Google announced it a year ago at Google I/O 2018 but didn’t launch FAQ and How-to structured data until a year later at this years 2019 Google I/O event. It comes with new rich results and new Google Search Console enhancement reports.

How-to Structured Data

Here is what how-to rich results look like in search and they should be live now:

Here are the developer docs on how to add the markup to pages that have step-by-step directions on how to related tasks.

Here is how they look like on the Google Assistant:

Here are the developer docs on how to add the markup to pages that have step-by-step directions on how to related tasks specific to Google Assistant. I should note, as Glenn Gabe said – you do not need a web page to add this markup, you can feed this information without a page!

Here is the Google Search Console enhancement for how-to structured data:

FAQ Structured Data

Also we have FAQ structured data which is not to be confused with QA markup. FAQs are for single pages that have frequently asked questions, whereas QA markup is for sites like forums, reddit, etc that have many answers from many users about one question.

Here is what it looks like in search:

Here is the markup for search in their developer docs.

Here is what it looks like in the Assistant:

Here are the developer docs for the assistant markup.

You will only see these new enhancement reports if Google picks up on the markup on your pages.

Reaction Is Mixed

As I said on Search Engine Land – you really need to test it out to see if it will benefit you. If you are ranking in position 6, then adding the markup may help your listing move up or richen up and see a higher CTR. But if you are in position one, and you add the markup and searchers can get all the answers and steps without clicking through – then what do you do? What happens when your competitor adds the markup and the searcher’s eye balls race by your listing and to your competitors?

Test it out – see the CTR, see the traffic changes and make the call.

Here are some reactions from the community:

And some chatter on WebmasterWorld on this:

Forum discussion at Twitter.