FAQPage is the Schema.org structured-data type for marking up question-and-answer content on a page. Each Q&A pair becomes a Question entity nested under FAQPage.mainEntity, with an acceptedAnswer field containing the answer text. The whole structure is typically embedded as JSON-LD inside a script tag.
For AEO specifically, FAQPage is the single most impactful schema type. AI engines' citation extractors can lift FAQPage.mainEntity.acceptedAnswer.text as a verbatim quote with one structured-field read — no LLM reformulation pass required. Pages with FAQPage schema are cited 2-3x more often for question-type queries than equivalent prose without it. The same effect compounds with ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews.
The minimal valid FAQPage has a mainEntity array of at least two Question entities. Each Question requires a name field (the question text) and an acceptedAnswer with an Answer.text. Optional fields include datePublished, suggestedAnswer (for alternative answers), and upvoteCount.
The critical rule: schema must match the visible DOM exactly. If your rendered FAQ shows seven Q&A pairs but your schema declares eight, Google flags it as a "JSON-LD content mismatch" with a manual-action risk. Same for answer text — schema text must be the same string as the rendered answer, character for character. The JSON-LD acts as a machine-readable mirror of the visible content, never an inventory of facts the user cannot see.