Schema markup validator

What structured data is for

Structured data is a block of code — usually JSON-LD — that states plainly what a page is about: this is a product, at this price; this is an article, by this author, published on this date. Google uses it to understand the page and to decide whether it can show a rich result, such as a product's price and rating under the link.

Valid is not the same as eligible

Markup can be perfectly valid schema.org and still earn nothing, because Google sets its own rules for each rich result. In its words: "You must include the required properties for your content to be eligible for display as a rich result" (Google: product snippets). This validator checks the types we hold Google's published requirements for — Product, Offer, AggregateOffer, BreadcrumbList, Article, and Article's NewsArticle and BlogPosting — and lists every other type it finds without judging it. For every rich result type, Google's own Rich Results Test is the final word.

The faults worth knowing about

• JSON that does not parse. Google discards it without a word, so you believe you have markup you do not have.
• Missing required properties. The item is not eligible for its rich result at all.
• Markup the page does not say. Google's policy: "Don't mark up content that is not visible to readers of the page" (Google: structured data policies).
• Template code. {{name}} or ${price} handed to Google because a build did not finish.
• Retired types. FAQ and How-to rich results are gone; Google says the markup can stay, but it earns nothing new.

Next: check the canonical, or preview the Google snippet.