A Twitter discussion brought to attention that some Google search results (SERPs) are dominated by websites displaying FAQ Schema Structured Data. The FAQ structured data causes those sites to occupy more space in Google’s SERPs, while crowding out competitors.
Slap FAQ on Any Page to Dominate Google Search?
SEO professional Lily Ray tweeted a screenshot of a Google search result that was crowded with FAQs.
She tweeted:
“This is what the SERPs will start to look like as different industries realize you can slap FAQ Schema across basically any page type. We’ll see how long this lasts.”
Lily shared a screenshot that clearly shows the top positions of Google’s search results dominated by two sites that are using the FAQ Structured data.
How FAQ Structured Data Dominates Google Search Results
The FAQ Structured Data is way for Google to provide users with a way to interact with a web page while still on Google in order to find answers to questions.
Google announced the FAQ Structured Data feature in May 2019.
This is how Google explains it:
“By using FAQPage structured data, you can make your content eligible to display these questions and answers to display directly on Google Search and the Assistant…”
What is happening is that Google is showing multiple sites that use FAQ Structured Data. This results in those sites crowding out the competitors, while extending their footprint in Google’s search results.
Another person tweeted a screenshot of their web page in Google’s search results, to demonstrate that Google imposes a limit of ten FAQs per website.
The above screenshot is meant to illustrate that Google shows up to ten FAQ results per web page. Google only shows three FAQs to begin with. A user has to click a button to see all ten.
Is Google’s Use FAQPage Flawed?
The problem with FAQPage Structured Data, which Lily Ray pointed out, is that it can be placed on any kind of page.
A FAQ has typically been a boring support page. Most web pages don’t ordinarily display an FAQ on their web pages.
In fact, the Kayak.com web page that currently has an FAQ didn’t always have an FAQ on that page, according to Archive.org.
As Lily Ray observed:
“…you can slap FAQ Schema across basically any page type.”
The questions this Twitter discussion inspires are:
- Is “slapping” FAQs on a non-FAQ web page useful for users?
- Is FAQPage Structured data just a new way to dominate a web page?
Read Lily Ray’s original tweet that started the discussion.
