Blog Post

We all love what structured data can do—those extra stars, FAQs, and product details that make your listings pop in search. But what happens when something breaks?

If you’ve ever opened Google Search Console and seen a “markup error” pop up, you’re not alone. These glitches happen more often than most site owners realize. They quietly block enhanced visibility and sometimes cost you valuable clicks.

As someone who’s dealt with thousands of pages across dozens of CMSs and platforms, I’ve seen everything—from missing fields to mismatched syntax and even some… let’s call them “creative” implementations.

So let’s walk through the most common markup mistakes I come across—and more importantly, how I fix them without breaking the rest of the site.

• Why structured data errors matter more than you might think
  
• The top formatting mistakes I see (and their quick fixes)
  
• How I troubleshoot schema issues without tearing my hair out
  
• Tools I use to keep my markup clean
  
• Smart practices to avoid these problems long-term
  

Markup is supposed to help search engines better understand your content. It tells Google:
“This is a review.”
“This is a product with a price and a rating.”
“This is an event that starts next week.”

But if the formatting is wrong, or if key details are missing, search engines can’t use it. That means your listing might look plain—even when you’ve done everything else right.

And no, these mistakes don’t usually affect rankings directly. But they do influence how much attention your pages get. No visual enhancements = fewer clicks = weaker engagement = missed opportunity.

If you’re just getting started with this stuff, I suggest you first check out this intro to structured data. It lays the groundwork so the fixes below make more sense.

Let’s get into the good stuff. These are the errors I see on audits week after week—and how I resolve them without making things worse.

This is the “you had one job” error. You’re using a type like Product, but forgot to include basic fields like name, price, or description. Google flags it, and there goes your enhanced listing.

How I Fix It:
I pull up the schema.org documentation for the markup type in question and cross-reference the required and recommended fields. Then I either:

• Add the missing info directly in the markup
  
• Or, if the data isn’t present on the page, remove the tag altogether
  

No value is better than a half-written one.

One of the easiest to fix—and one of the most frequent. Instead of just writing 49.99, some people add dollar signs, currency codes, or worse… emojis.

Fix:
Stick to a plain number. No symbols. For currency, use priceCurrency: “USD” as a separate field.

Bonus tip: If you have prices with different formats depending on locale, check for consistency across pages.

Sometimes it’s not the data that’s wrong—it’s the formatting. A missing bracket. An extra comma. A quote out of place. And then suddenly, nothing validates.

Fix:
I paste the code into Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema Validator and look for formatting problems. These tools often tell you exactly where the syntax broke.

Don’t forget to validate before publishing. Every. Time.

When you’re marking up user reviews, you can’t just say “Rated 4.8 out of 5” and call it a day. You need to include both the best and worst possible scores.

Fix:
Add two fields: bestRating and worstRating. For most product reviews, this will be:

“bestRating”: “5”,

“worstRating”: “1”

Skip this step and poof—no stars in the search results.

This one’s a little technical. You might have the right fields, but they’re not in the right place.

Example: A reviewRating needs to be inside a Review, which itself is part of a Product. Misplace them, and it’s invalid.

Fix:
Use JSON-LD (it’s simpler than Microdata), and double-check that your data objects are properly nested.

Or, if you’re juggling multiple types, consider using @graph to separate them cleanly.

Marking up content that users can’t see? Google isn’t a fan. This is where intent matters as much as code.

Fix:
I always ask: “Is this actually visible to users?” If not, I remove the markup. Rich results are a bonus—not a loophole.

Also, don’t fake ratings or reviews. Search engines are smarter than that (and penalties are real).

Yes, schema types change. Google updates what it supports regularly. So if you’re using old vocabulary, you may be shouting into the void.

Fix:
I check the official docs at schema.org and also run a page through Google’s test. If something isn’t supported anymore, I replace it with a modern equivalent.

Want help figuring out which type to use? Here’s a good reference on when to use which schema.

Here’s what I lean on when debugging:

• Search Console: Tells me which pages are broken, and how
  
• Rich Results Test: Quick check for enhanced eligibility
  
• Schema Markup Validator: Catches the deeper formatting problems
  
• Browser Extensions like Structured Data Viewer (for fast, in-page reviews)
  

Once I identify the issue, I usually edit it manually—or through the CMS if it’s structured that way.

If you’re using WordPress, check out these schema tools and plugins that make life easier (and errors less likely).

Schema doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s how I keep it clean from the start:

• Use JSON-LD for clarity and ease of editing
  
• Keep your data updated when content changes
  
• Validate before and after you publish
  
• Make sure your markup reflects visible page content
  
• Only include the fields that are relevant
  

If you’re not into hand-coding, this walkthrough on adding schema without code might be your new favorite resource.

Beyond the big stuff, here are a few bonus mistakes I see:

• Forgetting to update markup after a redesign
  (Yes, changing themes can break structured data.)
  
• Leaving placeholder values in live markup
  Like “ratingValue”: “xx”—Google’s not amused.
  
• Adding markup to irrelevant pages
  Product schema on a blog post? Yikes.
  
• Trying to combine too many types
  Sometimes less is more. Pick the right type for the content.
  

Let’s be real—your search result is competing against 9 others. Sometimes more. Markup enhancements help you stand out. A better listing = more clicks. More clicks = more engagement. And Google pays attention to that.

Even though these technical enhancements aren’t “ranking factors” on paper, they do impact performance. Think of them as conversion upgrades for your search listing.Plus, I’ve seen proper markup lead to double-digit CTR increases—especially when rich snippets like FAQs show up.