Schema Markup Checker
Paste a URL to see every schema entity on the page, which required properties are missing, and which rich results you actually qualify for.
Free · No sign-up · Reads the raw HTML a crawler sees
What a schema checker actually needs to tell you
Most validators answer a question nobody asked: is this valid JSON. That is table stakes. The useful question is whether the markup is complete enough to earn a rich result, and if not, exactly which property is missing.
So this tool walks every entity it finds — including the ones nested inside @graph, mainEntity and author, which flat parsers miss — and checks it against the properties Google documents as required or recommended for that type.
A type with a missing required property earns nothing. Google does not degrade gracefully here; it drops the rich result entirely. Missing recommended properties are less severe: you still get the snippet, but with less in it.
Required versus recommended, and why the difference matters
Required properties are a gate. An Article without a headline, a Product without a name, an Event without a startDate — none of them qualify, no matter how much other markup surrounds them.
Recommended properties are dials. A Product with only a name qualifies for a snippet that shows almost nothing. Add offers, aggregateRating and image and the same page occupies three times the vertical space in the results page.
This is where most sites leave value on the table. The markup passes validation, so nobody looks again, and the snippet stays minimal for years.
| Type | Required | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
Article | headline | Article rich result, Top stories |
Product | name | Price, availability and rating in the snippet |
FAQPage | mainEntity | Expandable questions under your result |
HowTo | name, step | Step-by-step rich result |
Event | name, startDate, location | Event listing with dates |
LocalBusiness | name, address | Local panel and map pack eligibility |
VideoObject | name, thumbnailUrl, uploadDate | Video rich result and Video tab |
BreadcrumbList | itemListElement | Breadcrumb trail instead of a bare URL |
JSON-LD, microdata and RDFa
All three formats are valid and Google reads all three. JSON-LD is what Google recommends and what AI engines parse most reliably, because it sits in one block instead of being woven through the markup.
If this tool reports microdata but no JSON-LD, nothing is broken — but the markup is harder to maintain and easier to break during a redesign, because it lives inside the HTML that designers edit.
The failure modes worth knowing about
A trailing comma or an unescaped quote invalidates the entire block, and the failure is silent — no warning in the page, nothing in the console. One bad block can take down markup that worked for months.
Marking up content that is not on the page is a policy violation, not just a technical error. Review and rating markup gets the most enforcement attention: self-serving AggregateRating on your own site is explicitly against Google guidelines and has cost sites their rich results entirely.
Duplicate entities of the same type usually mean two plugins are both writing markup. Google picks one arbitrarily, which makes the output unpredictable across page templates.
How to use it
- Enter a page URL — Use a real content page rather than the homepage — that is where rich results are earned.
- Read the entity table — Every entity found is listed with its missing required and recommended properties.
- Fix required properties first — These are pass/fail gates for rich-result eligibility.
- Then fill the recommended ones — They decide how much of your snippet Google actually shows.
Frequently asked questions
What is a schema checker?
It reads the structured data on a page — usually JSON-LD — and reports which schema.org types are present, whether they parse, and whether they carry the properties Google needs to show a rich result.
Does schema markup improve rankings?
Not directly. Google has been consistent that structured data is not a ranking factor. What it does is make you eligible for rich results, which raises click-through from the same position. It also gives AI engines a machine-readable description of the page, which affects whether they cite you.
Why does my markup validate but show no rich result?
Validation only confirms the syntax parses. Eligibility needs the required properties for that type, content that matches the markup, and a page Google has chosen to index. Eligibility is also not a guarantee — Google decides per query whether to show the enhancement.
JSON-LD or microdata?
JSON-LD, unless you have a reason not to. Google recommends it, it sits in a single script block instead of being threaded through your HTML, and it survives template redesigns better.
Can I add review stars to my own homepage?
No. Self-serving reviews — ratings for your own business, on your own site, written by you — violate Google structured data guidelines. Sites have lost rich results entirely for it. Use a third-party review platform instead.