Google Has Officially Deprecated FAQ Rich Results – Here’s What It Means for Your SEO Strategy

If you’ve been relying on FAQ rich results to boost your search visibility, it’s time for an update. As of 7 May 2026, Google has officially deprecated FAQ rich results from Search for every website, including government and health sites that had retained access since 2023.

It’s not a surprise if you’ve been keeping up with the changes, but it does mark the end of an era. Here’s what happened, what it means, and what you should do next.

What Has Google Actually Changed?

Google updated its Search Central structured data documentation on 7 May 2026 with a deprecation notice confirming that FAQ rich results are no longer appearing in Google Search.

The rollout follows a phased timeline. FAQ rich results stopped showing in search results on 7 May. The FAQ search appearance filter, the rich result report, and support in the Rich Results Test will all be removed in June 2026. For teams using the Search Console API to pull FAQ-related data, support will be removed in August 2026 (Search Engine Journal).

Google didn’t publish a blog post or offer a specific reason for the change. The update was simply added to the documentation.

This Didn’t Happen Overnight

The deprecation has been building for years. Back in August 2023, Google announced that FAQ rich results would only appear for well-known, authoritative government and health websites. That same update also deprecated HowTo rich results on mobile.

For most websites, FAQ rich results effectively disappeared almost three years ago. The May 2026 change simply closes the door for the remaining sites that still had access.

The root cause? Widespread misuse. Many websites were adding artificial FAQ sections to their pages purely to take up more real estate in search results — often with questions that didn’t match user intent or answers that added little genuine value. Google’s response has been a gradual but decisive wind-down of the feature (Search Engine Land).

Should You Remove Your FAQ Schema Markup?

Short answer: no, you don’t need to rush to remove it.

Google has stated that unused structured data doesn’t cause problems for Search. FAQPage remains a valid Schema.org type, and the markup can stay on your pages without any negative impact.

That said, if your FAQ sections were only added to chase a rich result, rather than to genuinely answer questions your customers are asking, it might be worth revisiting the content itself. A thin FAQ section that doesn’t serve the user isn’t doing your page any favours, with or without schema.

If your FAQ schema and FAQ content genuinely supports your audience, keep it in place. It still plays a role in helping search engines understand your content — which brings us to the bigger picture.

FAQ Schema Still Matters for AI Search

Here’s where it gets interesting. While Google has retired the visible rich result, structured data continues to serve a purpose beyond traditional search.

Google has confirmed that it will continue to use FAQ structured data to better understand pages. And beyond Google, platforms like Bing Copilot and Perplexity actively crawl and process structured data when generating AI-powered answers.

This is a core part of what we call AI SEO, optimising your content so it’s not just visible in traditional search results, but also discoverable and citable by AI systems. Well-structured FAQ content with accurate schema markup makes it easier for AI engines to extract, summarise, and cite your answers.

In other words, FAQ schema has shifted from being a SERP display tool to a comprehension signal. It helps machines understand what your page is about, which is increasingly how content gets surfaced, whether through AI Overviews, chatbot responses, or voice search.

Building strong E-E-A-T signals alongside your structured data is what gives your content the authority and trustworthiness that both traditional and AI-powered search engines look for.

What Should You Do Now?

Rather than panicking, treat this as a prompt to tighten up your structured data strategy. Here’s a practical checklist:

• Audit your FAQ content. Remove low-quality or purely promotional FAQ sections. Keep the ones that answer real customer questions.
• Keep your FAQ schema in place if the markup accurately reflects visible content on the page.
• Update Search Console reporting. If you’re tracking FAQ rich result performance, adjust your dashboards before June (UI) and August (API).
• Focus on content quality. Great FAQ content written for real people will continue to perform in organic search, in AI Overviews, and across the broader search ecosystem.
• Consider broader structured data. Article, Organisation, LocalBusiness, and other schema types still support rich results and AI visibility.

If you need help auditing your structured data or building an SEO strategy that works across both traditional and AI search, get in touch with our SEO team in Melbourne. We’re a data-driven digital marketing agency that helps Australian businesses stay ahead of these kinds of changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Has Google removed FAQ rich results completely?

Yes. As of 7 May 2026, FAQ rich results no longer appear in Google Search for any website. This includes government and health sites that had retained access since 2023. Google will also remove FAQ reporting from Search Console in June 2026 and API support in August 2026.

Should I remove FAQ schema from my website?

No, you don’t need to remove it. Google has confirmed that unused structured data doesn’t cause issues. FAQPage is still a valid Schema.org type, and other search engines and AI platforms may continue to use it.

Does FAQ schema help with AI search visibility?

There’s growing evidence that FAQ structured data helps AI systems like Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity understand and cite your content more accurately. While it no longer triggers a visible rich result, it still serves as a comprehension layer for AI engines.

Why did Google deprecate FAQ rich results?

Google hasn’t given a specific reason, but the change follows years of widespread misuse. Many sites were adding low-quality FAQ sections solely to expand their SERP listings, which led Google to restrict the feature in 2023 and now fully retire it.

What structured data should I focus on instead?

Focus on schema types that still support rich results and AI visibility such as Article, Organisation, LocalBusiness, Product, and Review. Ensure your structured data accurately reflects the primary content on each page.

Roscoe Thorne

Head of SEO

Roscoe is Head of SEO at A.P. Web Solutions, with over 10 years in the industry and a specialist focus on technical SEO, site migrations, and an ever-growing obsession with AI and answer engine optimisation.
Outside the office, he’s a basketball enthusiast (mostly a spectator these days, courtesy of his knees), a proud mid-table NBA Fantasy League Manager, and a dedicated explorer of Melbourne’s food, arts, and entertainment scene.