FAQ snippet on a non faq page

[Jelmert]

Hello,

I'm new to google rich snippets. I was wondering if adding a Schema Markup for a faq snippet in the heading code on just a normal content page(non faq) will affect SEO in a bad way? 

[amwilie · Accepted solution]

@Jelmert 

According to the Google docs when using a FAQ snippet all FAQ content must be visible on the source page. If the questions/answers present in the schema aren't present on the page this could be considered 'spammy' and Google has started doling out manual penalties for such so I wouldn't recommend it.

If you're adding FAQ schema for a page that's not technically a FAQ page but does contain the Question/Answer format then that's totally fine. Just note that the schema will possibly be used in rich snippets on Google search results.

[Jelmert]

Hi @amwilie ,

Thank you for your reply! This clears it up a bit.
The page does give answers on the questions that I would like to add in a faq schema, but they are just in a rich text format. So the question is for example a H3 and the answer is written below that in a text format. Will that be still seen as spammy? Or is it better to just not add a faq schema and hope for a rich snippet for example when someone is searching for the question.

[webdew]

Hi @Jelmert 

Schema markup is a powerful SEO tool that is used to deliver the most critical information on your webpages to search engines effectively. When applied well across all relevant entities, Schema markup presents significant opportunities to improve a website’s SEO performance by helping search engines to understand its content better.

However, you should not add or use a Schema Markup for a faq-snippet on a normal content page. You need to have at least 3 questions on your FAQ section or one question would also suffice, if and only if the readers have the option to add more questions in that section. As per Google’s guidelines, it strictly prohibits you to use FAQ snippets on a page that doesn’t have any questions. You can check Google’s guidelines here: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/data-types/faqpage#guidelines

So, we suggest you avoid using a faq snippet on your non-faq page. Otherwise, Google always takes strict actions against those who get involved in any SEO malpractice and you may end up getting penalized for the same.

Hope this helps.

Thank You.