Once hailed as a fast track to greater visibility on Google’s results pages, the FAQ schema tactic has seen a dramatic shift. In August 2023, Google significantly reduced the use of FAQ rich results — restricting them primarily to official government and health-care sites.
What this means for digital-marketers: the strategy many counted on is now ineffective — or worse, potentially harmful if mis-applied. But rather than abandon FAQs altogether, the key is to rethink how and where they’re used.
The Rise and Fall of FAQ Schema
For years, marketers quietly embedded the FAQ Page structured data across service, product and landing pages. The intention: capture rich snippets, gain more SERP real estate, increase click-throughs. Then came Google’s crackdown. In short:
-
Google scaled back FAQ rich result visibility significantly, limiting it to trusted domains (government, health) only.
-
The company clarified that FAQ Page markup should not be used for promotional content — only on genuine FAQ pages.
-
What was once considered “best practice” is now outdated, if not risky.
The lesson: In SEO, what works today may be penalised tomorrow. Tactics must evolve, not be blindly repeated.
How to Adapt in an AI-Driven Search World
Search is changing rapidly — not just the page rankings, but how answers are surfaced via large language models (LLMs), voice assistants and AI platforms. Here’s how to structure your FAQ strategy for both users and machines:
1. Focus on user-value first
Keep FAQ content embedded on your product, service or category pages to:
-
address buyer concerns
-
clarify features
-
answer “what if” scenarios
Avoid tagging these sections with FAQ Page schema unless the page is solely a Q&A hub.
2. Build dedicated FAQ hubs when appropriate
When you have a page primarily devoted to Q&A around a single topic or high-intent theme:
-
Make it a standalone FAQ page
-
Use FAQ Page schema (only when permitted)
-
Structure the questions so each has a definitive single answer.
3. Write for both humans and machines
Content that humans find helpful is also more likely to be picked up by AI. Therefore:
-
Use clear, factual and concise language
-
Avoid marketing fluff or overtly promotional tone
-
Structure sentences to include relevant entities and relationships (to aid AI understanding)
4. Don’t misuse schema for promotional pages
Landing pages, campaign pages, or any content whose primary purpose is sales/lead generation: do not apply FAQ Page schema. Google explicitly warns against it.
5. Monitor performance across traditional and AI-search
Just tracking Google Search Console is no longer enough. You should also assess how your FAQ content shows up in AI platforms like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot or Gemini. Use Google’s Rich Results Test to validate markup and monitor for visibility shifts.
When to Use FAQ Schema — And When to Skip
| Use-Case | Page Purpose | Should You Apply FAQPage Schema? |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated FAQ hub | Single-topic Q&A format | ✅ Yes, if eligible |
| Marketing / product / service page | Answer buyer questions, but primarily sales | ❌ No schema (just good Q&A) |
| Support/Knowledge base article | Procedural or technical Q&A | ✅ Yes, if fully Q&A format |
| Campaign or landing page | Drive conversions – promotional focus | ❌ No schema |
Conclusion
The era where tagging every page with FAQ Page schema was an easy SEO hack has passed. But this does not mean FAQ content is obsolete. On the contrary: well-structured questions and answers remain essential — especially as AI-driven search becomes more prominent. The key is applying the markup wisely, creating content that is genuinely helpful, and staying aligned with Google’s guidelines and emerging AI behaviours.
By treating FAQ Page schema as a targeted tool, rather than a blanket tactic, and by writing Q&A that serve people first (and machines second), you’ll keep your search visibility resilient. The landscape may shift — but user-first, machine-understandable content remains the constant.