Google Removed FAQ Rich Results: Is it Good or Bad for Your Website

Google officially removed FAQ rich results from search on May 7, 2026, after years of limiting visibility due to widespread misuse.  While this may sound like a major change, most websites were affected much earlier. Back in August 2023, Google restricted FAQ rich results to a small number of government and health websites, meaning most businesses had already lost access to them.

So what does this change actually mean for your website today? Let’s explore everything about Google removing FAQ rich results!

What Are FAQ Rich Results?

FAQ rich results were a Google Search feature that showed questions and answers directly below a website’s search listing. When a website added FAQ schema to a page, Google could display those FAQs as clickable dropdowns in the search results, giving users quick answers without opening the page.

This gave websites extra visual space in search results, often making listings stand out more and take up additional room on the page.

How it worked:

• Website owners added FAQPage schema markup to relevant pages
• The markup labeled specific content as questions and answers
• Google’s algorithm read this markup and, if eligible, displayed it as an expandable dropdown in search results
• Users could click a question to reveal the answer without leaving the search page

For years, this made FAQ schema a popular SEO tactic, since it offered more visibility and often improved click-through rates simply by taking up more space on the results page.

Why Did Google Remove FAQ Rich Results

Here are Key reasons behind the removal of FAQ rich results:

• Widespread misuse turned FAQ schema into a manipulation tactic, similar to fake review stars
• Many sites added FAQ markup purely to gain SERP space, not to help users
• Google has been simplifying the search results page, reducing clutter from multiple rich result types
• This follows a similar pattern to Google’s earlier removal of HowTo rich results

Important to note:

This wasn’t a sudden decision. Google had already limited FAQ rich results to well-known, authoritative government and health websites back in August 2023. The May 2026 update simply removed the last remaining exceptions, making the change permanent across all websites, leaving no eligibility at all.

Key Timelines to Know When Google Removed FAQ Rich Results

Google’s removal of FAQ rich results is happening in stages, not all at once. Here’s a clear timeline of what’s changing and when.

May 2026

FAQ rich results stopped appearing in Google Search entirely. The expandable question-and-answer dropdowns beneath search listings are gone for every website, including the government and health sites that were previously still eligible.

June 2026

Google will remove the FAQ search appearance filter, the FAQ rich result report, and FAQ support in the Rich Results Test tool. This means SEOs and website owners will lose the ability to track or test FAQ rich result performance through Google’s standard tools.

August 2026

Search Console API support for FAQ rich result data will be removed. Any automated dashboards, reports, or integrations pulling this data will stop receiving it after this date.

What this means practically:

• If you want to keep historical FAQ rich result data, export it before June 2026
• Any tracking or reporting workflows relying on the API should be updated before August 2026
• After these dates, there will be no way to measure FAQ rich result performance through Google’s own tools, since the feature no longer exists

FAQ Rich Results Removed: How It’s Impacting Websites

For most websites, this update won’t have a major impact.

The big shift was in August 2023, when Google confined FAQ-rich results to government and health sites. The FAQ-rich results on your company, blog, or agency page likely vanished.

The May 2026 update simply removes FAQ rich results for the small number of websites that were still eligible.

What This Means for Different Websites

Most business websites and blogs

There will be little or no impact because FAQ rich results were already removed years ago.

Government and health websites

These sites are the ones most affected because they were still eligible to show FAQ rich results until now.

Websites still using FAQ schema

The schema code still works, but Google will no longer display FAQ rich results in search.

SEO agencies and marketing teams

The biggest change is losing FAQ rich result reporting and tracking, rather than losing rankings or traffic.

Will Rankings Drop?

In most cases, no.

FAQ schema was never considered a direct ranking factor. It helped search listings appear larger and more noticeable, but it didn’t determine where a page ranked.

What may change is the click-through rate (CTR) because listings without FAQ dropdowns take up less space in search results.

How to Check If You’re Affected

The easiest way is to review your Google Search Console data.

Look at:

• Click-through rates (CTR)
• Organic clicks
• Search impressions
• Pages that previously used FAQ schema

For many websites, especially those affected in 2023, the impact will likely be very small.

Is This Good or Bad for Your Website?

The answer depends on how much your website relies on FAQ rich results.

Possible Downsides

• Search listings may look slightly smaller.
• Some websites could see a small drop in click-through rates.
• Government and health sites lose a visibility feature they previously had.

Possible Benefits

• Search results become cleaner and less cluttered.
• Businesses can focus more on creating helpful content instead of chasing rich result features.
• Rankings remain unaffected because the FAQ schema was never a ranking signal.
• It reduces misuse of FAQ schema and creates a more level playing field.

The Real Takeaway

For most websites, this update is largely neutral.

If your FAQ rich results disappeared in 2023, almost nothing would change today. Strong rankings still come from quality content, technical SEO, backlinks, and a good user experience- not from FAQ rich results.

Moving ahead, the best method is to provide clear, helpful FAQ material that actually benefits consumers. Even if FAQ-rich results do not show, helpful information can improve visibility in Google Search, AI Overviews, and AI Tools.

Should You Remove FAQ Schema From Your Website?

Removing your FAQ schema entirely isn’t necessary, and doing so purely because Google stopped displaying the rich result would be an overreaction. Here’s the honest answer: 

• Schema is still valid and safe to keep- Google has confirmed that having unused or currently non-visible schema on your site doesn’t cause any problems or penalties, so there’s no urgency to strip it out
• There’s no confirmed use for AI Overviews or AI Mode citations- at this point, Google hasn’t stated that FAQ schema specifically influences whether your content gets pulled into AI Overviews or AI Mode responses
• You have two reasonable paths forward:
  • Keep it- low maintenance cost, and it’s still read by other crawlers (like Bingbot and various AI crawlers), so it may still offer some indirect value
  • Remove it- cleaner codebase, useful if you’re doing a broader site cleanup or the schema references outdated content

The only FAQ schema genuinely worth removing is markup tied to content that no longer exists on the page, or thin, filler FAQs that were only added to chase the old rich-result perk in the first place.

What This Means for SEO and AEO Search Visibility

The removal of FAQ rich results is part of a bigger shift in how people find answers online- and it’s worth understanding that shift, not just the schema decision itself.

AI Search Is Changing How Answers Are Shown

Google is now using AI Overviews to answer questions directly in search results. Instead of showing FAQ dropdowns, Google often combines information from multiple sources into one answer.

FAQ Content Is Still Useful

Even though FAQ rich results are gone, FAQ content still has value.

Why?

• AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI can still use well-written FAQ content.
• Clear questions and answers make it easier for AI systems to understand your content.
• Helpful FAQ sections can still attract visitors and build trust.

Focus on Helpful Content, Not Schema

The most important thing now is creating content that clearly answers user questions.

Focus on:

• Simple and direct answers
• Well-organized content
• Easy-to-read FAQs
• Content that helps real users

Simple Takeaway

FAQ rich results may be gone, but helpful FAQ content is still important. The real value was never the schema itself — it was the useful answers behind it, and those still matter for both users and AI-powered search.

What to Do Instead of Relying on FAQ Rich Results

Since the rich result itself is gone, it’s worth adjusting both your reporting and your content strategy rather than continuing to optimize for a feature that no longer displays. Here are some focus areas you should work on after this update: 

Save Your Old FAQ Data

If you still have access to FAQ reports in Google Search Console, download and save them.

Why?

• The reports will be removed soon.
• You may want to review past performance later.
• Once the data is gone, you won’t be able to access it again.

Check How Much FAQs Helped Your Traffic

Look at your click-through rate (CTR) before and after May 7, 2026.

Why?

• It shows whether FAQ rich results were actually bringing extra clicks.
• You’ll get real data for your website instead of relying on general SEO opinions.

Focus on Strong SEO Fundamentals

Instead of spending time on a feature Google no longer shows, focus on things that continue to improve rankings over the long term.

Focus on:

• Creating helpful content
• Building website authority
• Improving site structure
• Answering user questions clearly
• Earning quality backlinks

Note: These FAQ-rich results are no longer available, but good SEO hasn’t changed. The greatest long-term approach is to develop helpful information, earn search engine trust, and serve consumers rather than chase search capabilities that may go.

Conclusion 

Wondering how to stay visible in search after FAQ rich results were removed? Team up with IndeedSEO! We help businesses adapt to Google’s evolving search landscape with long-term SEO strategies focused on content quality, search visibility, and sustainable growth.