Cited · Guide · FAQ pages
Write FAQ pages that get quoted, not skimmed past.
Reviewed 16 October 2026
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An answer engine lifts a sentence or two from the page that states the answer most clearly. A good FAQ page is made of exactly those sentences. Here is how to write one where every answer can stand on its own.
Start with the questions people really ask
Collect questions from the places customers already speak: support emails, sales calls, the search box on your own site, the replies to your newsletters. Keep their wording. A heading that reads like the question a person types is easier to match than a clever one.1
Group them by topic and give each topic its own page. Six to twelve related questions on one page beats a hundred on a page nobody can scan.
Put the answer in the first sentence
Lead with the answer, then add the context. A reader, and any system pulling a passage, should get the point before the first full stop. Aim for one or two sentences, roughly forty words, before you elaborate.2
BeforeGreat question! Shipping depends on many factors, and our team works hard to get every order out as quickly as possible.
AfterStandard orders ship within two working days. Express orders placed before noon ship the same day, and both include tracking.
Make every answer stand alone
Quoted text travels without the page around it. Name the subject again instead of writing “it” or “as above”. Put numbers, units, dates and conditions inside the sentence that needs them.
Read each answer aloud with the question removed. If it still makes sense, it is ready.
Keep the text plain and visible
Write the questions as real headings and the answers as ordinary paragraphs in the page’s HTML. Text that only exists inside an image, or appears after a script runs, is harder for any reader to find.3
One short paragraph per answer is enough. Link to the longer page when the answer needs depth, and say what the link contains.
Add markup only where it matches the page
FAQ markup should describe the questions and answers that are visible on the page, word for word. Search documentation says the FAQ rich result is limited to a small set of well-known government and health sites, so treat the markup as a clear label for machines, not as a badge you are chasing.4
Content in markup that visitors cannot see breaks the structured data policies. If you cut an answer from the page, cut it from the markup in the same edit.5
Date it and keep it true
Show when the page was last reviewed and put a name or team behind it. Set a calendar reminder to read every answer again twice a year, and delete the ones that no longer hold. A short page that is correct is worth more than a long one that is half stale.
Before you publish
0 / 4: tick each one as you check it.
This guide covers a few. The checklist covers the rest.
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Common questions
How long should an FAQ answer be?
Open with one or two sentences that fully answer the question, around forty words, then add detail only if it helps. Short, complete answers are the easiest to quote.
Do I need FAQ markup to get quoted?
No. Search documentation lists no special markup as a requirement for appearing in answer features. Clear visible text comes first; markup is an optional label on top.
Should I put every question on one page?
No. Group related questions by topic, six to twelve per page, so each page has a clear subject and stays easy to scan.
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