FAQ schema is not dead, but its job has changed. Google stopped showing FAQ rich results in 2026, so the markup no longer produces those expandable questions in the search listing. It is still valid, still useful on genuine FAQ pages, and worth understanding so you put it to work for what it now does well.
Here is what changed. Google stopped showing FAQ rich results on May 7, 2026, and is retiring the FAQ report and Rich Results Test support through the summer. Google’s own FAQPage documentation confirms the markup can stay in place without causing problems. What changed is the visible result, not the value of a good FAQ.
FAQ schema no longer earns a rich result, but it still belongs on genuine FAQ pages, where it helps engines and AI tools read your answers cleanly.
The value moved from the search snippet to the content itself, which is where it should have been all along.
What Actually Changed
For years, FAQPage markup earned an expandable set of questions right in the search listing, which took up space and gave a page more room on the results page. That visible feature is what most law firms added the markup for, and it no longer appears. The type itself was not removed from schema.org, and Google did not penalize pages that keep it. What vanished was the rich result, not the markup or the reason to answer real questions well.
Why Your FAQs Still Matter
A strong FAQ section was never really about the snippet. It answers the questions a nervous client types at midnight, it builds trust by showing you understand their situation, and it gives search engines and AI tools a clean set of questions and answers to read. All of that survives the rich-result change untouched. If anything, losing the snippet is a useful filter: it strips out the FAQs that existed only for SEO and leaves the ones that actually help a reader.
How to Use FAQ Schema Now
Keep FAQPage markup where the questions are genuine, answered directly, and useful to a client reading the page. It still helps engines and AI systems parse your Q&A, and it costs almost nothing to maintain on content you were going to write anyway. Where a FAQ block was only padding added to trigger the old snippet, trim it, because thin or repetitive questions add nothing now. The rule of thumb is simple: mark up FAQs you would keep even if no one searched for them.
A Clean FAQPage Block
If you keep it, keep it simple and truthful, marking up only questions that actually appear on the page with answers that match the visible text.
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “FAQPage”,
“mainEntity”: [
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Texas?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “In Texas, the general deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit is two years from the date of the injury. Some exceptions apply, so confirm your deadline with an attorney.”
}
}
]
}
Match the markup to the visible copy word for word, because mismatched schema is the kind of thing that erodes an engine’s trust in your data.
Does FAQ Schema Help With AI Search?
It can make your questions easier for an AI system to read, but the answer itself does the work. As with the rest of your schema, engines pull from clear, credible content first, and our complete schema guide explains why structured data supports clarity rather than driving visibility on its own. Mark up genuine FAQs for structure, and earn AI mentions with the substance of the answers.
FAQ Answers Are Still Advertising
One point firms forget: an answer in your FAQ is attorney advertising like any other line on the site. An answer that promises a result or makes a claim you cannot support can raise an ABA Model Rule 7.1 problem, rich result or not. Keep the answers accurate, add the disclaimers your state requires, and give the FAQ the same review as the rest of the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I still use FAQ schema on my law firm website?
Yes, on genuine FAQ pages. It no longer earns a rich result, but it stays valid and helps engines and AI tools read your questions, so keep it where the FAQs are real and useful to a client.
Do I need to remove FAQ schema I already have?
No. Google says valid markup can stay without causing problems. Keep it on real questions, and only remove FAQs that were padding added purely for the old snippet.
Does FAQ schema help with AI search?
It can make your questions easier for an AI system to parse, but the answer itself does the work. Mark up genuine FAQs for structure, and earn AI mentions with clear, credible content.
What makes a law firm FAQ worth keeping?
A real question a client actually asks, answered plainly and accurately in the first sentence, with any disclaimer your state requires. Those are the FAQs that serve readers, search, and AI alike.
Where Lexicon Comes In
A good FAQ section still earns its place when the questions are real and the answers are clear, and that is the writing we handle. At Lexicon Legal Content, our JD-trained writers produce attorney-reviewed FAQ sections and pages that answer the questions clients actually ask, screened against ABA Model Rule 7.1 so an answer never drifts into a promise. Now that the rich result is gone, the words are what carry the page.
If you want your FAQs to work for clients and for AI, see our law firm content writing or contact us to talk it through. You can reach our team any time at 877-486-8123.
David Arato, JD is the founder of Lexicon Legal Content, an attorney-owned legal content marketing agency serving law firms since 2012. He keeps close watch on how Google’s structured data requirements evolve, and makes sure Lexicon’s schema and FAQ pages stay built for what search engines and AI systems actually verify, not for a rich result that can disappear overnight. David is a frequent contributor to Attorney at Law Magazine and Attorney at Work and a recurring guest on legal marketing podcasts.
