Test a page's structured data with Google's Rich Results Test

See what Google can read from a public page, which supported search features it may qualify for, and what to check or fix next.

• Outcome: Technical SEO
• Tools: Google Rich Results Test
• Responsible: People responsible for checking what a public website page tells Google about its content
• Estimated time: 10 minutes

Scope

This SOP covers:

• Test a public page URL for structured data Google Search recognizes
• Understand detected items, required errors, recommendations, and no-item results
• Compare important page information with what visitors can see and choose a concrete next action

This does not cover:

• Write or repair custom structured data code
• Check every Schema.org type or set up Google Merchant Center feeds
• Measure indexing, rankings, or whether Google will display an enhanced result

Requirements

• The complete public URL of the page you want to check

Related SOPs

• SOP 069: Choose a structured data setup for WordPress articles and products

01. Test the public page

Structured data is page information written in a format search tools can read. The test checks the search features Google currently supports.

1. Create a short note titled Structured data check in the page's work record. If the page has no open work record, create a plain-text note where your team tracks website changes. Enter the complete page URL and today's date.

2. Open Google's Rich Results Test, choose its URL test, enter the same complete page URL, and start the test. Wait for the page to finish loading before reading the result.

   • Warning: The page must be public and reachable by Google's testing service. A fetch or access error means the tool could not inspect it; it does not mean the page has no structured data.

3. Read the main result and choose the matching description for your note:

   1. If no items were detected, Google found no item for a search feature it currently supports; this test does not cover every kind of structured data. If you expected a Google-supported item on this page (for example, Article or Product), note which one and ask the page owner to check the intended setup. If you expected no supported item, record: No supported item detected; no correction requested.

      • Resource: Structured data types Google Search supports (Check whether the kind of structured data on your page is currently in Google's search gallery.)

   2. If the test reports that it could not fetch or read the page, correct a mistyped URL or ask the site owner to check public access. Test the URL again before treating it as a no-item result.

   3. If items were detected, write their type and status in the note, then inspect each item in the next milestone.

02. Check the result against the page

An error and a recommendation call for different decisions. Compare each item with the information visitors can actually see.

1. Open each detected item and read its status and issue details. Use the current Google guide for that item type to decide whether the issue prevents eligibility or recommends extra information.

   • Warning: Do not add made-up authors, prices, reviews, ratings, dates, or other information just to remove a warning.
   • Resource: Google's general structured data guidelines (Check that information is accurate, relevant, and visible to page visitors.)

   1. An error about a required value or format usually means that item cannot qualify for its search feature until the problem is fixed. Copy the exact issue into your note; do not guess which field the tool means.

   2. A warning may point to a recommended detail, but another warning may flag a problem that should be corrected. Read the specific issue and its current Google guide before deciding. For example, a product can have a real price and availability offer without customer reviews. If the shop has no genuine reviews, note the review recommendation and do not invent ratings.

      • Resource: Google's product snippet requirements (Check which product details are required and why a real offer can be reported without review data.)

2. Open the public page in another tab. For each important value, write the exact value shown by the test beside the exact value visitors see. Do not assume either one is correct yet; ask the page owner to confirm the value from the source record if they differ.

   • Warning: Google says structured data must describe content visitors can see. Hidden, misleading, or unrelated information can make an item ineligible even when the code is formatted correctly.

   1. For an article, compare its headline, author, publication date, and main image with what the page shows.

   2. For a product, compare its name, image, price and currency, and availability with the public product page.

   3. For another supported type, compare the important values in the item with the same information visitors can see on the page.

3. Check what each detected result represents before treating it as repeated output.

   • Resource: Google's Product structured data overview (Confirm that Product snippets and Merchant listings are overlapping Google product features with separate requirements.)
   • Resource: Google's explanation of the Product reports (See how Google split Product snippets and Merchant listings into separate reports and reflected the change in its test tool.)

   1. One Product snippets result and one Merchant listings result can be Google's two feature checks for the same product. Those two sections alone do not show that a plugin repeated the Product markup. A breadcrumb describes another page element, not the product.

   2. If the same feature section shows repeated Product entries, or Product entries have different names, product URLs, offer URLs, or other values, compare the entries and write exactly which section and details differ. Ask the site maintainer to check the theme, plugin, or extension that supplies Product data; the test may not identify its source. A repeated-looking result is a reason to investigate, not proof that a particular plugin duplicated markup.

03. Record what should happen next

The final note gives the page owner a clear correction or a reason to leave accurate data alone.

1. In Structured data check, record the detected types and statuses and any exact issue or recommendation. If a value differs from the visible page, record both exact values and ask the page owner to confirm which matches the source record. After confirmation, have the owner align the visible page and its generated data, then retest the same URL and add the result. If the values match, record the status and no-correction decision; do not request a source change or retest just for completeness. Leave any unresolved mismatch with its owner; do not assume the test value or page value is right.

2. After the page owner corrects the source and updates the public page, run the same URL through the test again. Confirm that the corrected value appears. If a required error was present, also confirm that it cleared. Recheck any remaining warning against its current Google feature guide.

   • Warning: A passing test means the page may qualify for a supported search feature. Google decides whether and how to display enhanced results, so a passing test is not a display guarantee.

3. If all detected items match confirmed page information and no required issue remains, write No correction needed now in Structured data check. If no item was detected, follow the earlier expected-item decision: when no supported item was expected, write No supported item detected; no correction requested; when a Google-supported item was expected, keep the page-owner check open. If a recommendation has no accurate value behind it, record why it will remain unanswered.