy for readers and answer engines to quote.
2. Leave valid markup in place if it is generated automatically. If your site templates already output FAQPage JSON-LD, there is no urgency to rip it out. Just make sure the markup matches the visible text exactly.
3. Do not add markup to pages where it is not visible. Hidden or mismatched FAQ text is a bad idea whether or not a rich result exists.
4. Stop paying for FAQ schema as a service. If an agency or plugin sold you FAQ schema as a click booster, ask what it now delivers.
5. Spend the saved time on things that still move results. Fast pages, clear answers near the top, accurate business details and helpful, original content. Our technical SEO and AEO checklist covers these.
Quick checklist
- Each FAQ answer is short, accurate and visible on the page.
- Questions are the real ones customers ask you (check your enquiries and emails).
- Any FAQPage markup matches the visible text word for word.
- You are not counting on FAQ rich results in your reporting or goals.
- Other structured data, such as Organization and Article, is still valid. See our note on what Google's AI Overviews update means for site owners.
If you still want the markup
You can generate valid FAQ JSON-LD in your browser with our free FAQ schema generator, then paste it next to the visible FAQ it describes. If you want a developer to review your structured data and page speed together, see our website development service or ask for a free quote.
