An FAQ section earns its place when it answers questions that do not fit the main flow of the page. It becomes padding when it restates what the page already said in question form. The markup that once produced an expandable search feature no longer does, which changes the reason for having one but not the value of the questions themselves.

What changed with the markup

For several years, FAQ structured data could produce an expandable set of questions directly in search results, which made adding it attractive regardless of whether the questions were useful.

That ended in stages. In August 2023 the feature was restricted to a narrow class of authoritative government and health sites, which removed it for essentially every commercial site. In May 2026 the remaining eligibility was withdrawn and the search appearance was deprecated entirely, along with the associated reporting.

Two practical consequences. First, adding the markup to earn a visual feature is no longer a reason to do anything, because the feature does not exist. Second, there is no need to remove markup you already have. Unused structured data does not cause problems, the type remains valid, and it still helps a machine understand what the page contains.

What did not change is the value of the questions themselves. They were always doing more work on the page than in the search result.

What an FAQ section is actually for

Answering the things a reader wonders about that would interrupt the page if written into the body.

A service page has a flow: what it is, what it involves, what affects the price, evidence, how to proceed. Questions about warranty terms, whether you work weekends, what happens if it rains, or whether you take small jobs are all legitimate and none of them fit that flow. Forcing them in makes the page wander. Putting them at the end keeps the page clean and still answers them.

The test

Read each question and ask whether the body of the page already answers it.

If it does, the FAQ entry is padding, and padding at the bottom of a page is worse than it looks: it makes the page longer without making it better, and it teaches readers that the section is not worth reading, so the questions that do matter get skipped too.

If it does not, it belongs. That is the whole test, and applying it usually cuts a ten-question block to five useful ones.

Where the questions should come from

What they should not come from is a generic list of questions for your industry, which produces answers to things nobody asked.

The duplication mistake

The same FAQ block pasted onto twelve pages.

It is understandable, since the questions apply generally, and it means twelve pages carry a substantial identical section. That dilutes what makes each page distinct, and the questions are usually generic precisely because they had to fit every page.

Better is a small number of questions specific to each page, plus a single properly built FAQ page for the general ones. Each service page then answers what someone asks about that service, which is more useful and more distinct.

Writing the answers

Directly, in the first sentence, then any necessary detail. An answer that takes three sentences to reach the point is not answering, it is introducing.

This matters more than it used to, because direct answers are what get quoted in AI-generated summaries and voice results. No markup is required for that, and it is the clarity of the answer on the page that determines whether it gets used, which is the same principle set out in writing the answer paragraph.

Where to put it

At the end of the page, after the content and before the enquiry option. Someone reading the questions is usually close to deciding, so the section should hand them onward rather than being the last thing on the page.

Five to eight questions is a reasonable maximum. Beyond that the section becomes a page in its own right, which is a legitimate thing to build and a different thing from a block at the bottom of a service page.

Frequently asked questions

Do FAQ sections still help SEO?

The questions help, the markup no longer produces a search feature. Direct answers on the page are what get used in AI summaries and voice results, and no structured data is required for that.

Should I remove FAQ schema from my pages?

No need. Unused structured data does not cause problems, the type remains valid, and it still helps machines understand the page. It simply no longer earns a visual result.

How many questions should an FAQ section have?

Five to eight is a reasonable maximum for a block at the bottom of a page. Beyond that it becomes a page in its own right, which is a different and legitimate thing to build.

Can I use the same FAQ block on every page?

It is better not to. An identical section across twelve pages dilutes what makes each distinct, and questions written to fit every page end up generic. Use page-specific questions plus one general FAQ page.

Where should FAQ questions come from?

The phone, quotes that did not proceed, Search Console queries the page nearly answers, and reviews. Generic industry question lists produce answers to things nobody asked.

Where should an FAQ section go on the page?

At the end, after the main content and before the enquiry option, since someone reading the questions is usually close to deciding and should be handed onward rather than left at the bottom.

West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.

FAQ section repeating what the page already said?

We build them from the questions your customers actually ask, so the section answers something rather than filling space.

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