Google Search Console reads the structured data on your pages and reports problems in its reports. Seeing a list of errors can be worrying, but most of them have simple causes. This article explains the kinds of messages you will find and how to fix them.
Errors, warnings and unparsable data
- Errors: a required property is missing or invalid, so the page is not eligible for the rich result linked to that type. Fix these first.
- Warnings: a recommended property is missing. The page can still be eligible, but the result may be less complete.
- Unparsable structured data: Google could not read the code at all, usually because of a syntax mistake in the JSON.
The usual causes
- A missing required property, such as the price or availability on a product.
- A comma left after the last item of a list or object, which breaks the JSON.
- A value in the wrong format, such as a date written in words instead of the ISO format.
- Two plugins or a theme and a plugin printing the same type with different data.
- Markup that describes content that is not visible on the page.
How to fix a problem
- Open the report in Search Console and click the error to see the affected pages.
- Inspect one of the pages and read the exact message.
- Copy the code into a validator, as explained in the schema markup validator guide, and correct it.
- Update the page, or regenerate the code with the Product generator or the Organization generator.
- Return to Search Console and use the validate fix option so Google checks the pages again.
Prevent new errors
Errors often appear after a theme update, a new plugin or a redesign, because templates change the markup without notice. Test your key pages after every change. If you are unsure how the code should be placed, read how to insert schema markup in the head of your website.