How to Test Structured Data: Rich Results Test, Schema Validator and Search Console

On this page

1. Three tools, three different jobs
2. Google's Rich Results Test
3. The Schema Markup Validator
4. Search Console enhancement reports
5. Errors vs warnings: what to fix first
6. Common problems and how to fix them
7. Valid, but no rich result?
8. A simple testing routine

Adding schema markup is only half the job. Structured data can be missing a required field, duplicated by two plugins or quietly broken by a theme update, and nothing on the page looks any different when it happens. Testing tells you whether Google can actually read it. If you're new to the topic, start with schema markup explained; this guide covers the checking and fixing.

Three tools, three different jobs

Tool	What it tells you	Best used for
Rich Results Test (Google)	Which Google rich result types a page is eligible for, with errors and warnings	Checking one page before or after publishing
Schema Markup Validator (schema.org)	Whether the markup is valid schema.org code, for any type	Types Google doesn't use for rich results, such as Service
Search Console enhancement reports	Errors and warnings across every page Google has crawled	Ongoing monitoring of the whole site

Use the first two for individual pages, and Search Console to catch problems at scale.

Google's Rich Results Test

Enter a page URL (or paste a code snippet) and the test fetches the page the way Google's smartphone crawler does, including any markup added by JavaScript. It then shows:

• Detected items, such as Product snippets, Breadcrumbs, Organization or Local business
• Whether each item is valid, valid with warnings, or invalid
• The exact field causing each problem, so you can trace it back to the plugin or template responsible

Two tips. First, it only reports on types Google uses for rich results, so a page with only Service or ProfessionalService markup may be reported as not eligible for any rich results even when the code is fine. Second, if your staging site is password-protected, copy the page source and use the code option instead of the URL.

The Schema Markup Validator

This is the successor to Google's old Structured Data Testing Tool, now run by schema.org. It checks your markup against the full schema.org vocabulary rather than Google's rich result rules. Use it to:

• Check types Google doesn't show as rich results but which still describe your business clearly to search engines and other tools
• See the full structure of your markup, including how items connect (for example, an article's author linked to a person)
• Spot syntax problems and misspelt property names

A clean result here doesn't mean Google will show a rich result; it only means the code is well formed. Use both tools together.

Search Console enhancement reports

Once your site is verified in Search Console, Google creates a report for each rich result type it finds on your pages. Look under Enhancements (and, for online stores, Shopping) for reports such as Breadcrumbs, Product snippets, Merchant listings or Review snippets. Each report shows:

• How many items are invalid and how many are valid
• The issue behind each group of errors or warnings, with example URLs
• A Validate fix button to ask Google to recheck the affected pages after you've fixed something

There's also an Unparsable structured data report for code Google couldn't read at all, and the URL Inspection tool shows which structured data Google found on any single indexed page. For a tour of the other reports, see Search Console reports explained.

Errors vs warnings: what to fix first

Status	What it means	Priority
Error (invalid item)	A required field is missing or a value is wrong, so the item can't appear as a rich result	Fix first, especially on product and key service pages
Warning	A recommended field is missing; the item is still eligible, just with less detail	Fix when you genuinely have the information
Valid	Google can read the item and it's eligible	No action, but eligibility isn't a guarantee

Never fill a warning with invented data just to clear it. An empty optional field is fine; a made-up rating or brand is not.

Common problems and how to fix them

Unparsable code

Usually hand-written JSON-LD with a missing comma, an extra bracket, or curly quotes pasted from a word processor. Retype the quotes as straight quotes and run the snippet through the validator again.

Missing required fields

For products, a common error says that one of offers, review or aggregateRating should be specified. It usually means a product has no price set, or a plugin is adding product markup to a page it shouldn't. Missing name or image errors often point to incomplete product or post details.

Invalid values

Prices should be plain numbers with a currency code such as INR, not text like "Rs 1,499/-". Dates need a standard format, which plugins handle for you but hand-written code often gets wrong.

Duplicate or conflicting markup

A theme, an SEO plugin and WooCommerce can each output their own Organization or Product markup, sometimes with different details. Pick one source and switch structured data off in the others.

Markup that doesn't match the page

Schema must describe what visitors can see. Old prices still served from a cache, FAQs hidden from visitors, or star ratings you wrote yourself go against Google's guidelines, and serious cases can lead to a manual action. Running an online store? WooCommerce SEO covers product markup in more detail.

Valid, but no rich result?

This is the most common question, and usually not a bug. Passing the tests only makes a page eligible. Google decides when to show a rich result based on the search, the device and its assessment of the page. Google has also narrowed some features over time: FAQ rich results are now limited to a small group of well-known authoritative sites, and review stars aren't shown when a business marks up reviews about itself on its own LocalBusiness or Organization markup. Check Google's current documentation before promising anyone a particular result.

A simple testing routine

1. At launch or after a redesign: test one page of each template (home, service page, blog post, product, category) in both tools
2. After changing SEO, theme or WooCommerce plugins: retest the same sample pages; see how to update WordPress safely
3. Monthly: glance at the enhancement reports for new errors or a sudden drop in valid items
4. After fixing: clear your caches, retest, then click Validate fix in Search Console

Testing by template is the key idea. Fix the template or plugin setting once, and every page that uses it is fixed too.

Want your structured data checked and cleaned up as part of a proper SEO setup? See WordPress SEO services.