Recently, Google announced that changes were coming to HowTo and FAQ rich results in search. Google specifically states that its goal is “to provide a cleaner and more consistent search experience”.
In short, HowTo and FAQ results will no longer be as visible in search engine results. Particularly, the FAQ rich result will be phased out for most websites while the HowTo will be limited to desktop search queries and not show up at all on mobile devices.
This is a global update that will roll out from around August 8th to August 15th.
FAQ Changes
Now, FAQ rich results will only be shown for “well-known, authoritative government and health websites.” This means that any structured data you have created to showcase your FAQ and answers will likely become void. You do not need to go in and delete or change anything though as having that information on the backend will not cause issues.
Eligibility
How do you know if your website will be eligible to list FAQs on the search? Well, Google already has an algorithm that decides which sites match their requirements. If you aren’t a government or health website, you don’t even need to concern yourself to begin with.
Moving Forward
If you have put a lot of time into creating structured data for FAQs, then this will probably come as a blow. However, in the future, you will not have to worry about adding structured data and back-end information.
HowTo Changes
HowTo rich results are not being removed entirely, just from mobile search results. This means that desktop users will still get the full HowTo experience if you are inputting the correct structured data. There are no eligibility requirements to utilize these rich results snippets.
Note: Google uses the mobile version of a website as the basis for indexing. This means, if you want HowTo rich results shown on desktop, then the mobile version of your website must have the appropriate markup.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled for Impacts
With this change, there is a possibility that you will see an impact on your reports and data. Per Google, the impact in reports “will be visible in the metrics shown for FAQ and How-To search appearances in the performance report, and in the number of impressions reported in the appropriate enhancement reports”.
More importantly, if you have utilized either FAQ or HowTo structured data it is possible that your website could experience a decrease in clicks from Google Search. This can be verified by reviewing the performance reports available through the Google Search Console. Additionally, analytics data would show a dip in traffic coming from Google Search.
Change can be annoying, but we must adapt. If you have relied on your FAQ and HowTo markup to bring in traffic, it may be a good time to reevaluate your SEO campaigns. Better yet, the Cyberlicious® experts can collaborate with you to evaluate your current strategy and offer new ways to make your business competitive. Just reach out!