FAQ & HowTo Rich Snippets No Longer Widely Shown, WHY?
In a major shift that has sent ripples through the SEO world, Google has officially deprecated support for FAQ and HowTo rich results, marking an end to an era where simple structured data could offer a serious edge in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
For years, these rich results offered a fast path to increased visibility, CTRs, and traffic, especially for sites aiming to dominate featured SERP space with minimal technical effort. But as Google continues to refine its approach toward simplifying search results and minimizing clutter, the company has started deprecating these features.
What are Google Rich Results?
Google Rich Results are enhanced search listings that display additional visual or interactive elements, such as stars, images, FAQs, or product details, pulled from structured data on a webpage. They help users quickly find the information they need without clicking through to a site. These results are powered by schema markup and aim to improve the search experience.
What Changed?
FAQ Rich Results
FAQ Rich Results are search enhancements that display a list of questions and answers directly beneath a page’s listing, helping users quickly access key information. These results are generated from properly implemented FAQPage schema. They were once a powerful way to boost visibility and CTR in search results.
What Changed:
Google has significantly restricted the visibility of FAQ rich results:
- Only “well-known, authoritative government and health websites” will continue to show FAQ rich results.
- For all other sites, the FAQPage schema will no longer trigger enhanced listings.
- You may keep the schema on your site, but it will not produce visual enhancements in Google Search.
HowTo Rich Results
HowTo Rich Results are special search features that show step-by-step instructions for completing a task, often including images or collapsible sections. Powered by HowTo schema markup, they made instructional content more visible and user-friendly in search. They were especially useful for DIY, tutorials, and informational content.
Google has fully deprecated HowTo rich results across all devices:
- Initially limited to desktop only, the HowTo schema has since been fully deprecated.
- As of September 13, 2023, Google no longer shows HowTo rich results in desktop or mobile.
- Again, you don’t need to remove the markup, but it will have no impact on visibility.
Why Google’s Making These Changes
Google wants to:
- Minimize SERP clutter
- Prevent manipulation via excessive structured data
- Streamline the mobile and desktop experience
This is part of a broader trend where Google favors trust, authority, and content quality over markup tricks. FAQ and HowTo schema were widely abused, often delivering little real value to users.
In short, this is Google enforcing its E-E-A-T principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)
Losing Visibility from Google’s Rich Results Update?
Don’t let sudden SERP changes hurt your traffic. Our SEO experts will audit your structured data, realign your content strategy, and help you recover lost clicks; starting with a free consultation.
The Real SEO Implications
1. Loss of Enhanced Listings
Rich results, especially FAQs previously allowed a brand to double or triple the vertical space of a single organic listing. That’s now gone for most industries.
2. Decrease in Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Losing these visual elements can directly impact how often users click on your results. Even if your ranking doesn’t change, CTR might plummet, leading to noticeable traffic drops.
3. Misleading Analytics
Your impressions and clicks in Google Search Console may suddenly drop, not due to lower rankings, but because those rich results are no longer displayed. If you’re not careful, this can lead to false-negative performance analysis.
4. Erosion of Competitive Edge
For years, smart use of schema allowed smaller or newer sites to compete with larger brands in SERP real estate. With this rollback, that advantage disappears, the playing field has shifted.
Impact Across SEO Strategies
The removal of FAQ and HowTo rich results doesn’t just impact how content appears in search, it affects the strategic foundation of many SEO workflows. These schema types were widely used for quick visibility gains, especially on informational content. With their deprecation, SEOs must adapt both technically and tactically to maintain performance. This change forces SEOs to rethink:
Actionable Recommendations
- Use tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or your CMS plugins to identify which pages are using deprecated markup.
- Evaluate whether the markup is still providing any benefit, even if it’s only for clarity, internal use, or future search engines.
- If your schema is implemented correctly, there’s no urgent need to remove it. But don’t count on it for visibility.
- Shift efforts toward high-impact content types and other schema formats still supported by Google.
- Rework meta titles and descriptions to attract clicks without relying on expanded rich results.
- Add curiosity gaps, clearer value propositions, or action-based language.
- Google is rewarding intent-driven, helpful content more than ever.
- Break your content into logical sections, use clear headers, add visuals, and ensure fast mobile UX.
- Segment performance by rich result type.
- Compare visibility and CTR pre- and post-update.
Final Thoughts
These updates signal the end of an era where structured data alone could drive organic wins. Today, success in SEO demands better content, smarter UX, and consistent, trustworthy information delivery.
We’ve helped dozens of sites adjust to these kinds of changes without losing ground, and in many cases, they come out even stronger.
Stay adaptable. The SERP is always changing, and with the right guidance, you can stay ahead of it.
Losing Visibility from Google’s Rich Results Update?
Don’t let sudden SERP changes hurt your traffic. Our SEO experts will audit your structured data, realign your content strategy, and help you recover lost clicks; starting with a free consultation.
