Yes, but with reduced expectations. Google removed FAQ rich snippets from most non-authoritative sites in August 2023 and continued tightening through 2024–2025. FAQ schema still helps with semantic understanding and AI Overview citations, even when rich snippets don't display.
Google's August 2023 update was a major shift. Before: any site could earn FAQ rich snippets (the dropdown FAQ block in search results). After: only "well-known, authoritative" government and health sites typically display the rich snippet treatment.
**What didn't change:**
- Google still parses and indexes FAQPage schema - The schema is still used as a relevance signal for the page - FAQ schema content still appears in AI Overviews and Google's Knowledge Panel surfaces - Bing still displays FAQ rich snippets more liberally than Google
**What this means practically:**
For a typical Canadian small business in 2026:
- **Don't expect the dropdown FAQ rich snippet.** It probably won't trigger. - **Do still implement FAQ schema** on pages where you have genuine FAQs — it helps with AI Overview citations (one of the primary discovery surfaces in 2026), and if Google ever loosens the rich snippet eligibility again, you're already set up. - **Skip FAQ schema on pages where the FAQs are inflated or irrelevant.** Google's Helpful Content updates downrank pages with obvious FAQ-stuffing for SEO purposes.
**The right way to use FAQ schema in 2026:**
1. **Only on pages where FAQs add real value.** Service pages, pricing pages, product pages, comparison pages — yes. Contact page, about page — no. 2. **3–8 questions per page.** Fewer than 3 looks padded; more than 8 looks like keyword stuffing. 3. **Real questions actual customers ask** — not invented questions designed to capture search queries. 4. **Visible to users on the page.** Don't hide FAQs behind JavaScript or use FAQ schema for content that doesn't appear visually. Google's policy explicitly forbids invisible FAQ content. 5. **Answers under 200 words.** AI Overviews extract FAQ answers when they're concise.
**Where FAQ schema delivers measurable value in 2026:**
- **AI Overview citations.** Pages with clean FAQ schema appear in AI Overview source citations roughly 30% more often than equivalent pages without (multiple practitioner studies in 2025). - **People Also Ask (PAA) inclusions.** PAA expansions frequently sourced from pages with FAQ schema. - **Voice search results.** Google Assistant answers continue to draw heavily from FAQ-structured content.
**Don't bother with HowTo schema for most pages anymore.** Google deprecated HowTo rich snippets for non-mobile in November 2023 and removed them from mobile entirely in September 2023. The schema still parses, but expect zero visual treatment.
- **Should I use JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa for schema markup?** — JSON-LD, period. Google has explicitly stated JSON-LD is preferred since 2017. Microdata and RDFa still parse correctly but add no benefit and complicate maintenance. Strip out any old Microdata when you migrate. - **Can I use Product schema for service businesses?** — Yes — Service schema (a Product subtype) is the right choice for service businesses. Don't use the generic Product schema for services; use Service, with proper offers, areaServed, and provider properties. - **How do I add AggregateRating schema without violating Google's guidelines?** — Only mark up reviews that are genuinely visible on the page, came from real customers, and are first-party (collected by you, not aggregated from elsewhere). Google's 2019 review snippet update made fake or third-party-aggregated review markup ineligible for rich results. - **Should I add Author schema for E-E-A-T?** — Yes — Author/Person schema with sameAs links to professional profiles is one of the few concrete technical things you can do to signal E-E-A-T. Pair it with a real bio page, byline on every article, and verified author identity across platforms.