Schema Errors: Fix Structured Data Issues and Earn Rich Results

Each schema type has required properties without which Google cannot generate rich results. For Product schema: name, description, and image are required. For Article: headline, author, and datePublished. For FAQ: mainEntity with Question and acceptedAnswer. Check the specific requirements in Google's Search Gallery for each schema type. The Rich Results Test shows exactly which required fields are missing.

Image URLs must be absolute - they must start with https://. Relative URLs like /images/photo.jpg are invalid in schema. The image must be accessible (returns 200), must be an image format that Google supports (JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF), and for some schema types must meet minimum dimensions. For Product schema Google recommends images at least 696px wide.

Dates in schema must use ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD for dates, or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS+timezone for datetimes. Common mistakes: using MM/DD/YYYY format, missing the T separator between date and time, wrong timezone format. Valid example: 2025-04-15T09:00:00+00:00. The timezone offset is required for datetime values.

Google requires that schema markup describes content actually present on the page. You cannot add Product schema with a 5-star rating if no reviews appear on the page. You cannot add FAQ schema with questions and answers that are not visible in the page content. This is explicitly against Google's structured data quality guidelines and can result in manual actions if systematic.

Having multiple schema blocks of the same type can confuse Google. If you have two Article schemas or two Product schemas on the same page, Google may ignore both. Use a single, complete schema block per type. If your page genuinely contains multiple entities (like multiple products), use an ItemList schema to contain them.