# FAQ-H2 Separation Guidelines

**Last Updated:** 2026-02-11

Guidelines for ensuring FAQs supplement rather than duplicate H2 content. Based on Google guidelines and SEO best practices.

## Overview

FAQs should address questions **not already answered** in H2 sections. Duplicating an H2 question in the FAQ accordion creates redundant UX and can dilute SEO. Each FAQ should add a unique angle or different search intent.

## Direction

**Remove overlapping FAQs from accordion; keep H2 content.** H2s drive article flow, narrative, and scannability. FAQs in accordion are supplementary. When a FAQ question semantically overlaps an H2, remove it from the accordion—do not remove the H2.

**Citations:**
- **Google (2020):** Duplicate rule applies to cross-page duplication only (same Q&A on multiple pages of the site). Mark up only one instance site-wide. Not about H2 vs FAQ accordion on the same page. ([Search Engine Land](https://searchengineland.com/google-tightens-faq-markup-guidelines-disallows-repetition-of-questions-and-answers-330014))
- **John Mueller (2022):** FAQ schema can mark up Q&A visible anywhere on the page, including H2 sections. "If the questions and the answers are visible on the page, even if they're in different places on the page, that's perfectly fine." ([iloveseo.com](https://iloveseo.com/seo/google-talks-about-using-faq-schema-in-different-locations-on-a-page/))

Having the same question as H2 + FAQ schema is allowed by Google when both are visible. We avoid duplicate content in the *accordion* for UX reasons—users should not see the same Q&A twice on the page.

## Rule

**FAQs must NOT duplicate H2 questions.** If a FAQ question semantically overlaps an H2 heading (similarity ≥ 0.65), remove or rephrase the FAQ. The H2 content already answers it.

## When to Use H2 vs FAQ

| Content Type | Use H2 | Use FAQ |
|-------------|--------|---------|
| Main topic, substantive section | ✅ | ❌ |
| PAA question covered in main body | ✅ | ❌ |
| Follow-up question, different angle | ❌ | ✅ |
| PAA not covered by any H2 | ❌ | ✅ |
| Short clarification | ❌ | ✅ |

## Examples of Supplemental FAQs

**Good (supplemental):**
- H2: "Welche Kündigungsfrist gilt in der Probezeit?" → FAQ: "Wie kündige ich in der Probezeit?" (practical how-to, different intent)
- H2: "Braucht der Arbeitgeber einen Kündigungsgrund?" → FAQ: "Darf der Arbeitgeber in der Probezeit fristlos kündigen?" (nuanced angle)
- H2: "Wie viel Urlaub steht in der Probezeit zu?" → FAQ: "Muss die Probezeit im Arbeitsvertrag stehen?" (different topic)

**Bad (duplicate):**
- H2: "Welche Kündigungsfrist gilt in der Probezeit?" → FAQ: "Welche Kündigungsfrist gilt in der Probezeit?" (exact duplicate)
- H2: "Wie lange dauert die Probezeit?" → FAQ: "Wie lange dauert die Probezeit maximal?" (semantic duplicate)

## Validation Script

Run before adding or finalizing FAQs:

```bash
php v2/scripts/blog/check-h2-faq-overlap.php --post=slug --category=category [--threshold=0.65]
```

**Options:**
- `--post=slug` – Post slug
- `--category=category` – Post category (lexikon|ratgeber|inside-ordio)
- `--threshold=0.65` – Similarity threshold (default 0.65)
- `--all` – Batch across all lexikon/ratgeber posts

**Output:** Lists FAQ questions that overlap H2s, with similarity scores. Remove or rephrase flagged FAQs.

## Target

- **5–15 FAQs per post** that do NOT duplicate H2 topics
- Add supplemental FAQs from PAA/GSC queries not covered by H2s
- Remove overlapping FAQs; replace with unique angles if needed

## Optional Schema Enhancement (Future)

Per John Mueller: H2 Q&A visible on page can be marked up with FAQ schema. Our current schema uses only the `faqs` array (accordion). An optional enhancement would extend the schema generator to also include H2 sections that are questions—extracting Q&A from content.html and merging into FAQPage mainEntity. This would increase FAQ schema coverage without duplicating accordion content. See `v2/config/blog-schema-generator.php`. Defer unless explicitly requested.

## References

- [HEADING_HIERARCHY_GUIDE.md](HEADING_HIERARCHY_GUIDE.md) – H2 vs FAQ guidance
- [FAQ_MANUAL_REVIEW_SEO_CHECKLIST.md](FAQ_MANUAL_REVIEW_SEO_CHECKLIST.md) – Manual review checklist
- [CONTENT_OUTLINE.md](posts/_templates/CONTENT_OUTLINE.md) – FAQs section