Rich Results

Rich results are enhanced search listings that display additional information drawn from structured data markup. Rather than a standard title, URL, and meta description, a rich result might show star ratings, recipe ingredients, event dates, product prices, or video thumbnails directly in the search results page. They do not affect ranking position but increase the visual prominence of a result and consistently raise click-through rates.

This page covers which schema types produce rich results in Google Search, what has changed since 2023, and how to target the types most relevant to your site. For implementation detail, see Schema Markup and Structured Data.

How do rich results work?

Rich results are produced when Google reads valid structured data on a page and determines the content qualifies for a visual enhancement. Not all schema types produce rich results: many serve indexing, AI extraction, and entity purposes without producing any visible SERP feature.

Google’s eligibility criteria combine two requirements: the markup must be valid against Google’s requirements for that specific type, and it must accurately reflect content visible on the page. Schema describing content the user cannot see is a guidelines violation that has resulted in manual actions.¹

Active rich result types

The following types currently produce visible rich results in Google Search.¹

Broadly applicable:

• Article / NewsArticle / BlogPosting: Establishes content type, authorship, and publish date. Eligible for article carousels in Top Stories.
• BreadcrumbList: Replaces the URL in search results with a readable breadcrumb path. Applies to any site with hierarchical structure.
• Organization: Enables logo display in knowledge panels and branded search results.
• Profile page: For person or organisation profile pages.

E-commerce and products:

• Product: Displays price, availability, and review ratings in search results. The highest-return schema type for e-commerce sites.
• AggregateRating / Review snippet: Star ratings shown on product, software, and local business results.
• Merchant listing: Additional product details including return policy and shipping policy, eligible for merchant centre display.

Content with strong visual features:

• Recipe: Image carousel with cooking time, ratings, and ingredients. One of the highest click-through rate features available.
• Video: Eligible for video carousels with thumbnail, duration, and upload date.
• Event: Date, location, and ticket availability shown directly in results.
• Software App: Rating and price displayed for software and app pages.
• Movie: Ratings and basic metadata.

Specialist types:

• Job Posting: Salary, location, and application details. Appears in the dedicated jobs search surface.
• LocalBusiness: Hours, ratings, and contact details. Most visible in local pack and knowledge panels.
• Course list: Course details and provider information.
• Dataset: Eligibility for dataset search results.
• Education Q&A: Flashcard-style results for educational content.
• Discussion forum: User-generated content surfaces.
• Vacation rental: Property details and availability.
• Fact check: Verification content for journalism and fact-checking publishers.
• Employer aggregate rating: Hiring and workplace ratings.
• Loyalty program: Member benefit details.

What has been deprecated

Several schema types have lost rich result support since 2023. Markup for these types will not cause a penalty but will not produce a visible SERP feature.

Type	Deprecated	Notes
HowTo rich results	September 2023	HowTo schema retains value for AI extraction
FAQ rich results	May 20262	FAQPage schema retains value for AI extraction
Book Actions	2025
Course Info	2025	Superseded by Course list
Estimated Salary	2025
Learning Video	2025
Special Announcement	2025
Vehicle Listing	2025

The most significant changes for editorial and content sites are the FAQ and HowTo deprecations. FAQPage and HowTo schema are still worth implementing on relevant pages because Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and ChatGPT use structured data to parse Q&A and instructional content. The change is that they no longer produce a visible accordion or step-by-step display in standard Google Search results.

CTR impact

Rich results consistently produce higher click-through rates than standard organic listings at equivalent positions. The effect is position-dependent: a rich result at position 4 still sits below positions 1, 2, and 3. Rich results do not move ranking position; they make the existing position more visually competitive against other results on the same page.³

The uplift varies by type. Product results with pricing and ratings show stronger CTR gains than breadcrumb-only results, which produce more modest but near-universal improvements.

Targeting rich results by site type

Editorial and publication sites: Article or TechArticle schema, BreadcrumbList on every page, and Person schema for author pages form the baseline. These do not produce visually dramatic features but establish entity clarity and authorship, which benefits both rich results eligibility and AI citation.

E-commerce: Product schema with AggregateRating is the priority. Price and availability shown in results reduce friction between a search and a purchase decision. Merchant listing schema (return policy, shipping details) extends this further.

Recipe and food content: Recipe schema is the highest-impact single schema type for visual display. The image carousel format is distinctive and click-through rates are high relative to other content types.

Instructional content: HowTo schema is worth implementing for AI extraction even though it no longer produces a rich result in standard search.

Local businesses: LocalBusiness schema combined with a complete Google Business Profile. The primary rich result surface for local content is the map pack, where GBP signals matter more than schema alone.

Video content: VideoObject schema with thumbnailUrl, uploadDate, and duration. Video carousels appear for how-to and tutorial queries and pull heavily from structured data.

Events: Event schema with startDate, location, and offers. Event results are visually prominent and drive high-intent clicks.

Testing and validation

Two tools are required before deploying schema:

• Google Rich Results Test: validates against Google’s specific requirements for each rich result type, including required properties and image size minimums.
• Schema Markup Validator: validates against the base schema.org specification.

Both should pass. The Rich Results Test is the more important of the two for confirming whether a specific type is eligible for display in Google Search.

After deployment, Search Console > Enhancements shows rich result eligibility and errors per schema type, along with impressions and clicks for each feature. Periodic spot-checks using the Rich Results Test on key URLs catch drift caused by template changes or CMS updates.

Frequently asked questions

Does schema markup improve rankings directly?
No. Google has stated clearly that structured data is not a ranking signal. The indirect effects can influence performance: better CTR from richer listings, clearer entity signals, and improved AI citation eligibility. There is no direct ranking boost.

Should I remove FAQ schema now that FAQ rich results are gone?
No. FAQPage schema retains value for AI extraction: Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and ChatGPT use it to identify Q&A content. Keep it on pages with a genuine FAQ section; remove it only from pages where the FAQ content does not exist.

Can I still add HowTo schema even though it no longer produces rich results?
Yes. HowTo schema is still parsed by AI systems for step-by-step content. The only loss is the visual rich result in standard Google Search; the AI extraction value remains.

What happens if my schema does not match the page content?
Schema describing content the user cannot see violates Google’s guidelines. This has resulted in manual actions in confirmed cases. The rule: if it is not visible on the page, do not mark it up.

How do I know which rich result types my site is eligible for?
Google’s structured data search gallery lists current rich result types and their requirements. The Rich Results Test confirms eligibility for a specific URL.

Footnotes

1. Structured data types Google supports — Google Search Central ↩ ↩²

2. FAQ rich results removed — Google Search Central ↩

3. CTR uplift figures for rich results are drawn from multiple third-party studies and vary by content type, position, and query. Treat as directional rather than precise benchmarks. ↩