FAQ schema vs HowTo schema on review pages — what still earns SERP real estate

FAQ schema vs HowTo schema on review pages — what still earns SERP real estate

A deep-dive on a moving target. Verdict on each below.

FAQ schema
— Google restricted FAQ rich results to authoritative gov/health sites in 2023. On a typical review site it renders NOTHING in SERPs now.
— Still useful: AI engines and voice assistants parse it; it structures your content for LLM citation.
Verdict for SERP stars: 2/10. For AI citability: 6/10.

HowTo schema
— Google dropped HowTo rich results entirely on desktop+mobile. Zero SERP visual payoff today.
— Still machine-readable for non-Google consumers.
Verdict for SERP: 1/10. For AI: 5/10.

For: Add them if your goal is AI/voice readability and clean structured data. NOT for chasing Google rich snippets, that train left.

Gotcha nobody mentions: Plugins still advertise 'get FAQ rich snippets!' in 2024+ marketing. They'll happily inject schema that earns you nothing in Google. The markup validates; the snippet never comes.

Bottom line: Mark up for AI/structure, not for Google stars. Don't let a plugin sell you a dead feature.