Key takeaways
- Google’s Rich Results Test checks eligibility for Google features; the Schema Markup Validator checks general Schema.org correctness. Use both.
- Valid markup does not guarantee a rich result; Google decides whether to show one.
- The list of supported features keeps shrinking. Google phased out seven types in June 2025, retired HowTo in 2023 and stopped showing FAQ rich results on May 7, 2026.
- Most failures come from missing required properties, wrong data formats and markup that does not match the visible page.
- Validate during development, before release and on a monitoring schedule.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What are the most common validation failures? | The same patterns appear on most audits: |
| How do you build a validation pipeline for enterprise sites? | Automate checks at each stage and give one person ownership. |
| Which rich result types should enterprise sites focus on in 2026? | The ones Google still supports that match your pages. |
Structured data earns rich results only when it is correct, matches Google’s current specifications and stays accurate as content changes. On large sites, one template error can remove rich results from thousands of pages at once. This Emulent guide covers which tools to use, the most common failures, how to automate validation and which types are still worth the effort.
Which validation tools should you use and when?
Use Google’s tool for eligibility and Schema.org’s validator for correctness.
- The Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results) checks whether markup qualifies for specific Google features and flags missing required or recommended properties. It only reports on types Google currently supports.
- The Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org) checks markup against the full Schema.org vocabulary, including types Google does not use for rich results.
Passing both shows your markup is eligible and well formed. Whether Google displays a rich result still depends on the query, page quality and its own policies.
What are the most common validation failures?
The same patterns appear on most audits:
- Missing required properties. Requirements differ by feature; for example, Google’s product snippets and merchant listings have different required fields, so check the specific feature documentation.
- Wrong formats, such as a price written as “$49.99” instead of a number with a separate priceCurrency, or dates that are not in ISO 8601 format.
- Markup that does not match the page, such as a schema price or rating that differs from what users see. Google treats this as a policy issue that can lead to a manual action.
- Broken nesting, where an error in one nested item, such as an AggregateRating inside a LocalBusiness, invalidates the parent.
- Outdated types and properties, or self-serving review markup on LocalBusiness and Organization pages, which Google does not show as star ratings.
How do you build a validation pipeline for enterprise sites?
Automate checks at each stage and give one person ownership.
- Test new templates and schema changes in staging with both tools before release.
- Run scheduled crawls with Screaming Frog, Sitebulb or a custom script to extract JSON-LD and validate it against your rules.
- Monitor the rich result reports in Search Console for new errors and drops in valid items.
- Re-test a sample of every template after CMS, plugin or server changes.
On WordPress, Emulent adds schema in theme templates and includes those templates in release testing.
Which rich result types should enterprise sites focus on in 2026?
The ones Google still supports that match your pages.
- Product with offers and genuine ratings, which can show price, availability and stars for ecommerce. For catalogs, Emulent recommends Shopify, whose themes output product markup you can extend.
- Article and BlogPosting, which help Google understand authors, dates and headlines even without a dramatic visual change.
- LocalBusiness and Organization markup for locations and brand details, alongside a complete Google Business Profile, which drives most local displays. Pair it with your local SEO work.
- Breadcrumb, Event, JobPosting, Recipe and VideoObject where those page types exist.
Drop expectations for retired features. Google’s June 2025 update phased out Book Actions, Course Info, Claim Review, Estimated Salary, Learning Video, Special Announcement and Vehicle Listing; HowTo rich results ended in 2023; and FAQ rich results stopped appearing for all sites on May 7, 2026. That markup can still describe your content, which supports broader AI search visibility, but it will not create a search feature in Google.
How can the Emulent team help?
Emulent builds and validates structured data for enterprise clients as part of enterprise SEO programs: auditing markup, fixing errors and setting up monitoring. A caveat: Google changes supported features often, so review your markup against current documentation at least twice a year. Contact the Emulent team to check your structured data.