Blog featured image: Google Pulls the Plug on FAQ Rich Results — person under northern lights sky with Solve.co.uk branding.

Google has officially removed FAQ rich results from search, marking another pivotal shift as AI continues to reshape the search landscape.

On 7th May 2026, Google confirmed the deprecation of FAQ rich results via Google Search Central, quietly updating its documentation with the following notice:

“As of May 7, 2026, FAQ rich results are no longer appearing in Google Search. We will be dropping the FAQ search appearance, rich result report, and support in the Rich results test in June 2026. To allow time for adjusting your API calls, support for the FAQ rich result in the Search Console API will be removed in August 2026.” (Google Search Central Documentation).

Google Pulls the Plug on FAQ Rich Results 1

Highlights:

As of May 7th 2026 Google officially pulled the plug on FAQ rich results
FAQ reporting in GSC is being phased out
FAQ support in the Rich Results Test ends in June 2026
Google ends FAQ rich results, but keeps FAQ page schema

Why has Google removed the FAQ rich results?

Within the uproar of the removal of the FAQ rich results many have forgotten that this has been in the works for a few years now. Ever since Google decided to reduce the FAQ rich results visibility in 2023.

The FAQ rich results are now only a SERP feature available for well-known, authoritative websites that are government-focused or health-focused.

Drivers of FAQ rich results removal:

FAQ rich results took up significant space on the SERP
FAQ markup was frequently misused, with sites stuffing low-quality, keyword-heavy questions
AI Overviews now do what FAQ rich results were designed to do
Google is broadly pulling back on rich results

Why does the removal of FAQ rich results matter?

FAQ rich results have long been a useful lever for SEO. By surfacing answers directly in the SERP, they improved click-through rates and gave users instant access to the information they were searching for.

So, what now?

Keep your FAQs. Keep your schema. And start thinking ahead.

FAQs remain a vital part of the user journey by having clear, accessible answers that help move people through the door. And while the FAQ rich result is gone, your site FAQs and the schema around them still matters. Google hasn’t directly linked FAQ schema to AI Overview performance, but crucially, they haven’t ruled it out either. In a landscape shifting this fast, that’s reason enough to keep it in place, for example, AI offers answers to common questions people have. It makes sense that FAQs would form a large part of the foundation for the answers they serve.

The bigger shift is this. Start optimising to be cited inside AI answers, not just ranked in traditional results. That’s where visibility is and continuing to head. The groundwork you lay now will determine how well you show up when it starts to really dominate.

What We’re Seeing at Solve

Google isn’t just removing features – it’s replacing them with AI, like AI Overview and Google’s AI Assistant.

The proof is in the data. The SERP features had been growing steadily despite Google’s alleged pullback on rich results in August 2023, but the recent core update and removal of FAQ rich results has seen that trend reverse.

At the same time, AI Overviews have shot up significantly. For this client alone, AI Overview appearances are up 975% – and show no signs of slowing.

It’s part of a much bigger shift. As Lawrence Harmer, Founder and Director at Solve, puts it:

‘Search ‘used to mean a few keywords and a handful of blue links. Today, AI synthesises hundreds of sources and delivers a single answer – no click required. Query length is averaging 60 words. Click-throughs are down 64% in paid, 61% in organic. The rules have changed. But so have the opportunities. We’re seeing lead growth across our client base.’

Infographic showing Google SERP changes: AI Overviews up 975%, FAQ Rich Results down 91%, SERP Features down 85%, with supporting charts showing the impact of a 2026 Google update. Data: Solve.co.uk, May 2026.

The New Rules of Visibility

AI is already within search. Countless AI Overviews, AI-powered search engines, answers delivered there and then, meaning no scrolling, no clicking required.

SEO is no longer just about ranking on page one. It’s about being the source AI chooses to cite. That means creating clear, authoritative content, a well-structured and indexable site, and answers that are easy for both bots and users to find and trust.

The brands building for that now will be the ones showing up when it matters most.

Want to Stay Visible as Search Evolves?

We help brands stay visible as search evolves, optimising for AI citation, not just traditional rankings. And when Google throws a curveball, we’re already ready for it.