Research
Google Structured Data Changes, 2023 to 2026
Google limited FAQ rich results and How-to in August 2023, retired the sitelinks search box on November 21, 2024, retired six more features in 2025 and stopped showing FAQ rich results on May 7, 2026. This page dates each change from Google's updates log and says what it means for gambling sites.
The timeline
Dates come from Google's Search Central documentation updates log unless another source is named. "What to do" is SchemaReel's reading for casino and sportsbook sites.
| Date | Change | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Google announced that FAQ rich results would show only for well-known, authoritative government and health websites, rolling out over the following week, and limited How-to rich results to desktop. FAQ documentation updated and How-to documentation removed September 14, 2023. (Search Central updates log) | Stop expecting FAQ or How-to rich results on gambling sites. | |
Google switched in-page @id examples to use hash fragments. (Search Central updates log) | Use URL plus fragment identifiers, such as https://brand.example/#org. | |
| Sitelinks search box removed from results; the markup "doesn't need to be removed, but won't be used by Google" (Google, as reported by Search Engine Journal). Documentation removed November 29, 2024 (Search Central updates log). | Leave or remove SearchAction; neither affects rankings. | |
| Breadcrumb documentation updated: breadcrumbs appear in desktop results only. (Search Central updates log) | Keep BreadcrumbList; do not expect it on mobile result pages. | |
| Google announced it would phase out seven features: Book Actions, Course Info, Claim Review, Estimated Salary, Learning Video, Special Announcement and Vehicle Listing. (Search Central updates log) | None of these are core to casino or sportsbook sites; review any templates that used them. | |
| Documentation removed for Course Info, Estimated Salary, Learning Video, Special Announcement and Vehicle Listing. (Search Central updates log) | Remove these types from templates if you still carry them; none are core to gambling sites. | |
| Google removed the Book Actions deprecation notice "because a Search feature still uses that markup", so six of the seven features announced in June were retired. (Search Central updates log) | No action for gambling sites. | |
| Practice problem and Dataset structured data phased out of Google Search results. Dataset markup is still used by Google Dataset Search; practice problem documentation was removed January 6, 2026. (Search Central updates log) | Do not rely on Dataset markup for visibility in Google Search; it still matters for Dataset Search. | |
| Review snippet documentation: avoid using multiple ways of indicating what is being reviewed. (Search Central updates log) | Use either nesting or itemReviewed, not both. | |
| FAQ rich results no longer appear in Google Search (announced May 8; documentation removed June 15, 2026). (Search Central updates log) | Keep FAQPage only where it describes visible questions; do not promise FAQ snippets. | |
| Review snippet guideline added on fake and undisclosed incentivized reviews. (Search Central updates log) | Disclose incentives clearly; never mark up invented reviews. |
What has not changed
The core of Google's structured data documentation is stable. Organization, Article, BreadcrumbList, WebSite for site names and review snippets for supported item types are all current, and the general guidelines still say that markup must describe visible content and that Google "does not guarantee" any feature. Most of the retired features were never central to gambling sites. The two that were, FAQ and the sitelinks search box, are the ones most often still promised in old audits.
How to read old advice
- Advice that promises FAQ snippets predates August 2023 for gambling sites, and every site after May 7, 2026.
- Advice that recommends SearchAction "to get a search box" predates November 2024. Google said the markup "doesn't need to be removed, but won't be used by Google."
- Advice that treats breadcrumbs as a mobile feature predates January 2025.
- Advice that suggests marking up review widgets on a brand's own site ignores Google's self-serving rule.
Keeping this page current
We read the updates log when we revise this page and record the date read below. If you spot a change we have missed, tell us through the contact page.
Questions
Do I need to remove markup for retired features?
Google said sitelinks search box markup can stay and will not be used. Valid markup for a retired feature is not an error, but removing it keeps templates simpler.
Did these changes affect rankings?
Google said the sitelinks search box change does not affect rankings or other sitelinks. Rich result changes alter how results look, not whether pages rank.
Where does Google announce these changes?
In the Search Central blog and in the documentation updates log, which lists each change with its date.
Sources
How SchemaReel chooses, reads and dates its sources is set out on the data sources page.
- Google Search Central, Latest Google Search documentation updates, read October 26, 2026.
- Search Engine Journal, Google removes sitelinks search box documentation, reporting Google's statements, read October 26, 2026.
- Search Engine Land, Google to drop support for several rich result types, June 12, 2025 (secondary report of the same announcement).
- Google Search Central, General structured data guidelines, last updated July 10, 2026.