Google Removes FAQ Rich Results Globally As Search Shifts To AI Citations
Google officially deprecated FAQ rich results globally as of May 7, 2026, shifting to AI citations and ending visual search real estate for FAQ schema markup.
Jersey City, N.J., May 13, 2026: Google officially deprecated the display of FAQ rich results within global search results as of May 7, 2026, according to updated Google Search Central documentation, marking the final phase of a transition toward AI-centric information retrieval. This move removes the expandable question-and-answer snippets previously available to authoritative government and health sites, completing a decommissioning process that began for commercial publishers in late 2023.
The global termination signals a shift where static, schema-based enhancements are replaced by citations within AI-driven search experiences. Search Engine Land reports that while the technical FAQPage markup remains a recognized part of web infrastructure, it no longer influences the visual appearance of search results.
Following the May 7 removal, Google will drop the FAQ search appearance filter, the rich result report, and support in the Rich Results Test in June 2026. To allow time for organizations to adjust Application Programming Interface (API) calls, support for the FAQ rich result in the Search Console API will be removed in August 2026.
The decision follows the growth of systems that extract and cite answers directly from page content without requiring publishers to format data via specific schema. While Google advises that existing markup does not need to be removed from websites, it no longer provides a visual footprint or measurable ranking benefit on the search results page.
For US-based marketers and tech decision-makers, this change represents a loss of organic search real estate. Previously, FAQ rich results allowed brands to occupy more vertical space, which could increase click-through rates. The transition requires a shift toward ensuring content is clearly indexed so AI models can accurately synthesize and cite it in conversational responses.
The development reflects a wider shift in search strategy where visibility is increasingly defined by an organization’s role as a cited authority in an AI-driven dialogue. For business leaders, differentiation now depends on the clarity and authority of provided information rather than technical schema implementation.
