Google shows fewer FAQ snippets in the search results. This was the latest publication from the largest search engine and caused a stir and lively discussion.
There is now a little more information about it. You can find this in the following article:
- Which rich snippets (= extended search results) are we talking about? There have been many misunderstandings here.
- What impact does this have on your SEO ranking?
- What to do now?
What happened?
Google has on August 8, 2023 publishedthat the FAQ rich snippets (= search results) will virtually disappear with effect from the following week. First on mobile, but then also on desktop.
Frequently asked questions should only be displayed for "known, authoritative government and health websites".
Which FAQ snippets are we talking about exactly?
When the update was published, there was wild speculation as to which FAQ snippets were actually meant: The snippets in the individual search results or the frequently asked questions on the topic?
It is now certain that it is about the former: The FAQs in the individual search results.
As the following example shows, we still see mixed views. On desktop, we mostly still see the snippets, on mobile the change has now been largely completed.
Desktop view with FAQ snippet
Mobile view without FAQ snippet
And what is even more important (there was also confusion about this): The FAQs are still important for the Google crawlers. They are just no longer displayed in the search results themselves.
What impact will the change have on my SEO ranking?
This brings us to the point of what impact this change has on your SEO ranking. To put it bluntly: The first Fears are definitely not confirmed.
On the contrary: visitors are now likely to click on search results frequently again to answer their questions. It is therefore very likely that the change positively on the click figures has an impact.
Digression: Why is Google doing this?
Of course, only Google itself knows this. But it can be assumed that Google space for Google Bard - creates its own artificial intelligence (colloquially known as "ChatGPT" 😀).
It could therefore be that the AI will be displayed here in the future.
Conclusion
This update is merely a Display change and not, as feared, a change in Google's crawling behavior. Accordingly, FAQs continue to be important content for answering frequently asked questions quickly and easily.
This is usually what visitors want and is therefore crucial for the Search intention. As is well known, Google's main goal is to provide searchers with the perfect search results (search intent). Accordingly, I maintain that FAQs continue to have a positive effect on your SEO ranking.
In addition, visitors no longer see their answers directly in Google. This leads to the thesis that the positively on the call figures should have an effect.
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