Google is committed to making its search results as simple and easy to use as possible. To that end, the company is deprecating How-to rich results on desktop, effective September 13, 2023. This means that Google will no longer show How-to rich results in desktop search results. How-to rich results were previously removed from mobile search in August 2023.
How-to rich results were a type of rich result that provided users with step-by-step instructions on how to complete a task. They were often displayed in a carousel format at the top of the search results page.
Google has stated that it is removing How-to rich results from desktops to simplify its search results and make them more consistent across all devices. The company also cited that How-to-rich results were not as widely used as other types of rich results, such as product-rich and recipe-rich results.
What are How-to rich results?
How-to rich results were a type of rich result that provided users with step-by-step instructions on how to complete a task. They were often displayed in a carousel format at the top of the search results page.
How-to rich results are a type of rich result that provides users with a step-by-step guide to completing a task. They are displayed in a carousel format at the top of the search results page. They include information such as the steps involved in the task, the estimated time required to complete it, and any necessary ingredients or equipment.
Why is Google deprecating How-to rich results on desktop?
Google has not provided a specific reason for deprecating How-to rich results on desktop. However, the company may be doing so to streamline its search results and make them more user-friendly.
What should website owners do?
Website owners implementing How-to rich results on their websites should remove the relevant structured data markup. They should also update their API calls to reflect that How-to rich results are no longer supported on desktops.
Website owners with How-to rich results on their desktop sites must remove the structured data markup. Google will also drop the How-to search appearance, rich result report, and support in the Rich results test in 30 days. Support for How-to in the Search Console API will be removed in 180 days.
If you have How-to-rich results on your website, you can remove the structured data used to generate them. However, this is unnecessary, as Google will no longer display How-to rich results on the desktop.
You do not need to take any action if you have How-to rich results on your website. Google will no longer display them on desktop devices, but you can keep the structured data in place.
However, if you want to remove the structured data, you can do so using a variety of methods, such as:
- Updating your website’s code
- Using a content management system (CMS) plugin
- Using a structured data markup removal tool
Detailed Explanation Of The Different Parts Of The Announcement
- Continuing our efforts to simplify Google’s search results, we’re also extending the How-to change to desktop. This means that How-to rich results will no longer be displayed on desktop devices, just as they are no longer displayed on mobile devices.
- 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 is effective immediately.
- 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. This means that you will no longer be able to see data on How-to rich results in your Google Search Console reports.
- Since How-to results no longer appear in Google Search, we will drop the search appearance, rich result report, and support in the Rich results test in 30 days. This means that you will no longer be able to see How-to rich results in the Google Search Console Rich results test tool.
- Support for How-to in the Search Console API will be removed in 180 days to allow time for adjusting your API calls. If you use the Search Console API to access data on How-to rich results, you must stop doing so within 180 days.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Why is Google deprecating How-to rich results on desktop? Google is deprecating How-to rich results on the desktop to simplify its search results and to focus on the most relevant and useful results for users.
- When will How-to rich results be deprecated on the desktop? How-to rich results were deprecated on the desktop on September 13, 2023.
- What do website owners need to do? Website owners with How-to rich results on their desktop sites must remove the structured data markup.
- What will happen to existing How-to rich results on desktop? Existing How-to rich results on the desktop will no longer be shown in search results.
- What other changes is Google making to How-to rich results? Google also drops the How-to search appearance, rich result report, and support in the Rich results test in 30 days. Support for How-to in the Search Console API will be removed in 180 days.
Overall, the deprecation of How-to rich results on a desktop is a relatively minor change. However, it is important for website owners to be aware of the change and to take the necessary steps to update their websites accordingly.