If you have been doing SEO for a while, you probably remember the good old days of FAQ rich results — those neat expandable accordion dropdowns sitting right below your page listing in Google Search. They took up extra space, pushed competitors down the fold, and gave you that satisfying feeling that your structured data was actually doing something.
Well, that era is officially over.
On May 7, 2026, Google officially removed FAQ rich results from search. According to Search Engine Roundtable, Google announced the deprecation with a clear message: FAQ rich results are no longer appearing in Google Search. The FAQ search appearance, rich result report, and support in the Rich Results Test will be removed from Search Console in June 2026, with API support ending in August 2026.
But here is the question everyone is now asking: should you actually go and remove FAQ schema from your site? Or is there still some value in keeping it?
What Just Happened with FAQ Rich Results?
This did not come out of nowhere. Google has been quietly pulling back from FAQ rich results for several years. Here is the full timeline:
April 2023 — First Reduction
Google first reduced the visibility of FAQ rich results for most websites. It was not a full removal, but many sites started noticing fewer FAQ dropdowns appearing in their search listings. At the time, it went largely under the radar.
August 2023 — Major Restriction
Then came the bigger announcement. Google officially stated that FAQ rich results would only be shown for well-known, authoritative government and health websites. For every other site — including e-commerce, local businesses, SaaS, agencies, and service businesses — FAQ rich results were effectively gone. At the same time, Google also deprecated HowTo rich results on mobile.
Most commercial websites stopped seeing FAQ dropdowns entirely after this point. But a lot of teams kept the schema markup in place anyway — partly out of habit, partly hoping things might change.
May 7, 2026 — Full Deprecation
The final blow came on May 7, 2026. As reported by Search Engine Roundtable, Google quietly updated its structured data documentation to confirm that FAQ rich results are no longer appearing in Google Search — for anyone. Not even government or health sites get the feature anymore.
“FAQ rich results are no longer appearing in Google Search. We will be dropping the FAQ search appearance, rich result report, and support in the Rich Results Test in June 2026.” — Google Search Central
The Search Console Cleanup Timeline
- May 7, 2026 — FAQ rich results removed from Google Search
- June 2026 — FAQ search appearance report and Rich Results Test support removed from Search Console
- August 2026 — Search Console API support for FAQ rich results removed
If you have not already, take a screenshot or export your historical FAQ performance data from Search Console before June 2026. Once that report disappears, you will not get it back.
Why Did Google Remove FAQ Rich Results?
The short answer is overuse and abuse. The longer answer is that search is being fundamentally redesigned around AI-driven answers, and FAQ accordions no longer fit that vision.
The Abuse Problem
When FAQ rich results first appeared in 2019, they quickly became one of the most popular structured data tactics in SEO. The reason was simple: they were easy to implement and offered visible, measurable rewards. Add some schema, validate it, and watch your SERP listing grow bigger.
Inevitably, teams started adding FAQ schema to pages that were not really FAQ pages in any meaningful sense. Product pages, service pages, and landing pages all started sprouting accordion questions — not because users needed answers, but because more SERP real estate meant better CTR. The markup followed templates rather than actual user research. Questions became generic, repetitive, or purely promotional.
Google saw what was happening. The feature that was supposed to help users find useful answers quickly had been turned into a click-through rate trick. By 2023, restricting the feature for most sites was the logical response.
The Bigger Picture: Search Is Becoming an Answer Engine
There is a more strategic reason behind this deprecation too. Google is actively shifting search from a list of links to an AI-powered answer engine. With the expansion of AI Overviews and AI Mode, Google increasingly delivers answers directly — rather than just pointing users to external pages. In this new architecture, dedicated FAQ accordions sitting below a page listing feel like a relic of the old web.
This is exactly why our work on SEO for Google AI focuses on building the kind of content that AI systems can actually understand, parse, and cite — not on winning visual SERP features that can be deprecated at any moment.
Should You Remove FAQ Schema from Your Site Right Now?
This is the real question. And the honest answer is: it depends — but do not rush.
The Official Google Position
Google has been clear: structured data that is not being used for a visible feature does not cause problems for search. John Mueller of Google noted on Bluesky that FAQ schema “was only used for a tiny set of site types (as documented), so for most, this doesn’t result in changes in Search.”
In other words, if your site was not a government or health site, your FAQ schema was already being ignored by Google after August 2023. The May 2026 change just makes that official and extends it to everyone.
When You Should Remove FAQ Schema
- The FAQ content is fake or forced — If you added FAQ schema purely to win SERP real estate and the questions on your page are irrelevant, remove it. It is dead weight.
- You added it to non-FAQ pages — If your product pages, service pages, or landing pages have FAQ schema that has nothing to do with the page’s main purpose, clean it up.
- You want a cleaner codebase — If your development team prefers removing unused markup for maintenance reasons, this is a fine time to do it.
- Schema validation is causing errors — If your FAQ structured data is poorly implemented and showing errors in Search Console, removing it is cleaner than fixing something that delivers no benefit.
When You Should Keep FAQ Schema
- The FAQ content is genuine and visible on the page — If your page genuinely answers real user questions and the FAQ section is a core part of the content, keep the schema. Google has said FAQPage is still a valid Schema.org type.
- You have an e-commerce site with product Q&A — Our eCommerce SEO services strategy often keeps FAQ schema on product pages because it helps AI systems parse product information, even without rich results.
- Other search engines may still use it — Bing and other search engines may still process FAQPage structured data and use it in their own ways. Google’s deprecation does not affect every platform.
- Your AI search optimisation strategy depends on it — See the next section for why this matters more than it might seem.
FAQ Schema and AI Search — Does It Still Matter?
Here is the part that most blog posts are missing: the deprecation of FAQ rich results in Google Search does not mean FAQ schema is useless. It means the visual SERP feature is gone. The underlying content strategy is a completely separate conversation.
How AI Search Engines Parse Structured Content
AI-powered search platforms — including ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, and Claude AI — do not read your website the way a browser does. They look for content that is clearly structured, easy to parse, and explicitly answers specific questions. Structured Q&A content — whether marked up with FAQPage schema or not — tends to be easier for these systems to cite.
Some SEO and AI search practitioners have noted that FAQ schema (the markup, not the rich result) may help AI systems identify and extract Q&A content from your pages. Google has not commented on any direct connection, but the logic makes sense: if you are telling an AI system explicitly where the question is and where the answer is, it is easier to use that content in an AI-generated response.
The Difference Between Google Rich Results and AI Search Signals
Think of it this way:
- FAQ rich result = a visual display feature in Google Search that is now gone
- FAQPage schema = a structured data signal that describes your Q&A content to any system that reads it
Google removing the first does not automatically eliminate the value of the second — especially in an ecosystem where AI search engines are increasingly competing with Google for traffic.
For a deeper look at how AI search is changing the rules for everyone, read our guide on how SEO for Google AI is different from traditional SEO.
What Should You Actually Do Right Now?
Here is a clear, practical action plan.
Step 1: Audit Your Current FAQ Schema
Log into Google Search Console and check the Rich Results section before June 2026, when the FAQ report disappears. Note which pages have FAQ schema and what their historical performance looked like. This baseline matters for understanding whether removing the schema affects your organic traffic over the next few months. You can also use Google’s Rich Results Test while it still supports FAQ testing.
Step 2: Categorise Your FAQ Pages
Go through every page with FAQ schema and ask three honest questions:
- Is this FAQ content genuinely useful to the reader, or was it added just for SERP real estate?
- Are the questions and answers visible on the page, or are they buried in the code?
- Does this page serve a real user intent that happens to involve answering questions?
Pages that pass all three tests are worth keeping. Pages that fail — especially if the FAQ content feels forced or promotional — are candidates for cleanup.
Step 3: Do Not Panic-Remove Everything
If you have been using FAQ schema correctly — that is, marking up real, visible Q&A content on pages where it genuinely belongs — there is no reason to rush out and strip it all away. Google itself says you can leave it. The schema will not hurt your rankings.
A rash, site-wide removal of all FAQ structured data in a panic is an unnecessary risk. Make changes methodically, based on your audit, not based on headlines.
Step 4: Shift Focus to Content Quality and Authority Signals
The real lesson here is one the SEO industry keeps relearning: do not build your strategy around features that Google controls and can remove without notice. If your content is good — genuinely informative, well-structured, and answering real user questions — it will perform regardless of which rich result format Google is currently supporting.
This is why our AI SEO services focus on building deep topical authority and content that AI systems actually want to cite — not on chasing SERP features. And why link building remains one of the most durable signals you can invest in, because real authority from real sources cannot be deprecated by a Google announcement.
Step 5: Update Your Schema Strategy Going Forward
If FAQ schema is not producing rich results anymore, consider which structured data types are still earning visible search features. Currently, Google is actively supporting:
- Product schema — prices, availability, reviews in shopping results
- Article and NewsArticle schema — date, author, and headline signals
- LocalBusiness schema — knowledge panel and local pack signals
- How-To schema — still supported on desktop (mobile-only was deprecated in 2023)
- Review and Rating schema — aggregate star ratings in SERPs
None of these are immune to future deprecation. But right now, they are producing visible results. Focus your structured data investment there.
Quick Summary — Keep or Remove?
Here is the simple version if you are short on time:
- Remove FAQ schema if: the content is fake, forced, or irrelevant to the page’s real purpose.
- Keep FAQ schema if: the Q&A content is genuine, visible on the page, and useful to your audience.
- Do not panic either way: unused schema does not hurt you.
- Export your Search Console FAQ data before June 2026 — that report is going away.
- Shift your strategy toward content quality, topical authority, and structured data types that are still earning rich results.
Final Thoughts
The removal of FAQ rich results is a reminder that no single SERP feature lasts forever. SEO has always been about adapting — and the teams that adapt well are the ones who build on durable foundations: excellent content, genuine authority, and a deep understanding of how search engines (and AI systems) actually work.
If you want an expert team to review your structured data strategy, identify which schema markup is still earning you results, and build an AI SEO strategy that keeps you visible in both traditional Google Search and AI-powered answer engines, we are here to help.
Get in touch with the team at Social Trendzz — Jaipur’s leading digital marketing and SEO company — and let’s make sure your site is built for what search looks like in 2026 and beyond.
