Many companies and businesses make the mistake of indiscriminately using prohibited search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, which often leads to penalties and lost rankings. In this article, we discuss Google’s decision to remove FAQ rich results from search results and the impact of this measure on other areas, such as AI assistants.
Google’s official announcement regarding the removal of FAQ rich results
On May 8, 2026, Google added a “deprecation notice” to the documentation related to FAQ rich results. Then, on June 15, 2026, Google stated that the FAQ rich results feature would no longer appear in Google Search results. Subsequently, in August 2026, Google removed support for this feature from the Search Console API.
Why did Google remove it?
Although there is no official explanation (Google never provides detailed explanations in cases like this), it is evident that this was due to many users abusing the feature—specifically by using it indiscriminately to improve their search engine rankings. Since the FAQ rich result feature launched in 2019, many websites added “Q&A” sections solely to take up more space in search results and boost their CTR, even though the content was often neither genuine nor useful to the user. This type of activity led to the following issues:
-Generic or fabricated Q&A sections.
-Low-quality content.
-Unnecessarily long pages.
-Cluttered and less useful search results.
By August 2023, Google had already restricted FAQ rich results to “well-known and authoritative” government and health websites. The official reason at the time was to “offer a cleaner and more consistent search experience.”
Is this a black-hat SEO technique?
In my view, FAQ rich results can now be considered a black-hat SEO technique, as Google regards this practice as negatively impacting the search experience. For instance, while it is normal for a website to have a single FAQ section, if a site implements multiple FAQ sections (across various internal pages or blog posts), it clearly intends to manipulate search results without adding value; therefore, this practice could be classified as black-hat SEO.
Do FAQ rich results negatively affect AI positioning?
Because AI Overviews answer questions—and search engine ranking is a factor AI assistants use when citing or recommending specific websites for AI queries—FAQ rich results could negatively affect AI positioning. Consequently, I recommend avoiding this feature and refraining from including multiple “Q&A” sections on your website. As we discussed in our previous article, the problem with having multiple FAQ sections on a website is that:
-These sections are not focused on improving the user experience; their sole aim is to influence search results or AI-generated query responses.
-Creating multiple FAQ sections confuses users and hinders navigation (pages become excessively long due to unnecessary sections). Furthermore, repeating a “keyword phrase” multiple times (across different questions) violates SEO guidelines regarding content over-optimization. Repeating keywords or phrases adds no value for users; instead, it makes the content harder to read and the site more confusing.
Recurring patterns
The issues around FAQs follow the same patterns as past Google penalties (such as penalties for external links in 2010–2012 or for content over-optimization and copied text in 2013–2014). What is happening in this case (regarding FAQs) is the following:
-The technique works for search engine positioning, and various websites begin using it.
-Thousands (or millions) of websites worldwide begin to abuse this technique.
-Google detects the pattern.
-Google issues an initial statement (this is a new move, as they had not done so with previous penalties).
-Google announces the permanent removal of the feature in question (without providing many details).
-Google begins penalizing various websites.
Example of a dictatorial government
To understand penalties and the events leading up to them, we will use the example of a dictatorial government. Before a country becomes “hijacked” or “controlled” by a dictator, a series of events occurs that “warns” us of what is to come. For instance, in Latin America, this pattern consistently appears in governments “before” they turn into dictatorships.
-The government has a large number of supporters and does some things well.
-The government begins to cultivate “good relations” with other authoritarian governments.
-The government begins making drastic changes to the country’s Armed Forces (military), modifying various rules and regulations while promoting or infiltrating the ranks with its own supporters.
-The government begins making changes to the country’s economy (especially regarding the Central Reserve Bank).
-The government begins implementing “political indoctrination” in many national educational institutions.
-The government begins altering electoral laws to enable re-election in the upcoming vote.
-Expropriations or nationalizations of various private companies and businesses begin.
-The government begins persecuting political opponents.
-The government begins to control various institutions of the state.
-The government gains control over the electoral authority.
As we can see, the rise of an authoritarian government doesn’t happen overnight; rather, a series of “early warning signs” signals what is to come—much like the progression of SEO penalties. Applying this analogy to the topic of FAQs, it is highly likely that, sooner or later, SEO penalties will begin targeting websites that use this technique, as the same patterns seen in past penalties are playing out here:
-Thousands (or millions) of websites worldwide begin to abuse this technique.
-Google detects the pattern.
-Google announces the permanent removal of the feature (without providing many details).
-Google begins penalizing various websites.
What is your take on this rule? Do you still use FAQ rich results on your website or online store?
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Image by Damian Ochrymowicz via Unsplash.com under a Creative Commons license.