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SEOCode Rules Update v1.3.5

#release #rulesupdate #newrules 
---
title: "SEOCode Rule Engine Update: v1.3.5"
date: 2026-06-18
version: 1.3.5
slug: rule-engine-update-1-3-5
description: "Version 1.3.5 adds two new rules covering domain migration subdomain variant requirements and the final removal of FAQ rich result documentation from Google Search Central."
tags:
  - rule-engine
  - changelog
  - technical-seo
  - schema
  - domain-migration
---
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SEOCode Rule Engine Update: v1.3.5

Version 1.3.5 adds two new rules reflecting changes Google made to its Search Central documentation on 2026-06-18: updated site move guidance that now explicitly requires migrating all subdomain variants, and the complete removal of FAQ rich result documentation confirming the feature is dead.

New Rules

site-move-domain-variants — Site move guidance: include all domain variants

Severity: Warning
Category: Technical

What it checks

When SEOCode detects a domain migration in progress (based on redirect configurations, canonical changes, or Search Console Change of Address signals in your codebase), this rule verifies that all subdomain variants of the origin domain are accounted for in the migration. Specifically, it flags cases where www and non-www variants are not both being migrated.

For example: migrating example.com → newdomain.com without also migrating www.example.com → www.newdomain.com (or the appropriate canonical target) will trigger this warning.

Why it matters for SEO

Google's Change of Address tool works at the domain level, but ranking signals are associated with specific URLs — including both www and non-www variants. If you only submit a Change of Address for one variant, Google may consolidate signals for that variant but leave the other behind. The result is a slower, incomplete migration where some of your historical ranking authority doesn't transfer to the new domain.

Google updated its site move documentation on 2026-06-18 to make this requirement explicit. This rule encodes that guidance so incomplete migrations are caught at the PR stage rather than weeks later in Search Console.

What you need to do

If this rule fires on your PR:

  1. Confirm that both www.olddomain.com and olddomain.com have redirects pointing to the correct destination on the new domain.
  2. Submit the Change of Address tool in Google Search Console for each variant separately — the tool does not automatically apply to both.
  3. Ensure canonical tags on the new domain are consistent and point to your preferred variant.

If your site only ever served one variant (e.g., you enforced www everywhere and non-www returned a redirect), document that in your migration plan. The rule accepts a configuration override for sites that can confirm only one variant was ever active.

faq-rich-result-documentation-removed — FAQ rich result documentation fully removed

Severity: Info
Category: Schema

What it checks

This rule flags any use of FAQPage structured data in your codebase. It does not block merges. It surfaces as an informational notice to ensure developers are aware that FAQPage schema produces no rich result benefit in Google Search as of this update.

Note: The existing rule faq-schema-deprecated already issues actionable guidance on removing or replacing FAQPage markup. This rule adds a milestone marker: Google has now fully removed the FAQ rich result documentation from Search Central, which is the final confirmation that the feature is gone — not deprecated, not limited, gone.

Why it matters for SEO

When Google deprecates a rich result type, there is typically a window where the documentation remains available and some implementations may still render. That window is now closed for FAQ rich results. The documentation removal on 2026-06-18 is the definitive signal that no implementation of FAQPage structured data will produce a visual rich result in Google Search.

Leaving FAQPage markup in your codebase is not harmful — it won't cause a penalty — but it is dead weight. It adds payload to your pages and creates maintenance surface for structured data that returns nothing.

What you need to do

This rule is informational only. No immediate action is required to merge. However, you should plan to:

  1. Remove FAQPage structured data from your templates and components.
  2. If you were using FAQ rich results as a click-through rate strategy, evaluate alternatives such as HowTo (where applicable and still supported) or improving on-page content directly.
  3. Check your structured data testing pipeline — if you have tests that assert FAQPage schema is present, those tests are now asserting the presence of inert markup and should be updated or removed.

Sources & References

  1. Google Search Central Documentation Changelog

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