How to Debug Schema Errors: Rich Results Test and Other Tools

You implement schema markup, wait days or weeks, and the rich results do not appear in Google. Or they appear in the Rich Results Test but not in the actual SERP. Or Search Console shows errors you cannot interpret. This guide explains how to interpret each validation tool and what to do with the errors you find.

The 4 schema validation tools

Rich Results Test: how to interpret it

The Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results) is Google's official tool for checking whether a URL is eligible for rich results. Enter the URL and Google crawls it in real time, analyzes the schema, and tells you whether it can show rich results.

Result: "Eligible for rich results"

This means the schema is technically valid and the page meets the requirements for the rich result. But it does not guarantee Google will show it — Google decides whether to display the rich result based on additional factors such as site quality and relevance to the user's query.

Result: "Not eligible for rich results"

The schema has errors that prevent rich results. The test shows you exactly which properties are missing or incorrect. The most common errors are: missing required properties, incorrect value types (text where a number is expected), or URLs returning an error.

Warnings vs. Errors

• •Errors (red): required properties that are missing or have invalid values. They prevent the rich result — they must be fixed.
• •Warnings (yellow): recommended properties that are absent. The rich result may still show but will be less complete.
• •Detected information (green): properties correctly implemented.

Common errors and how to fix them

Error: "Invalid field value" on price or ratingValue

Google expects a number, but the value has a text format with a currency symbol or additional text.

// Incorrect:
"price": "$29.99"
"ratingValue": "4.5/5"

// Correct:
"price": "29.99"       // number only, no symbol or thousands separator
"ratingValue": "4.5"   // number only

Error: "Missing required field" for availability

The availability field must be a Schema.org URI, not free text.

// Incorrect:
"availability": "In stock"
"availability": "InStock"

// Correct:
"availability": "https://schema.org/InStock"

Error: "The item is not compatible with the rich result type"

This occurs when you implement a schema type (for example, Product) on a page Google considers is not a real product page — such as a category page or a generic landing page. The schema must be on the correct page and the page content must match what the schema describes.

Error: schema detected but Google does not show the rich result in the SERP

If the Rich Results Test says "eligible" but the rich result does not appear in Google, the most common causes are:

• •Google has not yet crawled the page with the new schema — it can take days or weeks.
• •The site does not have enough authority or trust for that rich result type (especially FAQPage and HowTo).
• •The page content does not match the schema — Google detects the inconsistency and rejects the rich result.
• •The query type does not trigger rich results of that type — not all queries show rich results even if the schema is valid.

How to use Search Console to monitor schema in production

Google Search Console → Enhancements shows all the rich result types Google has detected on your site, with the number of valid URLs, URLs with warnings, and URLs with errors. It is the real production view — more reliable than the Rich Results Test for sites with a lot of content.

1. 1.Go to Search Console → Enhancements and select the rich result type you want to review (FAQ, Products, Breadcrumbs...).
2. 2.Filter by "Error" to see URLs with critical problems that prevent the rich result.
3. 3.Click on a specific error to see which URLs have it and what the exact problem is.
4. 4.Fix the error, validate with the Rich Results Test, and use the "Validate Fix" button in Search Console for Google to re-crawl those URLs.

Bulk audit with iRankly's Validator

The Rich Results Test only analyzes one URL at a time. To audit the schema of an entire site or a complete section, use iRankly's Schema Validator: it analyzes up to 50 URLs simultaneously, detects the types present in each one, and flags missing required and recommended properties.