Schema Markup Validator — Validate JSON-LD and Check Rich Results Eligibility

Paste your JSON-LD or enter a live URL to validate schema markup — check required fields, date formats, and whether your markup qualifies for Google rich results. Free, no signup.

Paste your JSON-LD markup

Ctrl+Enter to validate

What Does This Validator Check?

Schema markup validation has three distinct levels, and most tools only cover one or two of them. This tool covers all three.

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JSON and JSON-LD syntax

The most basic level: is the markup valid JSON? Is @context set to schema.org? Is @type present? A single misplaced comma or missing bracket makes the entire block invisible to search engines — the most common mistake for developers writing JSON-LD by hand.

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Schema.org compliance

Does the markup use real schema.org types and properties? Is Article a valid type? Is headline a valid Article property? Schema.org has 800+ types and thousands of properties — this layer checks that what you've written corresponds to real vocabulary.

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Google rich result requirements

The strictest layer. Google's requirements are more specific than schema.org's general spec. For Product to show a price in the SERP, offers with price and priceCurrency are required — schema.org doesn't mandate this, but Google does. This validator checks Google's documented requirements for each of the 16 most common rich result types.

Google's Structured Data Testing Tool History

For years, the Google Structured Data Testing Tool (SDTT) was the standard for validating schema markup. In 2020, Google retired it in favour of the Rich Results Test, which only validates schema types that trigger Google-specific search features — not the full schema.org vocabulary.

After community pushback, Google migrated the legacy SDTT to Schema.org, where it now lives as the Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org). This official tool checks syntax and schema.org compliance but does not explain which fields are required for rich results, does not flag deprecated types, and does not provide fix guidance.

The Rich Results Test checks live-page rich result eligibility but requires a deployed URL and does not work with raw JSON-LD. It also executes JavaScript, which means it tests the rendered page rather than the static HTML — useful but different from static validation.

This tool fills the gap between the two official options: it validates raw JSON-LD without requiring a live URL, checks Google's rich result requirements (not just schema.org spec), explains what's wrong and how to fix it, and flags deprecated types that no longer produce rich results.

Common Structured Data Errors

Invalid JSON syntax

The most common error. A trailing comma after the last property, an unescaped quote inside a string value, or a mismatched bracket makes the entire JSON-LD block invalid. Search engines silently ignore malformed JSON — there is no visible error on your page, just missing rich results.

Relative URLs

Properties like image, url, and sameAs must use absolute URLs starting with https://. A relative path like /images/photo.jpg is valid HTML but invalid in structured data — platforms and crawlers cannot resolve it without the domain context.

Invalid date format

Schema.org dates must be ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD for dates, or a full datetime string like 2026-05-28T10:00:00Z. Writing 'May 28, 2026' or '28/05/2026' will fail validation.

Missing required fields

Each schema type has specific required fields for Google rich results. Product requires name and offers (with price and priceCurrency). Article requires nothing by schema.org spec, but Google recommends headline, author, and datePublished for Top Stories eligibility. These requirements are not always obvious from the schema.org documentation.

Deprecated types

FAQ rich results were deprecated by Google in May 2026; HowTo rich results were deprecated in September 2023. The markup is still valid JSON-LD but produces no visual SERP feature in Google. Many tutorials and templates still reference these types without noting the deprecation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between this and Google's Rich Results Test?

Google's Rich Results Test validates a live, deployed URL against Google's internal eligibility rules for specific rich result types. It executes JavaScript, so it tests the fully rendered page. This tool validates raw JSON-LD markup against schema.org compliance and Google's documented field requirements — it works with pasted code before deployment and does not require a live URL. The two tools complement each other: use this tool to validate your markup during development, then use Google's Rich Results Test to confirm the live page is eligible for rich results.

Does passing this validator guarantee rich results in Google?

No. Passing validation is a necessary but not sufficient condition. Google's decision to show rich results also depends on factors outside the markup: the quality and relevance of the content, the age of the domain, whether the page has been indexed, and Google's own algorithmic decisions about when to display enhanced results. What validation does guarantee is that the markup is technically correct and will not be rejected due to syntax or required-field errors.

My markup validated here but Google's Rich Results Test shows errors. Why?

The most common reason is JavaScript rendering. If your site adds JSON-LD via JavaScript after the page loads, this tool will not see it (we validate static HTML), but Google's Rich Results Test executes JavaScript and will find it. Conversely, if Google's tool shows errors not flagged here, they may be Google-specific eligibility rules beyond schema.org compliance — check Google Search Central's documentation for the specific type.

Can I validate RDFa and Microdata, not just JSON-LD?

Paste mode currently validates JSON-LD only. URL mode extracts and validates JSON-LD blocks from the page. RDFa and Microdata are older structured data formats — Google recommends JSON-LD for all new implementations, and JSON-LD is by far the most common format in use today. For RDFa and Microdata validation, use the official Schema.org Markup Validator (validator.schema.org) which supports all three formats.

What is a json-ld validator and how does it differ from a schema validator?

A JSON-LD validator checks whether the syntax is valid JSON-LD: correct @context, @type, and linked-data formatting. A schema validator goes further — it checks whether the specific schema.org types and properties are used correctly. This tool does both, plus it checks Google's additional requirements for rich results eligibility.

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Need to create or fix schema markup?

Use the Schema Markup Generator to build valid JSON-LD for 16 types — Article, Product, FAQ, LocalBusiness, Event, and more. Then come back here to validate it.

Open Schema Markup Generator →