FAQ sections still help, but not in the way most guidance claims. Google restricted FAQ rich results to government and health sites in August 2023, so for a contractor, FAQ markup will not put an expandable accordion in the search result.
What it still does is give an answer engine an unambiguous question-to-answer mapping instead of asking it to infer one from heading order. That is a retrieval gain rather than a rich-result gain, and it is worth having for different reasons than the ones usually sold.
What did the 2023 change actually do?
It removed FAQ rich results for almost everyone. Before it, valid FAQPage markup could produce an expanded listing with questions visible in the search result: more vertical space, more clicks.
After it, that display is reserved for government and health authority sites. The markup remains valid and is still read; it just does not change what your listing looks like.
So why bother marking it up?
Answer engines use the mapping
An FAQPage block states plainly that this text is a question and that text is its answer. Without it, a model has to infer the relationship from heading structure and proximity: usually correctly, sometimes not.
As more visibility comes from being quoted rather than ranked, removing that ambiguity is worth the small effort. For the wider picture see generative engine optimization.
It disciplines the writing
Marking a section up as a question and answer forces it to actually be one: a real question, a self-contained answer beneath it. That structure is what gets extracted for featured snippets and voice results, both of which still exist.
When is an FAQ section worth adding?
When customers genuinely ask those questions. The test is your phone log, not a keyword tool.
An FAQ built from questions people actually ask adds real information a page was missing. One built from keyword variations adds padding, and increasingly reads as padding to both people and engines.
What makes FAQ markup invalid or useless?
- Answers that are not answers. A question followed by a link to another page, or a two-word fragment, is not an answer.
- Content that is not on the page. Markup must match what a visitor sees. Marking up questions hidden from readers is cloaking.
- One question. A page containing a question is not a page that answers questions. Three genuine pairs is a reasonable floor.
- Duplicated across every page. The same FAQ block sitewide tells an engine nothing about any individual page.
Does an FAQ page or an FAQ section work better?
A section on the relevant page, in most cases. Questions about water heater replacement belong on the water heater page, where they add depth to something already targeting that search.
A standalone FAQ page collects questions away from the pages they support, which helps a visitor browsing and does little for the page that needs to rank.
Frequently asked questions
Do FAQ schemas still work in 2026?
The markup is still valid and still read, but Google restricted FAQ rich results to government and health sites in August 2023. For a contractor it no longer changes how the listing looks; the benefit is a clearer question-to-answer mapping for answer engines and better-structured content.
How many questions should an FAQ section have?
At least three genuine question-and-answer pairs, and only questions customers actually ask. Fewer than three suggests a page that happens to contain a question rather than one that answers questions.
Should FAQs go on a separate page or on service pages?
On the service page they relate to, in most cases. Questions about a specific job add depth to the page already targeting that search, where a standalone FAQ page collects them away from the pages that need the support.
Can FAQ markup hurt my site?
It can if the marked-up content is not visible to visitors, which is cloaking, or if answers are too thin to be answers. Valid markup matching real on-page content carries no penalty risk.
Where to start
Write down the five questions your office answers most often. If your service pages do not answer them, that is the gap, the markup is the easy part afterwards.
Real Time Marketing has worked with home service contractors since 2016: plumbing, HVAC, roofing, electrical and other trades, nationwide, from our office in Bradenton, Florida. Agreements are month-to-month. See our search optimization service or book a strategy call.
