What changed?
Google no longer shows FAQ rich results in Search. The expandable question-and-answer boxes that used to sit under some results stopped appearing on 7 May 2026. Google's FAQ documentation carried a deprecation notice on 8 May and was removed from the Search Central docs on 15 June 2026.
This did not happen overnight. In 2023 Google had already limited FAQ rich results to well-known, authoritative government and health sites. For most businesses the boxes had been gone for years. The 2026 change ends the small remaining display.
Google's help pages also describe the matching Search Console reporting and testing support being phased out. Check Search Console for what your own property still shows.
Does FAQ schema still do anything?
For Google's search results page: no, not as a visible feature.
That is all Google has said. We found no statement from Google that existing FAQ markup causes harm, and the documentation page does not tell site owners to remove it. Other search engines and tools may still read it, but none of them gives you a guaranteed return.
What it does not do is the thing most guides promised: more screen space in the results.
Should you remove it?
Not as an emergency. Use this table.
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| FAQ markup already on your pages, matches the visible FAQ | Leave it. Removing it earns nothing and takes developer time |
| You were about to pay for FAQ schema across many pages | Don't. Spend it on content and technical fixes that still move results |
| FAQ markup that does not match the visible text | Fix or remove it. Mismatched markup was always against Google's rules |
| Your CMS plugin adds FAQ schema automatically | Leave it, but stop treating it as a ranking project |
The rule that always applied still applies: the markup must describe questions and answers that are visible on the page.
What still matters more
The visible question-and-answer section on the page is worth keeping. Readers use it, and answer-first writing is the format AI answer engines tend to quote. Our guides on answer engine optimization and ranking in Google AI Overviews cover that.
Schema types that still do work for Google include Organization, Product, Article and breadcrumb markup. Our schema markup guide lists what is supported.
What we do on our own site
We keep FAQPage markup on our pages. We keep the visible FAQ because readers and answer engines use it. We cannot prove the markup itself helps AI citations, and we have not seen independent evidence either way. If a vendor tells you it does, ask for the test.
What to do this week
- Open Search Console and check whether your FAQ report or enhancement still appears.
- Spot-check five pages where FAQ markup exists. Confirm the markup text matches the visible text.
- Pause any project that exists only to add FAQ schema for rich results.
- Keep writing real answers. Short, direct answers to questions your customers ask are still the part that earns attention.
Frequently asked questions
When did Google stop showing FAQ rich results? Google's documentation says the feature no longer appears in Google Search starting 7 May 2026. Since 2023 it had only shown for well-known government and health sites.
Should I delete FAQ schema from my website? You don't have to. Google's documentation does not tell site owners to remove existing markup. If it matches your visible FAQ, leaving it costs nothing.
Will FAQ schema help me appear in ChatGPT or AI Overviews? There is no independent evidence that it does. Clear, visible, answer-first content is the safer investment.
What happens if my FAQ markup does not match the page? It was always against Google's guidelines for markup to describe content that is not visible on the page. Fix the mismatch or remove the markup.
Which structured data still works? Google still supports types such as Organization, Product, Article and breadcrumb markup. Check Google's current structured data gallery, because supported types change.
Get your structured data in order
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