Google Completely Removes How-To Rich Results

Google announced that they have completely removed the How-To Rich Results. The schema for it can still be used but there will be no benefit in the search results from using it.

The reason given for removing the How-To rich results is that this is a part of simplifying the search results pages.

How-To Rich Results

The How-To rich results relied on the HowTo Schema structured data in order to make a webpage eligible for appearing in a rich result.

As usual for structured data, the structured data only makes a webpage eligible to show up as a rich result, it doesn’t ensure that it will.

In this case, the structured data will have no effect or benefit for publishers who continue to use the how-to markup.

This structured data previously shown in all languages and countries where Google Search was available.

Screenshot of How-To Rich Result

Google previously removed the How-To rich results only from mobile search, reducing it’s visibility so that it only appeared on the desktop.

There was no indication that Google intended to remove the how-to rich results from the desktop.

That has now changed.

Google has completely removed the rich results from the desktop versions of the search results pages.

The How-To rich results are officially deprecated.

Google announced:

“Continuing our efforts to simplify Google’s search results, we’re extending the How-to change to desktop as well. As of September 13, Google Search no longer shows How-to rich results on desktop, which means this result type is now deprecated.

This change will be visible in the metrics for the How-to search appearance in the performance report, and in the number of impressions reported in the How-to enhancement reports.

Since How-to results no longer appear in Google Search, we will be dropping the How-to search appearance, rich result report, and support in the Rich results test in 30 days.

To allow time for adjusting your API calls, support for How-to in the Search Console API will be removed in 180 days.”

Read Google’s official announcement:
Changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results

Featured image by author/Logo by Google