Video Rich Results Schema: Complete Guide
Video rich results let Google display your video content as an enhanced search listing with a thumbnail, duration, and publication date — and can surface it in the dedicated Video tab of Google Search. Valid VideoObject schema also enables the "Key Moments" feature, which lets users jump to specific timestamps in your video directly from search results. This guide covers required markup, the Key Moments feature, video sitemaps vs schema, and how to diagnose missing video rich results.
What Are Video Rich Results?
Video rich results appear in three Google surfaces: the main search results page (as a video snippet with thumbnail), the Videos tab (a dedicated video search interface), and Google Discover (for relevant video content). Video snippets in the main SERP show the video title, thumbnail, publication date, duration, and the hosting site. The Videos tab surfaces your videos for video-specific queries. The "Key Moments" feature adds chapter markers to your video listing, letting users skip to relevant sections — this significantly improves engagement and watch time for longer tutorial or documentary-style content.
Required Schema Markup (JSON-LD)
A complete VideoObject schema example with Key Moments:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "VideoObject",
"name": "How to Fix XML Sitemap Errors in 10 Minutes",
"description": "A complete walkthrough of diagnosing and fixing common XML sitemap errors using SitemapFixer.",
"thumbnailUrl": [
"https://sitemapfixer.com/thumbnails/sitemap-errors-1x1.jpg",
"https://sitemapfixer.com/thumbnails/sitemap-errors-16x9.jpg"
],
"uploadDate": "2026-04-27T08:00:00+00:00",
"duration": "PT10M32S",
"contentUrl": "https://sitemapfixer.com/videos/fix-sitemap-errors.mp4",
"embedUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/embed/abc123",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "SitemapFixer",
"logo": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"url": "https://sitemapfixer.com/opengraph-image",
"width": 600,
"height": 60
}
},
"hasPart": [
{
"@type": "Clip",
"name": "Introduction",
"startOffset": 0,
"endOffset": 45,
"url": "https://sitemapfixer.com/videos/fix-sitemap-errors#t=0"
},
{
"@type": "Clip",
"name": "Finding sitemap errors in GSC",
"startOffset": 46,
"endOffset": 240,
"url": "https://sitemapfixer.com/videos/fix-sitemap-errors#t=46"
},
{
"@type": "Clip",
"name": "Fixing 404 errors in the sitemap",
"startOffset": 241,
"endOffset": 480,
"url": "https://sitemapfixer.com/videos/fix-sitemap-errors#t=241"
}
]
}Required vs Recommended Properties
Required properties for VideoObject rich results are name, description, thumbnailUrl (minimum 1200px × 675px recommended), and uploadDate (ISO 8601 format). Google strongly recommends adding duration (ISO 8601 duration like PT10M32S), contentUrl (direct URL to the video file) or embedUrl (embed URL for hosted video), and publisher. For Key Moments, add hasPart with an array of Clip objects, each with name, startOffset (seconds from start), endOffset, and url (link to that timestamp).
Key Moments Feature
Key Moments (also called video chapters) allow Google to show clickable timestamps in your video search listing. Users can jump directly to the relevant section of your video from the SERP — which improves engagement and signals to Google that your content is well-organized. To enable Key Moments via schema, use the hasPart property with an array of Clip objects. Each clip needs a name (the chapter title), startOffset (start time in seconds), and url (the video page URL with a timestamp fragment). Alternatively, YouTube channels can use YouTube's own chapter feature in video descriptions.
Video Sitemaps vs VideoObject Schema
Both video sitemaps and VideoObject schema help Google discover and index your video content, but they serve different purposes. A video sitemap (using the <video:video> extension in your XML sitemap) helps Googlebot discover video pages and provides metadata for the Google Video index. VideoObject schema on individual pages helps Google understand the video content in context and enables rich result features like Key Moments and video snippets in search. Use both together for maximum indexing coverage: video sitemap for discovery + VideoObject schema on each video page for rich results eligibility.
Thumbnail Requirements
Video thumbnails are critical for rich result eligibility. Google requires thumbnails to be at least 1200px wide. Recommended aspect ratios are 1:1, 4:3, and 16:9 — provide all three in an array for the thumbnailUrl property. Thumbnails must be publicly accessible (not behind authentication), crawlable by Googlebot, and stable URLs (avoid signed or expiring CDN URLs). Use representative frames from your video rather than generic title cards. High-quality, visually compelling thumbnails increase CTR in the video carousel. Ensure your thumbnail matches the video content — misleading thumbnails can lead to rich result suppression.
How to Test Video Schema
Use the Rich Results Test to validate VideoObject schema on individual pages. Check for all required properties and preview how your video listing may appear. In Google Search Console, the Videos report (under Index > Video pages) shows which video pages have been indexed and whether VideoObject schema was detected. Use the URL Inspection tool on specific video pages to see when they were last crawled and whether the video schema was parsed correctly. Note that new video pages can take several weeks to appear in video search even with valid schema and a submitted video sitemap.
Common Mistakes and Fixes
Common video schema errors: missing or too-small thumbnail (fix: provide 1200px+ images in multiple ratios); uploadDate in wrong format (fix: use ISO 8601 with timezone, e.g. 2026-04-27T08:00:00+00:00); neither contentUrl nor embedUrl provided (fix: always include at least one); Key Moments clips with overlapping time ranges (fix: ensure each clip's startOffset equals the previous clip's endOffset); and using VideoObject schema on pages where the video is not the primary content (fix: VideoObject works best on dedicated video pages, not pages where video is a secondary element).