Structured Data Checklist 2026: What Still Earns a Rich Result

What structured data does in 2026, and what it does not

Structured data is code that labels the facts on a page: this is a product, this is its price, this is the business address. Google uses it to understand the page and to make it eligible for rich results such as product prices, review stars, event dates and breadcrumbs.

It does not guarantee a rich result. Google's policies say even valid markup may not be shown (Google, structured data policies).

It is also not needed for AI features. Google says there is no special schema required to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. A page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet (Google, AI features and your website). Structured data still helps by making facts like prices, hours and authors clear, as long as it matches the visible text.

Still shown vs retired: the 2026 list

Google's search gallery, updated June 15, 2026, lists the features it still supports (Google search gallery).

Dates from Google's Search Central documentation updates, checked October 2026.

You do not need to delete retired markup in a hurry. Google ignores it. But stop spending time on it, and remove it when you next touch the template.

What to add, by type of site

The 10-point structured data checklist

1. JSON-LD format. Google recommends JSON-LD. It sits in one script tag and is easiest to keep correct.
2. One source per type. Themes, SEO plugins and apps each add their own Organization or Product graph. Two conflicting graphs confuse more than they help. View source and count them.
3. Only visible facts. Price, rating, hours and FAQ answers in the markup must also be on the page. Hidden or invented values break Google's policies and can lead to a manual action.
4. Real values, not placeholders. No "0" prices, no "4.9" ratings copied across products, no example.com URLs left from a template.
5. Required properties filled. The Rich Results Test lists missing required fields as errors and missing recommended fields as warnings. Fix errors first.
6. Price and stock kept in sync. On stores, product markup must update when the price or availability changes. Stale prices are a common reason merchant listings stop showing.
7. Absolute URLs for images, logos and url fields.
8. No self-serving reviews. Google does not show review stars for LocalBusiness or Organization reviews that the business puts on its own site.
9. Fix at the template. Errors almost always come from one template. Fix it once and every page is fixed.
10. Validated after every release. One URL per template through the Rich Results Test.

How to test

• Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results): shows which Google features a URL is eligible for and any errors. Test the live URL so you see the rendered result.
• Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org): checks any schema.org type, including ones Google does not use for rich results.
• Search Console: the enhancement reports (for example Products, Merchant listings, Breadcrumbs, Videos) show errors across the whole site. After a fix, click Validate fix.

Worked example (fictional site). northwind-outdoors.com saw the Merchant listings report fill with "Missing field 'price'" errors after a theme update. View source showed two Product graphs: one from the new theme with no offers, one from the store's SEO app with full prices. Turning off the theme's schema output left one complete graph per page, and the errors cleared after validation.