Important: Original Post Got Deleted by Accident (Why Did Google Change the FAQ in the SERPs and How

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Note: This post was completed yesterday and published. Several people commented, Sorry, the original post got accidentally deleted when I responded to a comment. I apologize for the repeated content if you already replied, there is no need to comment. I thought I lost this for good. I did save this document in MS Word. I know Kyle is working on getting the original back, but if does come back, I will delete this post.

Why Did Google Change the FAQ in the SERPs and How-To Rich Results?: Updated Information

Hey, WAers, my fellow bloggers!

Did any of you notice something different when searching for information on Google?

I saw it right away. I decided to research this further.

I came across an article announcing that Google has recently rolled out (a couple of weeks ago) a new change in how Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are displayed on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Note: This is not about the People Also Ask Section in the SERPs

This new format has sparked some uproar on social media and raised questions among SEO experts and content creators alike. Most of us wonder why Google made this change.

In this post, I will expand on these topics.

Why did Google change the FAQ and how-to rich results in the SERPs?

What does this mean for us?

What Does Google's New FAQ Format and How-Tos Look Like?

What are the Benefits and Drawbacks

How do these new SEO practices affect us?

Google's tips on optimizing your blog posts for this updated FAQ format and How-tos

Let's find out why Google's revamped FAQs and How-tos rich results in the SERPs.

Why did Google Change the FAQ and How-tos in the SERPs?

We know that Google constantly evolves it's search algorithms and user experience to provide users with the most relevant and helpful information. The recent FAQ and How-tos rich results format change within SERPs is no exception.

Google aims to improve user experience by updating FAQs and How-tos are displayed.

See

https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/08/howto-faq-changes

Screenshot 1 Before

Screenshot 2: After

The reasons are:

1. Enhance Mobile Usability: With more people accessing the internet through their smartphones, Google wants to ensure that searching for information on mobile devices is seamless and efficient. The new FAQ format allows users to find answers quickly without clicking multiple links, saving them time and effort.

2. Improve User Experience and Engagement: Google hopes users will find what they are looking for quickly, increasing their satisfaction with the search engine and encouraging them to access more detailed information to understand better what they are looking for.

3. Encourage Quality Content: Due to reorganizing how FAQs are displayed, Google encourages content creators to create higher-quality information that meets users' needs.

4. To Combat Misinformation: With this change, Google can reduce reliance on potentially unreliable third-party websites by displaying accurate and up-to-date answers from reputable sources at a glance.

5. To Beat Their Competitors: Google's move will help it remain competitive in an increasingly crowded search market, as other search engines, such as Bing and Yahoo, already display answers within their SERPs.

The exact reasons for Google's decision to change the FAQ and How-tos format in SERPs can only be speculated.

Still, Google's ultimate goal is to provide relevant and reliable information to improve user experience efficiently.

What Does it Mean For Us?

It is expected that Google will show how-to and FAQ rich results less frequently in search results, causing websites to experience a decrease in click-through rates seen in Google Search Console.

For FAQ rich results: Google will only display them for well-known, authoritative government, and health websites.

How-to rich results: Google will display this only for desktop users and not for users on mobile devices. For mobile to show up, you have to include the correct markup.

This means these rich results will only be shown occasionally on other websites. The decision of which sites to show them is based on Google's algorithm and automation.

What Does Google's New FAQ Format and How-Tos Look Like?

Google's new FAQ format is a recent change introduced in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

This updated format aims to provide users with more concise and relevant answers to their questions directly on the search results page without having to click through to a website. There will be no drop-down FAQ.

With this new format: Google displays a featured snippet at the top of the page containing an overview of the question and its answer. Below this snippet are additional related questions that users can click under People Also Ask may find helpful.

Screenshot 3:

There will be no drop-down FAQ. Instead, it will be shown at the bottom of the article.

Screenshot 4:

Google will display a list of step-by-step instructions to help users complete a task. The instructions are presented in a format that is easy to follow, with each step highlighted and numbered. A search bar is also available for users to search within the How-To page.

For the How-Tos on the Desktop, it will look like this:

Screenshot 5:

The key idea behind this change is to enhance the user experience by delivering quick and convenient answers at their fingertips. It allows users immediate access to information without navigating multiple websites or scrolling through lengthy articles.

What Are The Benefits of This Change?

With the FAQs and How-tos directly displayed in the search engine results pages (SERPs), users can quickly find answers to their questions without having to click through to a website. This saves them time and provides instant gratification.

The Benefits are:

Increased User Engagement: By displaying FAQs directly on the SERP page, users are more likely to interact with the websites.

Establish Trust and Authority: An authoritative source that provides concise answers on the search page is more likely to be perceived as reliable and trustworthy by users.

Reduced Bounce Rates: Besides lowering bounce rates and increasing website engagement, users are less likely to abandon a website if they find the answers they need without clicking through.

Enhanced Brand Perception: When customers can quickly find answers to their questions without having to click through to a website, they will better perceive the brand as helpful and reliable.

Increased Visibility: Providing rich snippets in the search engine results pages can increase visibility and draw in more organic traffic from users looking for relevant information about a particular product or service.

With this new way: Google encourages website owners to create high-quality content that addresses user queries. This shift towards user-centric content helps improve overall search quality and ensures that users get accurate information quickly.

Are There Any Drawbacks?

This update indeed has benefits. It's also important to consider potential drawbacks, as discussed in what it means for us.

We will possibly see this happen with our websites:

User Engagement May Decrease: The FAQ needs to be more visible, which means less traffic and fewer opportunities to showcase your products or services.

Reduce Visibility for Some Websites: That might reduce visibility for specific websites or businesses that previously ranked highly in organic search results due to their comprehensive FAQ sections. With more options available on the SERP, those sites might need more visibility or even get lost among other competing sources.

May Confuse Users: The new format shows less FAQ and no drop downs, and it will show the FAQ at the bottom of the page, as seen in the Screenshot.

How Does This Affect Us for SEO?

Google's new FAQ and How-tos format in the SERPs has significant implications for SEO. It provides an opportunity to gain more visibility for those with high authority sites.

But what about us, who are new to blogging? How does this help us?

Barry at Search Engine Land stated that our how-tos snippets for click-through rates for mobile users might be reduced, which has already been seen for some in Google Search Console.

You will see less traffic, but does it mean you must remove and drop the FAQ? Not so!

Do what Adam Enfory (he's well-known blogger) always says, PIVOT. The answer is to pivot your content by optimizing your posts following the new FAQ and How-tos format by ensuring that you answer each question concisely and contain relevant keywords.

All you will do is focus on finding the correct schema markup for mobile users and help search engines better understand the structure of your FAQs. Google Tips will explain this point further.

Pivot and adapting strategies accordingly will be essential to capitalize on its potential benefits while staying ahead of the competition in search rankings.

Google Tips on How You Can Optimize with the New Format.

When optimizing your blog posts for Google's new FAQ format in the SERPs, you can employ a few key strategies.

The Key takeaway: Google says: Please Do not delete FAQ or your How-To content

While the visibility of these rich results may be limited, structured data still needs to be used, which does not cause problems for search.

Instead, Google recommends you keep FAQs or HowTos from your website.

Please keep in mind that removing the content will have negative results, so keeping your website content relevant and providing value to your targeted audience is essential.

Pivot and enhance your FAQ and How-tos by following the new guidelines Google just set. You will ensure your content is well structured and has excellent schema markup.

What is Schema Markup?

Schema markup helps search engines understand the structure of your content better by adding additional context through metadata which can help Google understand more about the page. It also helps to make your content appear in relevant search results.

You can include schema markup in all FAQs and How-Tos?

Please make sure you use relevant keywords in your headlines and subheadings (H1/H2/etc).

You can use bullet points and lists for easy readability.

Keep sentences concise and to the point - avoid long-winded sentences that may lose readers’ attention.

Add visuals such as images, videos, and GIFs whenever possible

Link to other relevant pages on your website when it makes sense.

Use multiple questions for different levels of understanding – “What?” “Why?” “How?”

Create unique answers for each question – don't copy and paste from other sources.

Use simple language when writing the answers – avoid technical jargon as much as possible unless necessary.

Think about what users might be searching for when looking for information related to your topic, and incorporate those terms naturally into your writing.

In addition, your blog post could benefit from internal links. Linking to related articles or resources on your site enhances user experience and signals to search engines that you have comprehensive and authoritative content.

What you need to do now: Please look at your Google Search Console.

As Google stated, There has been a change to the metrics shown for FAQ and How-To in the performance report. This does not affect the number of items reported in enhancement reports.

The search appearances and reports will remain in Search Console.

Follow these SEO tips tailored for Google's new FAQ format, hopefully, you'll be able to improve your blog's visibility and accessibility in search results. You will gain more traffic instead of less.

Final Thoughts

Google's alteration of FAQs and How-tos puts pressure on all of us. But, at the same time, it offers us a chance to upgrade our visibility and user-friendliness if appropriately handled. Adapting to these changes could take some time, but Google is doing this for a better user experience. It can save them time and effort by displaying applicable information directly on their search results page without having to click numerous websites. I hope this helps clear away all those untruthful facts we occasionally encounter.

Google Core Update 2022

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/brendamz/blog/google-core-august-22-update