Technical
FAQPage vs QAPage schema
FAQPage is for a page where you publish several question-and-answer pairs you wrote yourself. QAPage is for a page whose reason to exist is one question, particularly where multiple answers or user-submitted answers are possible.
Side by side
| Compared on | FAQPage | QAPage |
|---|---|---|
| Number of questions | Several | One, as the page subject |
| Who wrote the answers | The site owner | Anyone, including users |
| Multiple answers supported | No | Yes, with an accepted answer |
| Typical use | A service page FAQ section | A dedicated answer page |
| Rich result today | Restricted since 2023 | Limited |
When FAQPage is the right choice
- A block of buyer questions on a service or product page
- A dedicated FAQ page covering many topics
- Where all answers are yours and equally authoritative
When QAPage schema is the right choice
- A page built around one specific question
- Community or forum content with several answers
- Where an accepted answer is meaningfully distinct from alternatives
The rule both share
The questions and answers must be visible on the page. Marking up content a user cannot see is a policy violation regardless of type, and it happens easily when the data outgrows the template rendering it.
Why ship either now
Not for a Google rich result — FAQ was restricted to government and health sites in 2023. Ship it because question-and-answer pairs are the cleanest extractable format for AI answer engines, which is a growing reason and a durable one.
The verdict
One question per page: QAPage. Several questions on a page about something else: FAQPage. Using both on a single-question page with related questions beneath it is also reasonable, and that is what this site does.
If you want the full treatment
Answer Engine Optimization: writing the passage that gets quoted covers this in about 3 minutes — free, ungated, written from client work.
Who wrote this comparison
Anas Bin Masud builds e-commerce sites and does technical SEO for businesses in the UK, Canada and Pakistan. Where a comparison involves something I sell, the page says so — and every comparison here has to name at least two situations where each side wins, because a comparison one option always wins is an advert with a table in it.