As of May 7 2026 Google drops rich results support for all FAQ schema, removing FAQ structured data reporting from GSC and no longer renders FAQ markup as a FAQ rich result in Search.
A brief History of faq schema
May 2019: FAQ schema launched, providing a significant SEO opportunity where internal links could be added within answers which showed directly in the SERP increasing impressions and clicks to those links.
August 2023: FAQ rich results had been deprecated for most sites but kept eligibility for high authority sites (government and health sites). From that point, the broad SEO strategy of adding FAQ schema to almost every commercial page stopped being viable.
May 2026: Instead of keeping this restricted eligibility of the feature, they have now stopped supporting it entirely in search. The 2026 update is the logical endpoint of a long phase-out.
Why was faq schema removed? A couple of theories…
Influence by high influx of new articles like the screenshot below claiming FAQ schema is critical for GEO – this news spread like wildfire, perhaps to the point where Google can take away schema which are frequently misused in search results – losing opportunity for everyone to enhance organic listings in future.
The more common SEO/GEO practices become the likelihood they may be reduced to limit clutter and promote more relevant results.
FAQ schema removal: What it means for seo
While FAQ rich results are retired in the search interface; it still helps search engines understand content, aids in voice search and can boost AI-powered citations.
But it no longer produces visible rich results in drop-down snippets often showing 2-3 questions:
why still include faq content on my website?
If users have repeated questions, your page should still answer them to address information before they buy, contact or convert. If a help article is clearer to understand and offers a better user experience through a question-led structure, continue to do so.
What to do about faq schema as a deprecated feature
The verdict on what to do is not definitive, 2 possible actions you can take:
Keep FAQ schema
There is no urgency for removing FAQ schema particularly if it exists in a clean stable set up,
Focus on user value first and let internal links guide users naturally and avoid using FAQ markup for advertising or sales pitches.
Remove FAQ schema
It might be worth considering simplifying by removing unnecessary page markup. If it leads to misleading expectations or remnants of nostalgia for an old CTR tactic.
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