Effective Strategies for Adding Multiple FAQ Sections on a Single Page Without Multiple FAQPage Markup
When designing product pages or comprehensive information hubs, incorporating Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) enhances user experience and boosts SEO. However, challenges arise when these FAQs are grouped into various subtopics—each requiring its own structured data markup. Specifically, adding multiple FAQ sections often results in multiple instances of the FAQPage schema, which can negatively impact search engine understanding and compliance.
The Challenge: Multiple FAQPage Schema Instances
A common scenario involves having a lengthy product page segmented into different FAQ sections, such as “Shipping & Delivery,” “Payment Options,” and “Product Support.” Developers tend to embed separate FAQ components for each segment, and in doing so, inadvertently generate multiple FAQPage structured data blocks in the webpage source code.
While this approach seems straightforward, it can cause issues with search engines like Google. They prefer a single, cohesive FAQ schema per page to accurately interpret and display rich snippets. Multiple FAQPage instances may lead to confusion, potential ranking penalties, or missed opportunities for enhanced search visibility.
Understanding Schema Markup around FAQs
Schema.org provides structured data types such as FAQPage, which encapsulate a list of question-answer pairs. In JSON-LD, this structured data might look like:
json
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Question 1?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Answer to question 1."
}
},
...
]
}
Including multiple FAQPage blocks within one page can dilute the clarity and effectiveness of the markup.
Best Practices for Managing Multiple FAQ Sections
To address this challenge, consider the following strategies:
1. Consolidate FAQs into a Single FAQPage
Instead of creating multiple schema instances, combine all questions into a single FAQPage entity. This can be achieved by:
- Collecting all FAQ questions across different subtopics.
- Structuring them within one JSON-LD script tag.
- Using clear categorization within questions to maintain the subtopic distinctions visually for users.
This approach ensures a clean, Google-friendly markup and more straightforward maintenance.
2. Use Multiple Question Lists Within a Single FAQPage
If you prefer to distinguish between subtopics visually