Structured Data Reference

Consuela extracts structured data from every crawled page, validates it against Schema.org definitions, and evaluates eligibility for 27 Google rich result types. This reference covers the extraction pipeline, the validation rules applied, the properties each type requires, and the restrictions that prevent correct markup from producing a visible result.

Extraction

Three structured data formats are extracted from every page during a crawl. All three carry the same Schema.org vocabulary and receive the same validation, but they embed in HTML differently.

Format	Source	How it embeds
JSON-LD	`<script type="application/ld+json">`	A standalone JSON block in the page head or body. The data is separate from the visible HTML and does not depend on the DOM structure. Multiple blocks may appear on a single page, each containing one or more typed objects.
Microdata	`itemscope` / `itemprop` attributes	Attributes woven into existing HTML elements. An `itemscope` marks the root of a typed item, `itemtype` declares its Schema.org type, and `itemprop` attributes on descendant elements supply properties. Nested scopes create child objects.
RDFa	`typeof` / `property` attributes	Similar to Microdata but uses RDFa-specific attributes. `vocab` sets the default vocabulary, `typeof` declares the type, and `property` attributes assign values. RDFa also supports `prefix` for namespace declarations and `resource` for linking to other entities.

JSON-LD is the format Google recommends and the one most sites use. Consuela treats all three equally during extraction and validation, but the findings panel in the page inspector shows each format in its native form: JSON for JSON-LD, annotated HTML for Microdata and RDFa.

Schema validation

Validation runs in two passes. The first checks syntax; the second checks the extracted types against Schema.org definitions and Google's rich result requirements.

Basic validation

The syntax pass runs on every page, regardless of what types are present.

Check	Severity	Detail
Invalid JSON-LD	Error	A `<script type="application/ld+json">` block contains text that does not parse as valid JSON. Common causes include trailing commas, unescaped control characters, and single quotes instead of double quotes. The block is skipped entirely because no properties can be extracted from it.
JSON-LD with no `@type`	Warning	A JSON-LD block parses successfully but does not contain an `@type` property at the top level or within a `@graph` array. Without a type, search engines cannot identify what the object represents. The block is still extracted and stored, but no rich result eligibility check can run against it.
No structured data found	Info	The page contains no JSON-LD blocks, no Microdata items, and no RDFa items. This is not an error — many pages legitimately carry no structured data — but it is reported so that pages intended to have markup are not silently overlooked.

Schema.org validation

The second pass validates each extracted type against its Schema.org definition. This covers three areas: required properties, deprecated properties, and value types.

Required properties. Each Schema.org type defines properties that must be present for the object to be meaningful. Missing a required property produces an Error when it blocks a rich result or a Warning when the property is strongly recommended. The required properties for the most common types are listed in the Required properties section below.

Deprecated properties. Schema.org occasionally renames or replaces properties. Consuela flags deprecated properties as Warnings and suggests the current replacement.

Deprecated property	Replacement	Affected types
`serviceArea`	`areaServed`	`LocalBusiness`, `Organization`, `Service`
`softwareVersion`	`version`	`SoftwareApplication`, `MobileApplication`, `WebApplication`

Value types. Schema.org properties expect values of specific types. A property expecting a URL that receives plain text, or a property expecting a Date that receives a freeform string, produces a Warning. Consuela validates seven value types:

Expected type	What passes
Text	Any non-empty string.
URL	A string that parses as an absolute URL with an `http` or `https` scheme.
Number	A JSON number, or a string that parses as a finite number.
Date	An ISO 8601 date or datetime string. Partial dates (`2025`, `2025-06`) are accepted where Schema.org allows them.
Boolean	A JSON boolean (`true` / `false`), or the strings `"True"` / `"False"`.
Object	A JSON object with at least an `@type` property. The nested object is then validated recursively.
Array	A JSON array. Each element is validated against the property's expected item type.

Rich result types

Consuela evaluates eligibility for 27 Google rich result types. Each type maps to one or more Schema.org types and is checked against Google's documented requirements for that feature.

Rich result type	Schema.org types matched	Notes
Article	`Article`, `NewsArticle`, `BlogPosting`, `Report`
Breadcrumb	`BreadcrumbList`
Book	`Book`	Restricted to approved partners
Carousel	`ItemList`	Items validated individually
Course	`Course`
Dataset	`Dataset`
Discussion Forum	`DiscussionForumPosting`
Education Q&A	`Quiz`	Restricted to 4 languages
Employer Aggregate Rating	`EmployerAggregateRating`
Event	`Event`, `MusicEvent`, `Festival`, `SportsEvent`
FAQ	`FAQPage`	Removed June 2025
HowTo	`HowTo`	Removed September 2023
Image Metadata	`ImageObject`
Job Posting	`JobPosting`
Local Business	`LocalBusiness`, `Restaurant`, `Store`, `MedicalBusiness`, `ProfessionalService`
Math Solver	`MathSolver`
Movie	`Movie`
Organization	`Organization`, `Corporation`
Product	`Product`, `ProductGroup`
Profile Page	`ProfilePage`
Q&A Page	`QAPage`
Recipe	`Recipe`
Review	`Review`, `CriticReview`, `UserReview`
Software App	`SoftwareApplication`, `MobileApplication`, `WebApplication`
Speakable	`SpeakableSpecification`	Restricted to English / US / Google Home
Vacation Rental	`VacationRental`	Restricted to Hotel Center partners
Video	`VideoObject`

Required properties

The tables below list the required and recommended properties for the most commonly validated types. A missing required property produces an Error; a missing recommended property produces a Recommendation. These match Google's documented requirements as of the date of this page.

Article

Property	Status	Detail
`headline`	Required	The title of the article. Should not exceed 110 characters.
`image`	Required	One or more images representative of the article. Must meet minimum dimensions (see Image requirements).
`author`	Required	A `Person` or `Organization` object. The nested object must include a `name` property.
`datePublished`	Required	The date the article was first published, in ISO 8601 format.
`publisher`	Recommended	An `Organization` object identifying the publisher.
`dateModified`	Recommended	The date the article was last modified, in ISO 8601 format.

Product

Property	Status	Detail
`name`	Required	The product name.
`image`	Required	One or more product images. Must meet minimum dimensions (see Image requirements).
`offers` / `review` / `aggregateRating`	Recommended	At least one of these three should be present. Without pricing, reviews, or ratings the product snippet is less useful in search results.
`description`	Recommended	A description of the product.
`brand`	Recommended	A `Brand` or `Organization` object identifying the manufacturer or brand.
`sku` / `gtin`	Recommended	A unique product identifier. Either `sku`, `gtin`, `gtin8`, `gtin13`, `gtin14`, or `mpn` is recommended.

FAQ

Property	Status	Detail
`mainEntity`	Required	An array of `Question` objects. Each Question must include a `name` property (the question text) and an `acceptedAnswer` object with a `text` property (the answer). The FAQ rich result was removed by Google in June 2025, but the markup is still validated.

Event

Property	Status	Detail
`name`	Required	The name of the event.
`startDate`	Required	The start date and time in ISO 8601 format. For multi-day events, `endDate` is also expected.
`location`	Required	A `Place` (physical), `VirtualLocation` (online), or both. A Place must include `name` and `address`; a VirtualLocation must include `url`.
`image`	Recommended	An image for the event listing.
`offers`	Recommended	An `Offer` object with `price`, `priceCurrency`, and `url`.
`performer` / `organizer`	Recommended	A `Person` or `Organization` with a `name`.

Recipe

Property	Status	Detail
`name`	Required	The recipe name.
`image`	Required	An image of the finished dish. Must meet minimum dimensions (see Image requirements).
`recipeIngredient`	Recommended	An array of ingredient strings.
`recipeInstructions`	Recommended	An array of `HowToStep` objects or strings describing each step.
`author`	Recommended	A `Person` or `Organization` with a `name`.
`nutrition`	Recommended	A `NutritionInformation` object, typically with `calories`.

Video

Property	Status	Detail
`name`	Required	The title of the video.
`description`	Required	A description of the video content.
`thumbnailUrl`	Required	A URL pointing to the video thumbnail image. Must meet minimum dimensions (see Image requirements).
`uploadDate`	Required	The date the video was first published, in ISO 8601 format.
`contentUrl` / `embedUrl`	Recommended	A direct URL to the video file or an embeddable player URL. At least one should be present for Google to index the video.
`duration`	Recommended	The video length in ISO 8601 duration format (e.g. `PT1H30M`).

Restrictions

Valid markup and a visible rich result are two different things. Several types carry restrictions that mean correct markup will not produce a result for most sites. Consuela marks these as "Eligible, restricted" and displays the restriction on the eligibility card. Types that have been removed entirely are still validated — the markup may serve other search engines, and Google has restored removed features before.

Type	Status	Detail
FAQ	Removed	Google removed FAQ rich results in June 2025. The documentation page was withdrawn. Valid `FAQPage` markup produces no rich result in Google Search.
HowTo	Removed	Google removed HowTo rich results in September 2023, on both desktop and mobile. Valid `HowTo` markup produces no rich result.
Book	Partner only	Book Actions are limited to approved partners with a wide selection of books. Participation requires registering interest with Google and being accepted. Correct markup on an ordinary site produces no result.
Vacation Rental	Partner only	Limited to partners with Hotel Center access and a Google Technical Account Manager. Correct markup on an ordinary site produces no result.
Speakable	Region / device limited	Limited to English-language publishers and users in the United States with Google Home devices. Elsewhere the markup validates and produces no result.
Education Q&A	Language limited	The education Q&A carousel appears only for education-related searches, and only in English (all regions), Portuguese (all regions), Spanish (Mexico only), and Vietnamese. Elsewhere the markup validates and produces no result.

Image requirements

Several rich result types require images that meet minimum dimensions and aspect ratio constraints. When Consuela encounters an image property during validation, it checks the resolved image against these requirements and reports a Warning when the image is too small or uses an unsupported ratio.

Type	Minimum dimensions	Accepted aspect ratios
Article	1200 × 675 px	16:9, 4:3, 1:1
Recipe	1200 × 675 px	16:9, 4:3, 1:1
Product	800 × 800 px	Square preferred (1:1). Other ratios accepted but may be cropped in search results.
Video (thumbnail)	1280 × 720 px	16:9 only

These minimums reflect Google's documented requirements. Images below the minimum are flagged even when the markup is otherwise correct, because an undersized image can prevent the rich result from appearing regardless of the quality of the structured data.