Google to Diminish Visibility of How-to and FAQ Rich Results in Search

Presently, FAQ rich results are showcased for an array of websites; however, Google will now exclusively present them for "established, authoritative government, and health websites." This signifies that the majority of websites will no longer feature their FAQ rich results within search outcomes.

Google has clarified that this adjustment is designed to offer users a "more refined and uniform search experience." The company further assures that there is no requirement to eliminate structured data from your website if your online presence is affected by this modification. Structured data that remains unused does not pose any issues for search functionality and will not exhibit any discernible impacts in Google Search.

While HowTo rich results are currently visible across both desktop and mobile devices, Google will henceforth restrict their appearance solely to desktop devices. Consequently, users accessing search results through mobile devices will no longer encounter HowTo rich results.

Google has rationalized this modification by explaining that "with mobile indexing, Google indexes the mobile version of a website as the basis for indexing." As a result, to ensure the display of HowTo rich results on desktop devices, the mobile version of your website must incorporate the appropriate markup.

Should your website be influenced by these revisions, a decline in clicks from Google Search may be observed. The performance reports within your Google Search Console will reflect this reduction in clicks, and a commensurate drop in traffic from Google Search will manifest within your analytics data.

Google anticipates that these changes may also manifest in the Search Console reporting for your website. Specifically, this will be noticeable within the metrics pertaining to FAQ and How-To search appearances within the performance report, and in the count of impressions featured in the relevant enhancement reports. Nevertheless, it's important to note that these adjustments will not affect the tally of items detailed in the enhancement reports. The search appearances and the associated reports will continue to be accessible within Search Console for the foreseeable future.

For any inquiries concerning these alterations, do not hesitate to reach out to Google's support services."