August, 2023 | BY JumpToSocial | BLOG
Google has stated that it’s going to limit which websites can display FAQ rich results and change where HowTo results are visible.
Google has made a formal announcement about making two types of special search results, called “HowTo” and “FAQ,” less prominent.
The “FAQ” rich results will become less common for most websites, though not for all. At the same time, “HowTo” rich results won’t appear on SERP of mobile devices anymore.
According to Google:
“…we’re reducing the visibility of FAQ rich results, and limiting How-To rich results to desktop devices.
This change should finish rolling out globally within the next week.”
Even though this is a big announcement, Google actually started making “FAQ” results less visible in April 2023. They told people about it through a notification in their search console.
For website owners, these changes have implications for the use of structured data. If your site falls within the category of well-known, authoritative government, or health websites, you may continue to benefit from FAQ rich results visibility. However, other websites will no longer have the same level of visibility for this rich result. The use of structured data in this context will be considered for eligibility.
Google’s Rich Results is a special search feature that gives more visibility to website content through enhanced listings. These listings often lead to increased website traffic.
Rich results come in different formats, like carousels with larger images (such as in recipe cards), sidebars, or listings with star ratings.
To make these special results appear, websites need to use structured data, which is like a set of organized information. This means websites have to do some extra work to meet the requirements for these enhanced results.
Google is making these two rich results types less prominent in order to give users a cleaner and more consistent search experience.
Google has stated that these results will now only appear for highly reputable health-related websites and government websites.
Google wrote:
“Going forward, FAQ (from FAQPage structured data) rich results will only be shown for well-known, authoritative government and health websites.
For all other sites, this rich result will no longer be shown regularly.
Sites may automatically be considered for this treatment depending on their eligibility.”
This announcement might be seen as disappointing for website owners who put effort into adding FAQ content and associated structured data.
While Google doesn’t consider structured data for generating rich results, other search engines might utilize it.
Hence, removing the structured data isn’t obligatory if it’s inconvenient for you.
If you’re using a plugin or tool that simplifies applying or removing structured data, the process should be straightforward.
Google’s advice:
“While you can drop this structured data from your site, there’s no need to proactively remove it.
Structured data that’s not being used does not cause problems for Search, but also has no visible effects in Google Search.”
Retaining HowTo structured data remains valuable as it’s not being completely phased out. The change is specific to search results on mobile devices.
However, Google will continue to show HowTo rich results for users on desktop devices.
The announcement provides further clarification:
“How-To (from HowTo structured data) rich results will only be shown for desktop users and not for users on mobile devices.
Note that with mobile indexing, Google indexes the mobile version of a website as the basis for indexing: to have How-To rich results shown on desktop, the mobile version of your website must include the appropriate markup.”
Both FAQ and How-To rich results changes will be reflected in the Search Console reporting for your website. This will be noticeable in the metrics related to search appearances and the number of impressions in the enhancement reports. It’s important to note that this change won’t impact the number of items reported in the enhancement reports.
The changes to FAQ and How-To rich results are set to roll out globally across all languages and countries within the next week. Importantly, these changes should not be considered ranking adjustments and will not be listed in the Search status dashboard. A small holdback experiment might lead to delays in users experiencing these changes.
As Google updates its rich results, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve. Our best seo agency specializes in navigating these changes, ensuring your website maintains its visibility and ranks high. At JumpToSocial, we’ve perfected the art of optimizing for evolving search algorithms. Trust us to enhance your site’s performance, increase its ranking, and drive more organic traffic.
Google’s adjustments to HowTo and FAQ-rich results underscore its commitment to refining search results for a more organized and consistent user experience. While these changes may have implications for website owners, they reflect Google’s ongoing efforts to enhance the quality and relevance of search results based on user intent and context.
As these changes are implemented, website owners are encouraged to keep an eye on their Search Console reporting and adapt their structured data strategies accordingly. By staying informed and responsive to these updates, site owners can continue to optimize their content for better visibility and engagement in Google’s search results landscape.
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