Structured Data Test

What is it?

Structured data is a standardized way to label the entities and relationships on a page so search engines and AI answer engines can understand them precisely. Adding the right schema unlocks rich result features in search engine results pages, star ratings, FAQs, product cards, recipes, events, breadcrumbs, and gives AI answer engines accurate facts to extract when generating responses. The Google Search Central structured data guide documents every supported type and the rich result features each one enables.

Why structured data still matters

The visible difference structured data makes in search results is dramatic. A product page with valid Product schema can show price, availability, and review stars directly in the snippet, occupying significantly more visual space than a plain listing and earning measurably higher click-through rates. An article with Article schema can appear in news carousels and Top Stories. A recipe with Recipe schema gets a rich card complete with cooking time, calories, and an image. None of these treatments is available without the corresponding schema markup.

The newer reason: AI answer engines

Structured data is one of the strongest signals AI answer engines use to extract precise facts when generating responses. When ChatGPT search, Perplexity, or Google's AI Overviews need to cite a specific price, rating, author, or publication date, well-structured schema gives them an unambiguous source rather than forcing them to parse natural language. When two pages cover the same topic with comparable depth, the one with valid schema is the one an answer engine can confidently quote.

Common schema gaps this test catches

No structured data at all, missing every rich result and AEO opportunity.
Wrong schema type for the content, such as Product schema on an article page.
Required properties missing: each schema type has required fields; missing them disqualifies the page from rich results.
Markup that does not match visible content, which Google penalizes by removing rich result eligibility.
Multiple conflicting blocks emitted by both a theme and an SEO plugin.

This test detects the structured data on your page and validates its basic form. The fix guide below covers picking the right schema types, generating JSON-LD in the major content management systems and frameworks, and validating with Google's Rich Results Test before shipping.

Pass rate:

Top 100 websites: 66%
This value indicates the percent of top 100 most visited websites in the US that pass this test (in the past 12 months).
All websites: 61%
This value indicates the percent of all websites analyzed in SEO Site Checkup (500,000+) in the past 12 months.

Pass rates of Top 100 US websites
2021	59%
2022	66%
2023	53%
2024	66%

100

How do I fix it?

Structured data is a standardized way to label the entities and relationships on a page so search engines and AI answer engines can understand them. Adding the right schema helps unlock rich result features in SERPs (star ratings, FAQs, product cards, recipes, events) and gives AI answer engines precise facts to extract when generating responses. Fixing this issue means picking the schema types that match your content and embedding them as JSON-LD inside the page <head>. See the Google Search Central structured data guide for the full type catalog.

Example

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "How to choose marathon running shoes",
  "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jane Doe" },
  "datePublished": "2026-04-15",
  "image": "https://example.com/images/hero.jpg"
}
</script>

Where to make the change

Raw HTML: embed a JSON-LD block inside the <head>. JSON-LD is Google's preferred format because it does not interleave with visible content.
WordPress: a dedicated SEO plugin generates JSON-LD for articles, products, breadcrumbs, and FAQ blocks automatically. Customize the templates for non-standard content.
Shopify: Shopify themes emit Product schema by default. Extend with custom types via theme code edits.
Wix or Squarespace: built-in blocks for FAQ, recipe, and event content emit schema automatically.
Headless or framework sites: generate JSON-LD from your content data in the layout component so every page ships consistent schema.

Common causes and how to resolve them

No structured data at all: add at minimum the @type that matches the page (Article for blog posts, Product for product pages, Organization for the homepage).
Wrong schema type for the content: using Product schema on an article page misleads search engines. Pick the type that matches what the page actually is.
Required properties missing: each schema type has required fields. Validate with the Rich Results Test to surface missing properties.
Markup does not match visible content: Google penalizes structured data that asserts facts the page does not show. Reflect what is actually on the page.
Multiple conflicting blocks: a theme and an SEO plugin both emit schema for the same entity. Pick one source of truth.

Best practices

Validate before shipping: Google's Rich Results Test and Schema Markup Validator catch syntax errors and missing required fields.
Use JSON-LD: easier to maintain than Microdata or RDFa and Google's preferred format.
Cover the obvious wins: Article, Product, BreadcrumbList, Organization, and FAQPage are the highest-impact types for most sites.
Keep schema accurate: wrong or exaggerated schema can lead to Google removing rich result eligibility for the entire site.