FAQ and HowTo schema are the two AEO schema types most commonly misapplied: added to the wrong page type, implemented with missing required fields, or added as a site-wide template that violates Google's quality guidelines. This guide covers exactly when each type applies, what the correct JSON-LD structure looks like, and the post-implementation workflow that catches eligibility errors before they go live.
Generate your FAQPage schema now
Enter your questions and answers to produce a copy-ready JSON-LD block. The generator validates the structure and shows a live preview of the output.
Check your page titles before adding schema
Before adding FAQ schema, verify the page's title and meta description clearly signal that the page is an FAQ resource, not a product or service page - eligibility starts with the page's declared intent.
FAQPage vs. HowTo vs. QAPage: the decision tree
These three schema types are frequently confused. Google's eligibility rules for each are distinct, and applying the wrong type prevents rich result generation entirely.
When to use FAQPage
Use FAQPage when the page's primary purpose is a list of questions with definitive, author-provided answers. The key word is "definitive" - the page presents the answer as factual, not as a community discussion. An FAQ page on a SaaS product, a knowledge-base article, or a standalone FAQ resource all qualify. A blog post that has one FAQ section at the bottom does not qualify as a FAQPage - the schema type should match the page's dominant content type.
When to use HowTo
Use HowTo when the page walks the user through a process with discrete, sequential steps. Each step has a text description and optionally an image, duration, and supply list. A recipe page, a tutorial, or a step-by-step guide all qualify. HowTo schema generates a rich result that displays steps directly in the SERP - highly visible for "how to" queries where the user is in task mode.
When to use QAPage
Use QAPage when the page hosts a community discussion where multiple users have provided answers (upvoted, voted on, or otherwise ranked). Stack Overflow, Quora, and forum threads are the canonical use cases. QAPage allows multiple acceptedAnswer and suggestedAnswer entities. Most business and editorial sites should use FAQPage, not QAPage.
The biggest mistake: applying FAQ schema to every page as a template default
The most common FAQ schema failure is not a JSON syntax error - it is blanket application. A CMS template that adds FAQPage schema to every blog post, product page, and landing page (regardless of whether those pages contain a real FAQ section) violates Google's structured data spam policies. The consequences are significant: Google can suppress rich result eligibility across the entire domain, not just on the specific pages with misapplied schema.
The second most common failure is FAQ schema where the visible page content does not match the schema content. If the JSON-LD includes the question "How long does shipping take?" but the page has no visible answer to that question, Google treats this as deceptive markup. The schema must describe the page content accurately.
The third failure is implementing FAQ schema without testing it. JSON-LD that contains a syntax error (a missing quote, an unescaped character, a malformed array) silently fails - the browser renders the page normally, but Google cannot parse the block. Always test in the Rich Results Test before going live.
What a clean FAQ schema implementation looks like
- Decide whether the page's primary content is a FAQ (use FAQPage), a process (use HowTo), or a community discussion (use QAPage). If none apply, skip structured data for this page.
- Use the FAQ Schema Generator above to produce the JSON-LD block. Enter each Q&A pair directly from the page content - do not paraphrase or add questions that are not answered on the page.
- Copy the generated JSON-LD and paste it inside a
<script type="application/ld+json">tag in the page<head>. - Open Google's Rich Results Test (linked from the Schema Markup Validator tool) and paste the page URL. Confirm the FAQ rich result preview renders without errors.
- Submit the page URL in Search Console's URL Inspection tool to trigger re-crawling.
- Check Search Console's Enhancements report within 2 weeks to confirm Google has detected and validated the FAQ schema. Fix any reported errors before considering the implementation done.
FAQ and HowTo schema - quick check
5 randomized questions drawn from a pool of 10. Different every time you take it. Takes about two minutes.
Next up in AEO
- How to Rank in People Also Ask Boxes - structure FAQ sections specifically for PAA extraction and track which question boxes your pages currently win.
- The Structured Data Playbook for Answer Engines - the full schema.org playbook covering Article, BreadcrumbList, LocalBusiness, and more.
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