Google Ends FAQ Rich Results, Ahrefs Questions AI Citation Value

Image credit: Search Engine Journal

Google has discontinued FAQ rich results in search, further narrowing the visible rewards for specific structured data types and prompting new scrutiny of schema markup’s overall value for search engine optimization.

The change, which began in 2023 with other rich result types, coincided with an Ahrefs report indicating no clear increase in AI citations for pages that added JSON-LD schema, challenging a long-held belief in the SEO industry.

Ahrefs reported a statistically significant decline of 4.6 percent in AI Overview citations for pages that implemented schema markup. The study focused on pages already receiving more than 100 AI Overview citations, acknowledging that schema might still benefit pages not yet visible to AI systems, according to Ryan Law of Ahrefs.

Industry experts suggested a pattern of SEO tactics being exploited, leading Google to withdraw rewards. Lily Ray, senior director of SEO at Amsive, and Joost de Valk, founder of Yoast, noted that the “GEO industry” appeared to be replaying early SEO cycles where tactics were overused and subsequently devalued by Google.

Google’s John Mueller had previously indicated that structured data primarily helps search engines understand page content rather than guaranteeing specific search visibility. Gianluca Fiorelli, an SEO consultant, echoed this sentiment, stating that Google’s broader guidance continues to promote structured data for making information machine-readable, despite recent removals and study findings.

Mark Williams-Cook of Candour and AlsoAsked emphasized that Google’s actions often reflect a response to spamming. Marie Haynes of Marie Haynes Consulting also observed that Google frequently pulls back on features when they are abused by webmasters.

The Ahrefs study did not find any clear citation lift for pages adding JSON-LD schema across Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, or ChatGPT. This finding adds to the ongoing debate about the diminishing returns of certain SEO strategies in an evolving search environment.

While structured data remains important for machine readability, its direct impact on gaining prominent search features or AI citations appears to be under increasing question, according to several industry analysts.

Source: Search Engine Journal