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What Is FAQ schema And How Do You Use it?
26 June 2019 | 0 comments | Posted by Che Kohler in nichemarket Advice
We now live in a time where people would ask Google more questions that they would ask their friend, family member or spouse. Google along with Quora has become the digital platforms for having questions answered.
Google has taken note of this behaviour and we've now seen the rise of rich snippets and instant answers as well as question and answer boxes. Google wants to answer your questions as fast as possible, if possible.
Naturally, some answers can't be explained in a few lines but those that can, Google will absolutely try to serve you the best answer it can find.
The Google search results of 2019 are a far cry from the crusty old text and link search results pages (SERP) we had in the past.
If your goal is to stand out in search results and capture users attention to acquire that oh so precious click through, then schema markups are a great way to tease searchers and turning them into websites visitors, and who knows if you play your content cards right, they may even turn into a lead or sale.
What are these Schema Markups?
Schema markup is custom code (semantic vocabulary) which can be placed on your website with the purpose of helping search engines return more informative results for users. Which is fancy pants SEO talk for you encourage search engines to give you really well-structured display that stands out from the rest of the results on a results page.
If you've ever Googled something and seen rich snippets that stand out from the rest, it could be a list of items, song lyrics, statistics, the weather or a recipe, then you'll understand exactly what schema markup is all about.
While we cannot control which source Google pulls in to search as its schema of choice we can encourage it by marking up the various pages correctly.
What is FAQ Schema
A Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) page contains a list of questions and answers pertaining to a particular topic. Properly marked up FAQ pages may be eligible to have a rich result on Search and Markup Action for the Google Assistant, which can help your site reach the right users.
Here's an example of an FAQ rich result on a mobile device:
The FAQ rich results are available in all countries and languages where Google Search is available with support versions for desktop and mobile devices.
What are the benefits of FAQ Schema
FAQ schema allows you to compete as a resource for frequently answered questions and provide quick answers to certain questions users ask within search. This can be targetted at both generic and brand related queries and brings new importance to having an actively updated FAQ section for your website. As you establish yourself as a key source of information and instant answers you can also attract traffic from users wanting a more in-depth answer.
How to install FAQ Schema
You can install schema by correctly marking up the data on your site using either a JSON-LD method which maintains the content within the head tag or you can markup the actual HTML on the page using a microdata format.
You can find a practical example of each method down below.
A JSON-LD FAQ schema markup
<html>
<head>
<title>Example Site - Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
</title>
</head>
<body>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What is the return policy?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Most unopened items in new condition and
returned within <strong>90 days</strong> will
receive a refund or exchange. Some items have
a modified return policy noted on the receipt
or packing slip. Items that are opened or
damaged or do not have a receipt may be
denied a refund or exchange. Items purchased
online or in-store may be returned to any
store.<br /><p>Online purchases may be returned
via a major parcel carrier.
<a href='http://example.com/returns'>
Click here </a> to initiate a return.</p>"
}
}, {
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How long does it take to
process a refund?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "We will reimburse you for
returned items in the same way you paid
for them. For example, any amounts deducted
from a gift card will be credited back to a
gift card. For returns by mail, once we
receive your return, we will process it within
4–5 business days. It may take up to 7 days
after we process the return to reflect in
your account, depending on your financial
institution's processing time."
}
}, {
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What is the policy for late/
non-delivery of items ordered online?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Our local teams work diligently to
make sure that your order arrives on time,
within our normaldelivery hours of
9AM to 8PM in the recipient's time zone.
During busy holiday periods like Christmas,
Valentine's and Mother's Day, we may extend
our delivery hours before 9AM and after 8PM
to ensure that all gifts are delivered on time.
If for any reason your gift does not arrive on
time, our dedicated Customer Service agents will
do everything they can to help successfully
resolve your issue. <br/>
<p>
<a href='https://example.com/orders/'>
Click here</a>
to complete the form with your
order-related question(s).</p>"
}
}, {
"@type": "Question",
"name": "When will my credit card be charged?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "We'll attempt to securely charge your
credit card at the point of purchase online.
If there's a problem, you'll be notified on the
spot and prompted to use another card.
Once we receive verification of sufficient funds,
your payment will be completed and transferred
securely to us. Your account will
be charged in 24 to 48 hours."
}
}, {
"@type": "Question",
"name":
"Will I be charged sales tax
for online orders?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text":"Local and State sales tax will
be collected if your recipient's mailing
address is in: <ul><li>Arizona</li>
<li>California</li>
<li>Colorado</li></ul>"}
}]
}
</script>
</body>
</html>
You can find the JSON-LD example in Googles rich results test here
A Microdata FAQ schema markup
<html itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/FAQPage">
<head>
<title>Example Site -
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)</title>
</head>
<body>
<div itemscope itemprop="mainEntity"
itemtype="https://schema.org/Question">
<h3 itemprop="name">
What is the return policy?</h3>
<div itemscope itemprop="acceptedAnswer"
itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer">
<div itemprop="text">
Most unopened items in new condition and returned
within
<strong>90 days</strong> will receive a refund or
exchange. Some items have a modified return policy
noted on
the receipt or packing slip. Items that are opened
or
damaged or do not have a receipt may be denied a
refund
or exchange. Items purchased online or in-store may
be returned to any store.
<br /><p>Online purchases may be returned via
a major parcel carrier.
<a href="http://example.com/returns">
Click here </a> to initiate a return.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div itemscope itemprop="mainEntity"
itemtype="https://schema.org/Question">
<h3 itemprop="name">
How long does it take to process a refund?</h3>
<div itemscope itemprop="acceptedAnswer"
itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer">
<div itemprop="text">
We will reimburse you for returned items in the
same
way you paid for them. For example, any amounts
deducted from a gift card will be credited back
to a gift card. For returns by mail, once we
receive your return, we will process it
within 4–5 business days. It may take up
to 7 days after we process the return to
reflect in your account, depending on
your financial institution's
processing time.
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div itemscope itemprop="mainEntity"
itemtype="https://schema.org/Question">
<h3 itemprop="name">
What is the policy for late/non-delivery of
items ordered online?</h3>
<div itemscope itemprop="acceptedAnswer"
itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer">
<div itemprop="text">
Our local teams work diligently to make sure that
your order arrives on time, within our normal
delivery hours of 9AM to 8PM in the recipient's
time zone. During busy holiday periods like
Christmas, Valentine's and Mother's Day,
we may extend our delivery hours before
9AM and after 8PM to ensure that all gifts
are delivered on time. If for any reason your
gift does not arrive on time, our dedicated
Customer Service agents will do everything
they can to help successfully resolve your issue.
<br/>
<p><a href="https://example.com/orders/">
Click here</a> to complete the form with
your order-related question(s).</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div itemscope itemprop="mainEntity"
itemtype="https://schema.org/Question">
<h3 itemprop="name">
When will my credit card be charged?</h3>
<div itemscope itemprop="acceptedAnswer"
itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer">
<div itemprop="text">
We'll attempt to securely charge your credit
card at the point of purchase online.
If there's a problem, you'll be notified on the
spot and prompted to use another card. Once we
receive verification of sufficient funds,
your payment will be completed and transferred
securely to us.
Your account will be charged in 24 to 48 hours.
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div itemscope itemprop="mainEntity"
itemtype="https://schema.org/Question">
<h3 itemprop="name">
Will I be charged sales tax for online orders?</h3>
<div itemscope itemprop="acceptedAnswer"
itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer">
<div itemprop="text">
Local and State sales tax will be collected if
your recipient's mailing address is in:
<ul>
<li>Arizona</li>
<li>California</li>
<li>Colorado</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>
You can find the microdata example in Googles rich results test here
Guidelines for using FAQ schema
Google recommends that you only use FAQPage if your page has a list of questions with answers created by the site owner itself. If your page has a single question and users can submit alternative answers, like a forum they suggest you look at using QAPage schema instead.
If you're still unsure as to how FAQ schema would work then here are a few examples of valid and invalid use cases.
Valid use cases:
- An FAQ page was written by the site itself, with no way for users to submit alternative answers
- A product support page that lists FAQs, with no way for users to submit alternative answers
Invalid use cases:
- A forum page where users can submit answers to a single question
- A product support page where users can submit answers to a single question
- A product page where users can submit multiple questions and answers on a single page
Additional bad practices for FAQ schema
- Don’t use FAQPage for advertising purposes.
- Make sure each Question includes the entire text of the question and make sure each Answer includes the entire text of the answer. The entire question text and answer text may be displayed.
- Question and answer content may not be displayed as a rich result if it contains any of the following types of content: obscene, profane, sexually explicit, graphically violent, promotion of dangerous or illegal activities, or hateful or harassing language.
- All FAQ content must be visible to the user on the source page.
Guidelines for FAQ content formatting
When creating FAQ's for your site please ensure that you provide the full answer to the question. The answer may contain HTML content such as links and lists and using valid HTML tags such as:
- <h1> through <h6>
- <br>
- <ol>
- <ul>
- <li>
- <a>
- <p>
- <div>
- <b>
- <strong>
- <i>
- <em>
"Schema" your way to the top answer
I realise that was a bad pun but I couldn't resist. Now that you've brushed off my bad jokes and learned about how to use FAQ schema, I hope it helps breathe life into that dull side of your website known as the FAQ section and help kickstart a new avenue of traffic for you by attracting valuable click-throughs for your website.
Tell us your schema story
Have you been frustrated with Google rankings for your site or click-through rates? How did you or the company overcome it? Are there any tips you would like to share on improving your reports? Share it with us in the comments.
Contact us
If you would like us to build schema markups into your site or want to know more about digital marketing for your business, then don’t be shy we’re happy to assist. Simply contact us
Are you looking to promote your business?
South African Business owners can create your free business listing on nichemarket. The more information you provide about your business, the easier it will be for your customers to find you online. Registering with nichemarket is easy; all you will need to do is head over to our sign up form and follow the instructions.
If you require a more detailed guide on how to create your profile or your listing, then we highly recommend you check out the following articles.
Recommended reading
If you enjoyed this post and have a little extra time to dive deeper down the rabbit hole, why not check out the following posts on schema markups.
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