User guide
What this tool does
The Structured Data Tester reads the structured data on a page, in JSON-LD and microdata, and checks each item the way Google’s rich result rules describe. For each item you see its type, where it is in the HTML, whether anything required is missing, which recommended properties would help, and the data exactly as it was read.
It checks the types that have Google rich results: Article, Breadcrumb, Event, FAQ, Job posting, Local business, Organization, Product, Recipe, Software application and Video. Other types are read and shown but not checked against rich result rules.
When to use it
- After adding or changing structured data, before Google recrawls the page.
- When rich results disappear from search, to find what broke.
- When a plugin or tag manager adds markup, to see what it really outputs and whether it duplicates yours.
- When reviewing a competitor’s page, to see which types and properties they use.
How to use it
- Enter a page address and press Test page, or switch to Paste HTML or JSON-LD for pages behind a login or staging sites. Press Try an example to see a sample.
- Read the summary: how many items were found, errors, warnings and how many are valid for rich results.
- Go through each item. Errors mean Google can’t use the item for a rich result; warnings are recommended properties that make it more likely to show.
- Open Data as read to see the item’s data as JSON-LD, including microdata converted to JSON-LD.
- Press Fix in the Schema Builder to edit the items, fill in what’s missing and copy corrected JSON-LD.
What it checks
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| JSON syntax | One stray comma makes Google ignore the whole block. |
@context |
Without https://schema.org the types mean nothing. |
@type |
Every item needs a type. |
| Required properties | Without them the item can’t get a rich result. |
| Recommended properties | Make a rich result more likely and more complete. |
| Formats | Absolute URLs, ISO dates with time zones, ISO durations, currency codes, numbers without symbols. |
| Duplicates | Several Organization, WebSite or Breadcrumb items can contradict each other. |
Limits
- The live test reads the HTML the server sends and doesn’t run JavaScript. For markup added in the browser, paste the rendered HTML.
- RDFa is detected but not read.
- Valid markup makes a page eligible for rich results; Google decides whether to show them.
- The checks follow Google’s documentation for each type and are reviewed regularly; follow the Google’s requirements link on any item for the current rules.
FAQ
- What does the Structured Data Tester check?
- It reads every JSON-LD block and microdata item on a page, checks the syntax, @context and @type, and for types with a Google rich result (Article, Product, Event, Recipe, FAQ, Breadcrumb, Job posting and more) checks the required and recommended properties and their formats.
- Does valid markup guarantee a rich result?
- No. Valid markup makes a page eligible. Google still decides whether to show a rich result, based on the page’s quality, the query and its own policies. Some types, such as FAQ, are only shown for certain sites.
- Why is my structured data not found?
- The live test reads the HTML the server sends and doesn’t run JavaScript. If your site adds JSON-LD with JavaScript (as some tag managers and frameworks do), copy the rendered HTML from your browser’s DevTools and paste it instead.
- Should I use JSON-LD or microdata?
- Google reads both, and recommends JSON-LD because it sits in one block apart from the HTML, so it’s easier to add and keep correct. The tester reads both and warns when one page uses several formats for the same thing.
- Can I fix the problems here?
- Press Fix in the Schema Builder to open the items found in the Schema/JSON-LD Builder, where you can fill in what’s missing and copy corrected JSON-LD.