Schema Markup in 2026: Which Structured Data Still Earns Rich Results

If you have added structured data for years, you have probably seen some extras in Google’s results quietly disappear. This schema markup guide answers the practical question: which types still earn rich results in March 2026, which are worth keeping anyway, and how to add and test them without wasting time.

The short version: product, review, recipe, event, job, video, local business, breadcrumb, article, organization and a few others still power visible features. Several niche types were retired in 2025. FAQ and HowTo rich results have been mostly or fully gone since 2023.

What Schema Markup Actually Does

Schema markup is code that labels the facts on a page. It uses a shared vocabulary from schema.org. So a search engine does not have to guess that “4.6” next to a product is a rating. The markup says so clearly.

Google uses that labelled data for two things. First, to understand the page and the things on it. Second, to decide if the page can get a rich result (an enhanced listing), such as star ratings, prices, event dates or a recipe card.

Two points get reported wrongly all the time:

• Structured data is not a ranking factor. Google’s own guidelines say that even a structured data manual action removes rich result eligibility but does not change how the page ranks in web search.
• Valid markup does not guarantee a rich result. Google decides whether to show one based on the query, the device, the location and the quality of the page.

So I think of schema as a way to make content easier for machines to read and to open up features you qualify for. It is not a lever that pushes you up the rankings. For the bigger picture of how understanding feeds into ranking, my explainer on how Google Search works in 2026 covers the steps from crawling to AI answers.

What Changed in 2025: The Rich Results Google Retired

Google has been trimming its results page for a while. The changes that matter most for structured data came in three waves.

June 2025: Seven Types Phased Out

On 12 June 2025, Google said it would phase out seven structured data features. Its reason: they were rarely used and no longer added much value for searchers.

• Book Actions
• Course Info
• Claim Review (fact check snippets)
• Estimated Salary
• Learning Video
• Special Announcement
• Vehicle Listing

Google said the change would not affect rankings. On 9 September 2025, six of these (all except Book Actions) were removed from Search Console’s rich result reports, the Rich Results Test and the search appearance filters. API support for them lasted until the end of December 2025.

November 2025: Practice Problems and a Book Actions Reversal

In November 2025, Google announced a second round of cuts. Practice problem markup was deprecated, with Search Console and API support ending in January 2026. Google removed the practice problem documentation in early January.

The same update reversed the Book Actions deprecation, because some Google Search features still use that markup. Google also made clear that Dataset markup powers Dataset Search, not the main Google Search results.

Some non-schema features, such as nutrition facts and nearby offers, were also listed for removal. These do not depend on markup you control. So there is nothing to change on your site.

Earlier Changes You May Still Be Living With

• FAQ rich results have been limited to well-known, authoritative government and health websites since August 2023. For almost every business site, FAQPage markup no longer shows the expandable questions under the result.
• HowTo rich results were fully deprecated in September 2023.
• Breadcrumbs on mobile: since January 2025, Google shows only the domain in the visible URL on mobile results. Breadcrumbs still show on desktop.

Which Structured Data Still Earns Rich Results in 2026

Google keeps its current list of supported features in its structured data search gallery. If a type is not listed there, Google does not use it for a visual feature, whatever a plugin or agency tells you. This gallery is the first page I open before I recommend any markup.

Here is where the main types stand as of March 2026:

A note on reviews. Google does not show star ratings for “self-serving” reviews. That means a business marking up reviews of itself on its own site with LocalBusiness or Organization markup. Stars on a product page with real customer reviews are fine. Stars on your homepage praising your own agency are not.

Types Worth Adding Even Without a Rich Result

Not every useful type shows something visible. Some markup earns its place by making it clear who you are and what a page is about.

Organization

Put this on your homepage or about page. Include your legal name, logo, URL, contact details and sameAs links to your official profiles. It helps Google link your site to the right business and pick the right logo. If a site has only one piece of markup, I want it to be this one.

Article and BlogPosting

Mark up the headline, author, publish date, modified date and main image. The author property should point to a real person with a profile page. This also supports the trust signals Google looks for.

LocalBusiness

Use the most specific subtype you can, such as Dentist or Plumber. Make sure the name, address, phone and opening hours match your Google Business Profile exactly. Details that clash across sources create doubt, not clarity.

Product

Even when a listing does not show a rich result, correct price, stock, brand and ID data (such as GTIN) gives Google clean facts to work with. Keep the price in the markup the same as the price on the page.

BreadcrumbList and WebSite

Breadcrumb markup describes your site structure, which still shows on desktop results. WebSite markup on the homepage helps Google understand your preferred site name.

Schema Markup and AI Search: What Is Realistic

A lot of advice now claims schema is the secret to getting cited in AI Overviews or AI Mode. That claim goes further than the evidence. Honestly, I would not plan any project around it.

Google has said there are no special technical requirements to appear in its AI features beyond being indexed and eligible to show in Search. There is no “AI schema” type. No markup guarantees a citation.

What structured data can really do is remove confusion. Clear facts about your organization, products, prices, authors and dates are easier for any system to read correctly. That is a good reason to keep good markup, as long as you do not expect it to do the job of the content itself. For how each AI surface picks sources, see my comparison of AI Overviews vs AI Mode.

JSON-LD Basics

Google supports three formats: JSON-LD, Microdata and RDFa. It recommends JSON-LD, and so do I. It sits in its own script block, so you can add, edit or remove it without touching your page layout.

Every JSON-LD block has the same core parts:

• @context: always https://schema.org.
• @type: the kind of thing you are describing, such as Article or Product.
• Properties: the facts, using schema.org property names.
• Nested objects: other things, such as the author or publisher, each with its own @type.

Here is a short Article example with a nested author and publisher:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "How to Choose a Commercial Boiler",
  "datePublished": "2026-03-02T09:00:00+00:00",
  "dateModified": "2026-03-08T14:30:00+00:00",
  "image": ["https://www.example.com/images/boiler-guide.jpg"],
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Jane Doe",
    "url": "https://www.example.com/team/jane-doe/"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Example Heating Ltd",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://www.example.com/logo.png"
    }
  }
}
</script>

You can put the block in the <head> or the <body>. Google can also read JSON-LD added with JavaScript. But markup rendered on the server is more reliable, especially for product data that changes often.

To link several things on one page, give each one an @id (a URL with a fragment, such as https://www.example.com/#organization) and point to it from other blocks. That way your Organization is defined once, not repeated slightly differently across templates.

How to Test Your Structured Data

Use two tools, because they answer different questions.

• Rich Results Test (from Google) tells you whether a page can get Google rich results and flags missing required properties. It only checks types Google supports, so retired types no longer show in it.
• Schema Markup Validator (at validator.schema.org) checks any schema.org markup for syntax and vocabulary errors, whether or not Google uses that type.

Once markup is live, Search Console takes over. The enhancement reports under “Shopping” and “Enhancements” show valid items, warnings and errors across your site. The URL Inspection tool shows what Google found on one page. If you want to see how rich result impressions change over time, my guide to Search Console’s AI report builder shows how to build that view quickly.

Errors and warnings are not the same. An error on a required property makes the item ineligible. A warning on a recommended property just means you are leaving some information out. I fix errors first and only then look at warnings.

Common Schema Markup Mistakes

Most problems I see come from templates and plugins, not from people writing bad code by hand.

1. Marking up content users cannot see. Google’s guidelines say markup must describe visible content. Hidden reviews, prices or FAQs are a fast route to a manual action.
2. Prices and stock out of sync. A product marked “InStock” at one price while the page says “sold out” at another is misleading. Merchant Center may flag it too.
3. Self-serving review stars. Adding AggregateRating to your own LocalBusiness or Organization markup will not show stars and can look like a trick.
4. Keeping retired markup for the wrong reason. Leaving FAQPage or HowTo markup in place does no harm. But do not expect a visual benefit, and do not spend budget adding it.
5. Duplicate and clashing blocks. A theme, an SEO plugin and a reviews app can each output their own Organization or Product block with different details. Pick one source and switch the others off. This is the most common problem I find on WordPress and Shopify sites.
6. Wrong or vague types. Using Thing or WebPage when Product or Event fits, or using LocalBusiness when a more specific subtype exists.
7. Missing required properties. An Event without a start date, or a Product without a name, offer or review, will not qualify for a rich result.
8. Treating a green test as the finish line. Passing the Rich Results Test means eligible, not guaranteed. Page quality, speed and relevance still decide what Google shows. If pages are slow, my guide to Core Web Vitals in 2026 is a good next fix.

How to Add Schema Markup to Your Site

Here is the process I use on a new site or an audit.

1. Check what is already there. Run your key templates (homepage, product, article, location page) through the Schema Markup Validator. Note every block, including ones added by plugins.
2. Match each template to a supported type. Check the search gallery and pick the type that truly describes the main content of each template.
3. Write the JSON-LD from visible content. Pull values from the same data that builds the page, so prices, dates and names cannot drift apart.
4. Remove duplicates and retired types. Turn off overlapping plugin output and drop markup you only keep out of habit.
5. Test before release. Run a staging URL or code snippet through the Rich Results Test and fix every error on required properties.
6. Deploy and request indexing for key pages. Use URL Inspection on one or two typical URLs per template.
7. Watch Search Console. Check the enhancement reports over the next few weeks. Set a reminder to review them after every template change.

Conclusion: A Schema Markup Guide for the Simpler Results Page

My main advice from this schema markup guide is to be selective. Focus on the types Google still supports for the pages you really have. Keep Organization, Article, LocalBusiness, Product and BreadcrumbList markup accurate. Stop chasing features that no longer exist.

Your next step: run your three most important templates through the Rich Results Test this week. Fix anything that is missing, duplicated or out of sync with the visible page.