FAQ sections still help people, but they no longer earn a special display in Google Search. Google's documentation says the FAQ rich result stopped appearing starting May 7, 2026. Keep short question and answer blocks in advisories for readers and answer engines, and do not expect a rich snippet.
What changed
Google's structured data page for FAQ now carries a notice. An entry dated May 8, 2026 states the feature would no longer appear in Google Search starting May 7, 2026. A later entry dated June 15, 2026 says the feature is no longer shown and that its documentation was removed.
An older note from September 2023 had already limited the feature to well-known, authoritative government and health websites. So for most vendor sites it had been unavailable for some time.
Why keep FAQs anyway
A rich result was never the main reason to write a good FAQ. The reasons that remain:
- Customers arrive with a specific question, such as "Does this affect version 4?", and want it answered above the fold.
- Support teams can link to one stable answer instead of retyping it.
- Answer engines and assistants favor pages that state a direct answer to a clearly worded question. That is a general pattern in how these tools quote sources, not a guarantee, so treat it as a reasonable habit rather than a promise.
- The CSAF standard has a notes category named faq, which indicates a list of frequently asked questions. Machine-readable advisories already have a home for them.
How to write an advisory FAQ that earns its place
- Take the questions from your own support tickets and sales calls, not from a template.
- Phrase each question the way a customer would type it.
- Answer in the first sentence, then add detail.
- Keep answers factual and dated. Avoid "should be fine" and similar phrases.
- Limit it to a handful of questions. A long FAQ buries the useful ones.
- Review it whenever the advisory is revised.
Questions worth answering on an advisory
| Question | What a good answer includes |
|---|---|
| Am I affected? | Product names and version ranges |
| Is it being exploited? | Status, source and date |
| What do I do now? | Fixed version or workaround |
| Do I need to rotate credentials? | A clear yes or no, with reasons |
| When will you update this page? | A next check time |
What not to do
Do not stuff keywords into questions, and do not repeat the same answer five ways. Structured data that does not match visible page content is not a plan. Write the page for the reader first.
Quick check
Is the FAQ rich result gone for good?
Google's documentation says it is no longer shown in Search and that its documentation was removed. Check Google's pages for any later change.
Should I delete FAQ blocks from advisories?
No. They still answer real customer questions quickly.
Safeguard's SBOM and dependency scanning give you the facts to answer "am I affected" for your own products. There is a free scan at gold.safeguard.sh/scan.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
