Hey everyone, I recently implemented FAQ schema using JSON-LD on my site, and while Google’s Rich Results Test says it’s valid, the FAQs are still not appearing in search results. I’m wondering if I might be missing something. Do the FAQs need to be visible on the page? Could it be a crawling issue? Or does Google just decide whether to show them or not?
FAQ schema is correctly implemented and visible, Google ultimately decides whether to display the FAQs in search results. Having valid schema doesn't guarantee that Google will show it, as they may prioritize other types of content or decide not to show it for certain queries.
Yes, the FAQs need to be visible on the page. Even if your FAQ schema is valid, Google decides whether or not to show it based on factors like content relevance, page quality, and crawling accessibility. Check the page is accessible to Google's crawler and that the FAQ content is structured properly. It take some time for Google to process and display the FAQ schema in search results, and not every page with FAQ schema will trigger rich results.
It sounds like you're on the right track with implementing the FAQ schema using JSON-LD, but there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to Google showing those FAQs in search results. Yes, Google does tend to show FAQs as rich results, but they don’t always display them for every site or situation. Even if the FAQ schema is valid, Google may decide whether or not to show them based on a few factors. To your point about visibility, yes, your FAQs generally need to be visible on the page for Google to consider them for rich results. If they’re hidden behind JavaScript or in areas that aren’t easily crawled, Google may not be able to pick them up. So, make sure your FAQs are easily accessible on the page. Crawling could be another issue, though if Google’s Rich Results Test says it's valid, it likely means the schema is being recognized correctly. Still, it’s worth checking your robots.txt file to ensure there’s nothing blocking Googlebot from crawling the page. As for whether Google just decides to show them or not, that’s pretty much the case. Even with everything set up right, Google may choose not to display rich results for various reasons, like competition in the search results or simply because it doesn’t think the FAQ is relevant enough to warrant a rich result. You can also check Google Search Console to see if there are any issues or warnings related to your FAQ schema. Sometimes, you might get additional insight into what’s happening. Hopefully, this helped clarify things a bit. Let me know if you have more questions.