What is FAQ schema? How to add it to your website

You have probably seen Google search results that show a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section right under the description. That is FAQ schema. It is a form of structured data that helps Google understand your Q&A content and display it more prominently, which raises click-through rate, improves SEO rankings and gives users a better experience.

So what is FAQ schema, and how do you add it to your website in the simplest, most effective way without complicated code? In this article, MONA Media will walk you through creating FAQ schema the right way, step by step. Read on.

What is FAQ schema?

FAQ schema (also called schema FAQ) is a type of structured data that marks up frequently asked questions and their answers on a web page, to answer queries about a subject related to the page.

When it is set up correctly, search engines like Google can recognize and understand your FAQ content and show it directly on the search results page (SERP) as an expanded result (rich snippet), so users get the information they are looking for faster.

Adding FAQPage Schema not only helps Google read your website better, it also brings practical benefits such as:

• Up click-through rate (CTR) thanks to a more prominent listing on Google

• More visits, which leads to more conversions and revenue

• Content that meets what users need, which helps improve your ranking

What are the rules for using FAQ schema?

To show your information as a set of questions and answers in Google Search, you need to follow these guidelines:

• Structured data guidelines
• Website management guidelines
• Content guidelines

For the structured data and website management guidelines, see the Google links above. For the content guidelines, we summarize the key points for implementing FAQ schema below.

Content guidelines

Valid uses of FAQ schema:

• Your page has a set of clear questions and answers, written by you as the site owner.

• Each question has only one answer, and users can't add or edit answers.

• The questions and answers are fully visible on the page. They can be in an expandable accordion, as long as readers can see them when they click.

• The FAQ content must match the page content. Don't stuff in questions just to take up space on Google.

• If a question appears on several pages, mark up only one page with schema to avoid duplicate structured data.

Valid example: questions and answers shown in full on the page, as a list:

Q: How do I change my account password?
A: Go to "Account settings", choose "Change password" and follow the instructions

Invalid uses of FAQ schema:

Google will not show a rich snippet if you apply schema incorrectly, specifically in these cases:

• The questions and/or answers are not visible to users on the page and exist only in the schema code.

• The page is a forum or Q&A site where users can submit multiple different answers.

• The answer is unclear or not accessible, for example completely hidden or outside the main content.

• The page uses FAQ schema for advertising or keyword stuffing.

Invalid example: The page has FAQ schema in its source code, but users can't see any part of the FAQ on the website.

If you want your website to show prices, star ratings and images prominently like the top-ranking sites, don't miss this video. Huy shares a detailed, easy-to-follow guide to creating schema markup. Take a look!

A step-by-step guide to adding FAQ schema to your website quickly

Can you do SEO yourself?? Yes, especially if you start with simple but effective tools like adding schema to your website. It helps improve your Google ranking and your site's visibility, even if you aren't a specialist.

How to create FAQ schema for a WordPress website

On a WordPress website, you can use existing plugins such as Yoast SEO or Rank Math to add FAQs without any code.

Here are the steps using plugin Yoast SEO

Step 1: Install the Yoast SEO plugin on your site

Step 2: Open the post or page where you want to add FAQ schema.

Step 3: In the Gutenberg editor, click the "+" icon to add a new block. Search for "FAQ" in the block list. 

Then write the set of questions and answers for the post's FAQ schema. Review it and publish.

When you finish writing, publish the post. Then check that the FAQ schema for the post is installed correctly.

How to create FAQ schema for other websites 

On other websites, you can also add an FAQ to a post or page the following way:

Create FAQ schema manually with JSON-LD code

You can create FAQ schema with ready-made JSON-LD code. Here is a code snippet you can use to set up FAQ schema

<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “FAQPage”,
“mainEntity”: [{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “Question 1?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Answer 1.”
}
}, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “Question 2?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Answer 2.”
}
}]
}
</script>

Where:

• @context and @type: Define the context and the data type, here FAQPage, so Google knows the page contains frequently asked questions.
• mainEntity: This holds the list of detailed question and answer pairs.
• name: Represents the content of each question.
• acceptedAnswer: Holds the official, valid answer to that question.

Copy the code above and replace the name and text fields in the INSERT QUESTION/ ANSWER HERE section with your own questions and answers.

How to check that your FAQ schema structured data is installed correctly

To be sure your website has FAQ schema structured data installed correctly, you need to test it. Here are 2 ways to check the structured data:

Use a schema markup checker

Rich Results Test is Google's free tool for checking whether your page can appear as a rich result in search, including FAQ schema. Enter a URL or paste your HTML code, and the tool checks it automatically and tells you whether the FAQ schema is correct or has errors to fix

Open the rich results testing tool, paste the URL of your FAQ page or URL post, and click Test URL

If the result looks like the image below, the FAQ has been installed successfully for your post.

Preview how FAQ schema appears on Google

After testing with Rich Results Test, you can click the "Preview search result" option to see more clearly how Google will show your questions and answers as an expanded result (rich snippet) on the search page.

You can also check it in practice by:

• Opening your browser in incognito mode so your search history doesn't affect the results.
• Entering a search in this format: site:tenmiencuaban.com/tenduongdan
• If Google has indexed and processed the FAQ schema correctly, you will see the Q&A items directly under the page title, so users can expand and read the content right on the SERP.

Check FAQ schema with the Schema Markup Validator

Besides Rich Results Test, you can use the Schema Markup Validator to check that your schema code is correct. 

It is simple to use:

• Go to schema.org/validator
• Paste the URL of the page you want to check, or copy the JSON-LD code straight into the analysis box
• Click Click "Run test"to start the check

You will then get detailed results, including:

• The schema data the tool detected
• Syntax errors (if any), so you can find and fix them easily
• Warnings about structure that isn't fully optimized, so you can improve the quality of your data

Checking with this tool makes sure your FAQ schema is written correctly, which raises the chance that Google shows it as a rich result.

Check FAQ schema directly in your browser

Besides the tools above, you can check whether FAQ schema has been installed successfully in a web browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge.

It is simple to do:

• Open your website page that has FAQ schema.
• Press the keys F12 to open Developer Tools (Developer Tools).
• Switch to the Elements tab (or Sources, depending on the browser) to see the page source.
• Use the search function (Ctrl + F or Cmd + F) and enter a keyword such as "FAQPage" or "@type" to find the related JSON-LD code.

If the structured code appears and is formatted correctly, the FAQ schema has been inserted into the page successfully. This is a quick way to confirm the setup without relying on outside tools.

Common questions when creating FAQ schema

What is FAQ schema used for?

FAQ schema helps Google evaluate your website better. It also gives searchers more information, meets what users want, increases clicks and raises the order rate.

How does FAQ schema appear?

FAQ schema appears as a list of questions and answers in Google's search results.

Is FAQ schema good for website SEO?

When the page is optimized for its keyword set and UX/ UI to give users a good experience, and the right structured data markup is added, FAQ schema adds value to your SEO plan.

How do you write the most engaging FAQ?

• Keep the content short, to the point and interesting to read
• Don't include too many questions and answers
• Write open answers that make readers want to click the link

That covers everything about FAQ Schema. FAQ is a conditional type of structured data that many SEO specialists use. If you combine schema correctly in your SEO work, it can bring your website a lot of traffic, potential customers, and even higher revenue and profit. You can get there faster with MONA's SEO service. Contact us for advice and a detailed SEO quote right away.