Google just announced yet another type of rich result to better serve their users: Q&A results. These results will look something like this example from Google on mobile:

question and answer rich search result on google example

SEO is changing dramatically with AI and a more technically oriented algorithm prevailing. Answering questions through FAQ’s has always been an important way to help customers. Now, through structured data, our answers to questions can be even more valuable with just a little code.

Requirements to be eligible for this type of rich snippet include:

  • having a question and answer format on your marked up page,
  • displaying only a single question on a given page,
  • not using it for advertising, and
  • not using answers to display comments that don’t answer the question.

What does this all mean for you?

Rich Results Are Only The Beginning

If you have a site with questions and answers, adding structured data could make your search result listing stand out. While adding the structured data does not guarantee that your results will be displayed in a rich snippet, it gives you an awfully good chance. And even if adding structured data doesn’t give you a rich search result, it can still benefit you. Here is why:

Structured Data Helps Us Speak Robot

Structured data, also known as schema markup, is a javascript markup language that helps Google (and other search engines and virtual assistants) interpret what is on your page. For businesses, it helps Google understand who your business is and what you have to offer. Most importantly, it helps organize your site’s information for more accurate and comprehensive indexing. Potentially getting rich results on SERPs, including the new Q&A result on Google, is a bonus that continues to add SEO value.

The good news is that even as rich result formats continue to change (and they will, far beyond what we have today), the structured data is much more evergreen. It organizes and explains the data for accurate use, however that display or output might change on the consumer end. And that’s exciting stuff.

Curious to learn more about structured data for your website? Feel free to contact us, we’d love to help with any questions you may have!