By using structured FAQ data, almost any website can become eligible to appear on Google with an enhanced listing, resulting in more search traffic.
Implementing this structured data is relatively easy. It can even be automated.
In this article, learn more about FAQ Schema, why you should use it, and how to implement it for on-page SEO.
What Is An FAQ?
FAQ is an acronym for frequently asked questions.
FAQs are a type of web page that developed as a convenient part of a website to answer frequently asked questions.
People who had specific questions could follow a link to the site’s FAQ section and identify the relevant question.
Later, websites started adding FAQs directly to the relevant website.
This way, a website visitor with questions related to the website they were on could find the answers right there on the same page.
By adding an FAQ section to individual web pages, the site visitor does not have to click through to the FAQ section and then take an extra step to navigate to the correct question and answer.
Thus, a dedicated website with frequently asked questions or a section with frequently asked questions on individual websites serves as answers to frequently asked questions.
What Is FAQ Schema?
Structured data is information that is organized specifically for machine understanding.
Structured web page data organizes information by tagging the author’s name, images, review content, questions, and answers by tagging each one individually.
Structured data works by explicitly telling Google that this is the author’s name, that this is the question asked, and that this is the answer to that question.
Tagged information can easily be used by Google to add rich results to search results, benefiting sites with more traffic.
Who Can Use FAQ Structured Data
FAQ Structured data is specifically intended for pages with pairs of one question and one corresponding answer.
What’s unique about FAQ structured data is that it can be implemented on almost any website, whether it’s a local service, e-commerce, or informational website.
The near-universal utility of FAQ structured data makes it ideal for any website that can be used to gain a ranking advantage.
The only sites that cannot use structured data with FAQs are those where site visitors provide multiple answers, such as an online forum.
Why Use FAQ Schema?
There are several reasons to consider using schema.org FAQ tags beyond simply gaining better search presence.
There are practical reasons for using it that can increase relevance, improve conversions and provide users with a better user experience.
1. FAQs Can Lead To Enhanced Search Listings
Enhanced structured data search lists with frequently asked questions have many advantages.
A significant advantage is the dominance of more digital space in search results.
This not only increases your search presence, but can also push your competitor to the other side of the search results.
Screenshot from Google, edited by the author, January 2023
The example above shows two web pages that display FAQ-enhanced listings. It’s important to note that Google only displays two FAQs per site.
Google originally allowed about six FAQs to be displayed when Google originally introduced the FAQ-rich results feature.
This led to one site dominating almost all mobile search results and nearly half of desktop search results.
Therefore, Google reduced the number of questions displayed in search results to give other websites a chance to rank on the first page of Google’s SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
2. FAQs Create A Better User Experience
A good user experience is to provide website visitors with exactly the content they need at that moment.
But sometimes they need additional information.
A publisher or e-commerce store may choose to add paragraphs and paragraphs of more content.
But a better user experience is to use the FAQ format because it’s easier for visitors to quickly zoom in on a relevant question.
FAQ sections on individual web pages provide a convenient way to answer questions without slowing down other visitors, so FAQs should improve the user experience.
Another way they improve the user experience is that questions can be grouped by topic, with links to answers further down the page.
This makes it extremely easy for the visitor to quickly identify the appropriate topic and then click on the appropriate question.
FAQs are a convenient alternative to paragraphs and body paragraphs. It’s great for visitors and publishers as it helps create happy customers.
3. FAQs Increase Webpage Relevance
Product pages can be frustratingly similar to pages posted by other merchants selling the same or similar products.
This can result in product pages not being unique.
In the old days, some e-commerce merchants would write paragraphs of content at the bottom of the page to rank for targeted keywords without distracting consumers from the products.
FAQ content allows retailers to discreetly add useful content in the form of questions and answers that don’t bother shoppers while helping consumers who have questions.
The benefit to marketers is that additional questions and answers add useful and unique content that increases the relevance of those web pages and helps them improve their search rankings when done right.
4. FAQs Add More Content To Thin Pages
There are many situations where a website does not have too much content or lacks original content.
One example is a service area page for a local service provider serving multiple communities.
Site pages can be similar to each other, which increases the risk of appearing as sparse content because there is little that is unique to other pages.
FAQs allow service providers to add unique content to web pages that would otherwise be nearly identical to all other city service area web pages.
Unique FAQs that contain unique site-specific content make each page more relevant to search queries.
5. FAQs Can Help Conversions
Creating a frictionless customer experience is important to help them decide on a desired action, such as purchasing a product or filling out a contact form.
Body paragraphs can be distracting.
FAQ sections on individual web pages provide a discreet way to add more content without distracting potential customers.
You can hide the answers behind the “click to answer” link, reducing the space taken up by the questions and answers.
This way, FAQs help maintain the desired frictionless experience that doesn’t slow down motivated consumers and sales opportunities.
Structured FAQ data provides all the benefits described above and makes web pages eligible for enhanced listing in search results.
When Should I Use FAQ Schema?
With all the benefits for visitors and publishers, some might ask, “when should I not use an FAQ scheme?”
And it’s actually a reasonable question because there are reasons why adding a FAQ schema (and related FAQs) might not be helpful.
One factor is site speed. Adding a FAQ may require adding JavaScript to create a hidden answer feature.
Using a plugin to add structured FAQ data can also slow down a JavaScript page.
The reason JavaScript (and style and font downloads) can be problematic is that they contribute to a website’s slowness.
Additionally, sometimes content on a website is enough and adding additional content in the form of FAQs can make a website less relevant instead of making it more relevant.
Lean towards improving the user experience when answering questions.
If the FAQ is redundant and doesn’t really contribute to relevance or usefulness, then it might be better not to use the FAQ on this page.
How To Create FAQ Schema
Today, there are many WordPress plugins that offer structured data implementations with FAQs.
Some WordPress SEO plugins, such as RankMath, offer built-in FAQ schema functionality.
The WordPress Plugin Archive offers a selection of dedicated structured data plugins that make it easy to add structured data to FAQs.
For those looking to add structured data individually, a FAQ search for structured data generators brings up many sites that offer a fill-in-the-blank method to generate the correct structured data.
Every content management system (CMS), both open source and proprietary closed source SaaS platforms, should provide FAQ and FAQ schema functionality, if not built-in, through a plugin extension or plugin.
However, if you really want to optimize your pages, it’s fairly easy to manually code the necessary template and manually add structured data to each web page.
For a FAQ schema, see Google’s developer page to see what variables are required for a successful result.
Google’s FAQ Schema Guidelines
An important rule that applies to all types of structured data is that everything in the structured data script must also be visible on the web page itself.
Adding structured data information that does not exist in the visible part of the web page may result in a manual action penalty by Google.
Additionally, there are three guidelines Google recommends for all publishers when adding structured data with FAQs:
Also, take the time to read the entire Google Developers page dedicated to Structured Data with FAQs.
How To Validate Your FAQ Schema
Schema validation is a testing process to determine whether structured data conforms to Google’s Structured Data FAQ requirements.
Structured data must be valid for a website to be eligible for enhanced listing in search results.
The best way to test structured FAQ data is with Google’s Rich Results Test.
This test will provide feedback if anything is missing and show if the code is valid and suitable for rich output.
Conclusion
Frequently Asked Questions Schema.org markup is something every website should add at least when creating a website.
The utility of adding this to a website goes far beyond qualifying for an enhanced listing in Google search results.
Featured image: Maks_lab/Shutterstock
Does FAQ schema have to be a question?
Google FAQ Markup Guidelines Google’s guidelines state that the FAQ markup should only be used for questions and answers that are visible on the page.
What is Structured Data FAQ? FAQ Structured Data is code that you can implement in your website’s FAQs to increase their likelihood of ranking as a rich SERP result and Google Assistant voice search result.
How do you implement a FAQ schema?
Once you’ve selected the best pages, check for options to add an FAQ section that covers at least three questions directly related to the topic of that page. Then add the appropriate FAQ schema tag. (We’ll show you how to do this below.) Trust us; you will be satisfied with the results.
Where do I put FAQ schema?
Simply click ‘Copy FAQ Schema’ to copy the code. After that, navigate to the page or post where you want to add the FAQ scheme. If you’re using a classic editor, switch to a text editor and paste the schema tag at the bottom of the post.
What is FAQ scheme?
A FAQ schema is code you place on your website that tells search engines that “this content is presented in a question and answer format†. If the content is properly tagged, this means that these pages *may* be eligible for rich snippets in search results and *may* appear in Google Assistant searches.
What is FAQ schema in SEO?
A FAQ schema is a special markup that you can add to the code of a web page that contains a list of questions and answers. Google then reads this tag and uses it to generate a rich snippet. Like this: This rich FAQ snippet shows a condensed list below your typical SERP result.
How does FAQ schema work?
A FAQ schema is code you place on your website that tells search engines that “this content is presented in a question and answer format†. If the content is properly tagged, this means that these pages *may* be eligible for rich snippets in search results and *may* appear in Google Assistant searches.
How do I check my FAQ schema?
Check the FAQ schema with the HTML code snippet
- A website is often not publicly available during development. …
- View the source of the HTML page you want to check. …
- Copy the HTML code of the page.
- Go to Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool.
- Click CODE SNIPPET and paste the HTML code into the text box.
- Press RUN TEST.
How do I check my FAQ schema?
Check the FAQ schema with the HTML code snippet
- A website is often not publicly available during development. …
- View the source of the HTML page you want to check. …
- Copy the HTML code of the page.
- Go to Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool.
- Click CODE SNIPPET and paste the HTML code into the text box.
- Press RUN TEST.
How do I find my schema?
The Schema Structured Data Tester is located on the “Maintenance” tab of the Schema application. Enter any URL and this tool will display the schema tag found on that page. It is the only testing tool that displays dynamic schema.org data and does not cache results.
Where do I put FAQ schema?
Simply click ‘Copy FAQ Schema’ to copy the code. After that, navigate to the page or post where you want to add the FAQ scheme. If you’re using a classic editor, switch to a text editor and paste the schema tag at the bottom of the post.
Does FAQ schema work on homepage?
Yes, if you have an FAQ section on your home page, you can add an FAQ schema to it. It will help with rich clipping.
How do I add a schema to FAQs?
You can click the “Add one” button for additional questions. If you’re using the classic WordPress editor, you’ll notice a new button in the menu bar. Simply click this to add the FAQ scheme label. When you click this button, a form will appear.
How do you add a rank math FAQ schema? 3.3 Adding a FAQ schema using the classic WordPress editor
- Open the individual post editor and scroll down to the Rank Math meta box.
- Navigate to the Schema tab as shown above.
- Select the types of schemas you want to add to your post and fill in any of the fields that Rank Math’s Schema Generator prompts you to fill out.
What is FAQ page schema?
A FAQ schema is code you place on your website that tells search engines that “this content is presented in a question and answer format†. If the content is properly tagged, this means that these pages *may* be eligible for rich snippets in search results and *may* appear in Google Assistant searches.
What does FAQ schema mean?
A FAQ schema is a special markup that you can add to the code of a web page that contains a list of questions and answers. Google then reads this tag and uses it to generate a rich snippet.
What is FAQPage schema?
The full FAQPage definition is available at schema.org. The FAQPage type indicates that it is a FAQ page with answers to questions. There must be one FAQPage type definition per page.
How do I create a FAQ schema?
First, you’ll need to generate the FAQ schema code. You can do this using the FAQPage JSON-LD Schema Generator. Start by adding your questions and answers on the left side of the tool. You can click “Add another FAQ” to add as many questions as you like.
How do you implement a FAQ schema?
Once you’ve selected the best pages, check for options to add an FAQ section that covers at least three questions directly related to the topic of that page. Then add the appropriate FAQ schema tag. (We’ll show you how to do this below.) Trust us; you will be satisfied with the results.
What is SEO FAQ Schema? A FAQ schema is a special markup that you can add to the code of a web page that contains a list of questions and answers. Google then reads this tag and uses it to generate a rich snippet. Like this: This rich FAQ snippet shows a condensed list below your typical SERP result.
Where do I put FAQ schema?
Simply click ‘Copy FAQ Schema’ to copy the code. After that, navigate to the page or post where you want to add the FAQ scheme. If you’re using a classic editor, switch to a text editor and paste the schema tag at the bottom of the post.
How does FAQ schema work?
A FAQ schema is code you place on your website that tells search engines that “this content is presented in a question and answer format†. If the content is properly tagged, this means that these pages *may* be eligible for rich snippets in search results and *may* appear in Google Assistant searches.
Does FAQ schema work on homepage?
Yes, if you have an FAQ section on your home page, you can add an FAQ schema to it. It will help with rich clipping.
What is FAQ scheme?
A FAQ schema is code you place on your website that tells search engines that “this content is presented in a question and answer format†. If the content is properly tagged, this means that these pages *may* be eligible for rich snippets in search results and *may* appear in Google Assistant searches.
How many questions are in a FAQ schema?
First, create an FAQ page or FAQ section on one of your pages. Write at least three questions followed by appropriate answers. After that, if you want to be technical, you can use JSON-LD or Microdata to create the tag.
What is the FAQ Scheme? A FAQ schema is a special markup that you can add to the code of a web page that contains a list of questions and answers. Google then reads this tag and uses it to generate a rich snippet.
How do I create a FAQ schema?
First, you’ll need to generate the FAQ schema code. You can do this using the FAQPage JSON-LD Schema Generator. Start by adding your questions and answers on the left side of the tool. You can click “Add another FAQ” to add as many questions as you like.
What is FAQ page schema?
A FAQ schema is code you place on your website that tells search engines that “this content is presented in a question and answer format†. If the content is properly tagged, this means that these pages *may* be eligible for rich snippets in search results and *may* appear in Google Assistant searches.