The Rich Results Test: what it checks and what it does not

The Rich Results Test tells you which Google rich results your page is eligible for and why. It reads your rendered page and the structured data on it.

It lists the rich result types it detects on the URL and flags missing required fields as errors. It flags incomplete but optional fields as warnings.

It does not judge the quality of your content or your likelihood of ranking. Structured data is not a ranking factor in itself as of 2026.

If your page is eligible, Google may show a rich result. It is not guaranteed. Eligibility means you meet the technical rules, no more.

1. 1

   Open the tool

   Go to search.google.com/test/rich-results. Choose URL or Code.

2. 2

   Test a live URL

   Enter a full URL such as https://yourproduct.com/pricing. Click Test URL. The tool renders the page and finds structured data added by HTML or JavaScript.

3. 3

   Test a code snippet

   Click Code, paste JSON-LD, Microdata HTML or RDFa HTML. Click Test Code. Use this when you draft markup before deploying.

4. 4

   Pick the device

   Use the default. Mobile is fine for most sites. The tool renders like Googlebot does for that device.

5. 5

   Read the summary

   You will see Detected structured data, Eligible or Not eligible per type, and a list of errors and warnings to fix.

Use the code tab when your CMS blocks production changes. Validate offline first, then ship it. After deploy, always test the live URL again.

Eligible means your page meets the technical requirements for that rich result type. Google may show it when your page appears in results.

• Warnings are missing recommended fields. You are eligible, but you might show with fewer enhancements.
• Errors are missing required fields or invalid values. You are not eligible until you fix them.
• Not detected means the tool did not find data of a supported rich result type on the page.

Common errors the tool reports and what they mean on a small site:

• Missing required field: add the exact property Google requires for the type. Example: Product without offers, review or aggregateRating.
• Relative URL where an absolute one is needed: include https://yourproduct.com/logo.png, not /logo.png for logo or item URLs.
• Invalid date format: use ISO 8601 such as YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ for datePublished or priceValidUntil. These are typical formats, not measured data.
• Price as text with a currency sign: split it. Use a numeric offers.price and a code in offers.priceCurrency such as USD, not a single string with a currency sign.
• Rating out of range: use valid ranges. ratingValue must sit within bestRating and worstRating if you declare them.
• Content not visible: you marked up data users cannot see. Remove it or show the content. Policy violations are not eligible.
• Broken graph: two types are nested in a way that breaks the connections. Check @id and itemReviewed point to the right nodes.

A fixed page shows Eligible for the target type, with zero errors and ideally zero warnings. Example: /features shows SoftwareApplication, eligible, with price and rating set correctly.

• It does not guarantee display. Rich results show at Google’s discretion for a given query.
• It does not check whether your markup matches your on-page content. You must make them consistent.
• It does not check all sitewide issues. It tests the one URL or snippet you give it.
• It does not measure performance or ranking. Use Search Console for impressions and clicks after shipping.
• It does not validate schema.org types that Google does not support with a rich result. Use the Schema Markup Validator for that.

Example: /blog/how-to-export-data has perfect Article markup. The test says Eligible. It still might show a plain result for “export data guide” if the query or layout does not trigger article enhancements.

Pick the schema type that matches the page. Use JSON-LD where you can. Keep properties in sync with what the user sees. Here is what to add on common product-site pages as of 2026.

• Article, NewsArticle or BlogPosting for blog posts and guides: set headline, image, datePublished, dateModified and author with name and url. Provide several high-resolution images in 16:9, 4:3 and 1:1. Google truncates long headlines.
• Product for an ecommerce product page: name is required and at least one of review, aggregateRating or offers. For offers, add price, priceCurrency, availability and url. Add brand, sku and gtin if you have them. For merchant listing results, add shipping and return details with OfferShippingDetails and MerchantReturnPolicy.
• SoftwareApplication for a SaaS or app page: name, offers.price and offers.priceCurrency are required. Use 0 for a free app. Add a rating via aggregateRating or a review. Also add applicationCategory and operatingSystem.
• FAQPage for a visible FAQ section: mainEntity is a list of Question, each with an acceptedAnswer of type Answer that holds the text. Since August 2023, FAQ rich results show only for well-known government and health sites. Your markup remains valid and readable by assistants, but will likely not show a FAQ rich result.
• HowTo for step-by-step guides: HowTo rich results were removed from Google Search in September 2023. The markup does nothing in Search now, but it is harmless to keep.
• Organization for your footer or About page: set name, url, logo at least 112 by 112 pixels and crawlable, and sameAs links. Add contactPoint, address, founder and foundingDate if you have them. Since 2024 you can also place return policy and shipping at Organization for merchants.
• BreadcrumbList for breadcrumb navigation: itemListElement is a list of ListItem with position starting at 1, name and item for the URL. The final item may omit item. Breadcrumbs can replace the URL line in results.
• Review snippet for reviews of supported types such as Product or SoftwareApplication: use itemReviewed of a supported type, reviewRating with ratingValue and bestRating, and author with name. For aggregate ratings, use ratingValue and ratingCount or reviewCount. Self-serving reviews for your own LocalBusiness or Organization are not shown as rich results.
• WebSite with SearchAction for a sitelinks search box: this feature was removed in November 2024, so the markup earns nothing now.

Example: /pricing for a SaaS can use SoftwareApplication. Set offers.price: 0 if you have a free plan, or the actual monthly price and currency. Add aggregateRating if you show ratings on the page. The test should show SoftwareApplication eligible with no errors.

• JSON-LD is recommended. It is clean to generate and does not tangle with your HTML.
• Google also reads Microdata and RDFa. If your theme already has them, you can keep them.
• You can place JSON-LD in the head or the body. Both work.
• Google renders pages, so markup injected by JavaScript can be read. The Rich Results Test and schema.org validator render too.
• A page can carry several types in one @graph. That is common for Product with BreadcrumbList and Organization.

If you rely on client-side injection, confirm the data appears in the rendered HTML. Use the URL tab in the Rich Results Test to be sure. For critical fields like price and availability, prefer server-side output to avoid timing bugs.

Keep values stable and machine-friendly. Use ISO date formats, absolute URLs with https and numeric prices without currency signs. For availability, use schema.org values such as InStock or OutOfStock, not free text like available now.

Use validator.schema.org to check your schema.org syntax and graph when Google has no rich result for that type, or when you want to test across all schema.org terms without Google’s rules.

• It validates against schema.org. It does not tell you eligibility for Google rich results.
• It is ideal for types like Organization, WebSite, or custom types that Google does not enhance in Search.
• Paste code or a URL. It renders the page like Google’s test, so JavaScript-injected JSON-LD is found.

The older Structured Data Testing Tool was retired in 2020. Use the Rich Results Test for Google eligibility and the Schema Markup Validator for general schema checks. That split is by design and keeps you on the right tool for the job.

After you deploy markup, Search Console scans your site and adds an enhancement report per rich result type it finds. You will see counts of valid, valid with warnings and invalid items across your site. It is sitewide, not per URL.

1. 1

   Open Search Console

   Go to Search appearance or the enhancement reports area. Look for Product, Article, Breadcrumbs, Software App or FAQ reports, depending on what you shipped.

2. 2

   Fix issues in bulk

   Click a report, open an error, read example URLs. Fix the template in your code. Re-test a sample URL in the Rich Results Test.

3. 3

   Validate the fix

   In the report, click Validate fix. Google will re-crawl affected URLs and update the counts over the next days.

4. 4

   Watch performance

   Use the Performance report to see impressions and clicks by Search appearance. Check if product snippets or breadcrumbs appear for your pages.

Example: you add offers to /product/widget and similar pages. The Product report shows 0 errors, 15 valid. The Performance report shows Search appearance: Product results rising for queries like “widget 2.0 price”. That is a working deployment on a store-sized site.

Three quick fixes you are likely to need on a product business site.

• Article on /blog/getting-started shows Error: Missing field author. Add author with a Person or Organization object. Include name and url. Re-test, it becomes Eligible with a warning if your image set is too small. Add 16:9, 4:3 and 1:1 images to clear it.
• SoftwareApplication on /features/data-export shows Error: Missing field offers.priceCurrency. You set price: 0 but no currency. Add offers.priceCurrency: USD and aggregateRating with ratingValue and ratingCount if you display ratings. Re-test, it is Eligible.
• Product on /store/widget shows Error: Invalid value in offers.availability. You used “in stock”. Replace with the schema.org value InStock. Re-test, you are Eligible and warnings drop to zero if brand and sku are present.

If the test says Broken graph, check your @id references. Example: your Review points itemReviewed at a node that has no @type Product. Set @type Product there or point to the right node. Use the Schema Markup Validator to sanity check the whole graph beyond Google’s rules.