It’s no news to anyone how important Google is in our society. After all, it’s to Google that we entrust a portion of our lives, receiving in return some of the vast information it has available that makes our daily lives easier. So it’s important to note any changes to the way our old friend Google delivers information, from FAQs and How To, to news and articles.
With that in mind, we present this article, which aims to explore the changes in the way Google presents results to its users, or, rather, the ways it will no longer present them. Specifically, this includes frequently asked questions (FAQs) and the “famous” How-To guides, which explain how to do something.
Nowadays, it’s normal to find these kinds of results when you search for how to make bread or what you can learn from bread marketing Taylor
Swiftthe truth is that this is not likely to happen in the future.
In fact, these results are usually prioritized in search results… something that is expected to change soon, as Google announced on its blog Google Search Centralin the meantime, the visibility of these two types of results will be significantly reduced. In fact, the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) will even be removed from the Google search bar.
Space (or the lack of it)
There are several factors behind this decision. One relates to the space occupied by FAQs.
Despite being aware of the value that this type of result has for many users, the truth is that by carrying out a comprehensive analysis of usage trends and observing the user experience itself, Google has realized that they take up a significant amount of space in search results.
However, this can lead to a less fluid experience for the user, who will be looking for information quickly and efficiently.
In this way, by removing FAQs from search results, Google intends to create a cleaner, more concise interface where users can access essential information more immediately. This will not only reduce the amount of unnecessary information in the results, but could also highlight potentially reliable and relevant sources of information.
This change is in line with Google’s ongoing efforts to optimize the usability and usefulness of its platform, ensuring that you can find the information you need relatively easily.
Loss of relevance
Another of Google’s justifications for the general decrease in the visibility of FAQs and How To on Google search pages is related to the loss of relevance in the user experience. These results may often be useful, but they are no longer as necessary as they once were, which has raised a number of questions about the effectiveness of these resources and how they fit into the way we search for information today.
After all, if we need to do a quick and direct search on a particular topic, we may not find the results we’re looking for on the Internet results page simply because there is too much information which, in turn, is difficult to filter.
How can this affect my research?
Google’s intention is not to remove these pages completely. For example, if you need to do a search related to Social Security or Finance, you will still have access to the information you need.
However, as far as most sectors are concerned, these resources will not be available, although the user will have immediate access to information. Even so, the idea will be to remove frequently asked questions for the most part, while How To should be completely eliminated from search results.
How can this affect my site?
You may notice in your reports that your site’s click-through rate is dropping significantly, especially if FAQs and How-To’s have provided good results in this regard.
However, this should only affect one specific aspect of SEO work: FAQs. But don’t worry! You don’t need to remove the structured data associated with this content. In fact, including this type of content on your site won’t cause it to stop appearing.
