Schema markup validator

Structured data tells search engines what a page is about in a standard format. Google says it uses structured data to understand a page and that it can enable rich results, such as review stars, prices and breadcrumbs. Broken markup fails quietly: malformed JSON, a missing required field or the wrong @type, and the page simply doesn’t qualify. The validator lists every problem it finds as an error or a warning.

Errors and warnings by schema type

Any other schema.org type, such as Event, Recipe or Review, still gets the JSON, @context and @type checks. The validator just doesn’t know its required fields, and says so in a warning.

Errors vs warnings

An error means the item is broken or missing a field it needs. Fix every error first: Google says a page must include all the required properties to be eligible for a rich result, and a block that doesn’t parse is ignored entirely.

A warningmeans the markup is valid but a recommended field is missing, such as a product’s currency or a business’s phone number. The item can still qualify. Add a recommended field when you have accurate data for it; Google says fewer complete and accurate properties beat many badly formed ones. Google’s Rich Results Test uses the same split and reports results such as “valid items with warnings”.

Rich result eligibility: what valid markup does and doesn’t get you

Valid markup makes a page eligible. It never guarantees a rich result. Google’s structured data guidelines say it does not guarantee your structured data will show, even when the Rich Results Test passes. The same guidelines set three rules that no validator can check for you:

• Mark up only what readers can see on the page. Hidden content in markup breaks the guidelines.
• Keep it accurate and current. Fake reviews and out of date events can lose eligibility.
• A structured data manual action removes rich result eligibility for the page; Google says it doesn’t affect how the page ranks in web search.

Rich result types also change. Google stopped showing FAQ rich results from May 7, 2026 and removed their documentation, so a valid FAQPage no longer earns the expandable questions in search. The validator still checks FAQPage markup, because the markup still describes the page. The Rich Results Test help page lists the types Google supports today, including Article, Breadcrumb, Local business, Organization, Product snippet, Review snippet, Software app, Event, Recipe and Video.

JSON-LD vs microdata vs RDFa

Google supports all three formats and says they are equally fine when valid, and recommends JSON-LD as the easiest to implement and maintain.

• JSON-LD sits in a <script type="application/ld+json"> tag, apart from the visible HTML, so nested items like an address inside a business are easy to write. Google can also read JSON-LD that JavaScript adds after the page loads. This validator checks JSON-LD in full.
• Microdataadds itemscope, itemtype and itemprop attributes to the visible HTML. The validator finds each item and its type; use Google’s test for the full check.
• RDFaalso uses HTML attributes. This validator doesn’t read it; Google’s Rich Results Test and the Schema.org validator both do.

If you are choosing now, use JSON-LD. It lives in one block, so a redesign that rewrites the visible HTML leaves it intact.

Common schema errors and how to fix them

Google’s Rich Results Test ignores comments inside JSON-LD, but the JSON-LD standard doesn’t allow them, so a block with comments can pass Google’s test and still fail elsewhere. Remove them before you publish.

Rich Results Test vs Schema.org validator vs this tool

The three tools answer different questions, and most teams use more than one.

After launch, Google suggests watching the rich result status reports in Search Console, which catch markup that breaks later because of a template or serving change.

Schema markup, local search and AI answers

For a local business, LocalBusiness markup should repeat the name, address and phone on your Google Business Profile exactly; the NAP consistency guide covers why, and the location pages guide shows where the markup goes on each city page. Clinics have extra types to choose from, covered in schema markup for healthcare. Schema is one line of a full local SEO audit.

For AI answers, Google says its AI features need no special schema.org markup, only structured data that matches the visible text on the page. The Google search statistics page tracks how often AI Overviews appear and what they do to clicks. Check the rest of the page with the title tag checker, the robots.txt tester and the AI crawler checker, or work through the whole technical SEO audit checklist.