Google supports over 25 schema markup types. Seven of them stopped producing rich results in the past year. The gap between "accepted" and "displayed" is the single most important distinction in structured data strategy right now, and most implementation guides ignore it completely.
Schema markup is machine-readable metadata you add to pages so Google can generate enhanced search results: star ratings, product prices, event dates, FAQ accordions.
When it works, it occupies more SERP real estate and drives measurably higher CTR. When it doesn't, you've invested development hours in code Google validates but never renders.
Accepted vs. Displayed
Between June 2025 and January 2026, Google removed seven schema types from Search Console: Course Info, Claim Review, Estimated Salary, Learning Video, Special Announcement, Vehicle Listing, and Practice Problem. The stated reason was straightforward: these types "are no longer shown in Google Search results."
Sites running deprecated schema won't see ranking penalties. The markup just does nothing. Google's validation tools still accept it, your structured data report stays clean, and absolutely zero enhanced results appear.
The absence of errors isn't evidence of value.
This pattern extends beyond outright deprecations. FAQ schema is now restricted to "well-known, authoritative government and health websites" only. If you're not a .gov or a major health system, your FAQ markup is validated dead weight. Our read: Google is moving from encouraging maximal markup toward rewarding selective, high-quality implementation. The days of "add every schema type you qualify for" are over.
The Three Types With Hard ROI Numbers
Not all schema types are created equal, and the performance data makes the hierarchy blunt.
Product schema delivers the most consistently documented results. Schema App's customer data shows 180% CTR increases in controlled implementations. Product markup triggers price, availability, and rating displays directly in search results — for e-commerce sites, it's table stakes rather than optimization.
LocalBusiness schema is the clearest win for brick-and-mortar. The same Schema App data shows 45% increases in phone calls and 60% increases in direction requests after implementation. Calls and direction taps convert at rates that make attribution straightforward.
JobPosting schema produces the most dramatic numbers in the dataset, though with a narrower use case. Baptist Health achieved a 1194% CTR increase when their job listings earned rich results. Job postings with schema enter Google's dedicated Jobs experience, which effectively creates a second search interface for those queries. If you post jobs on your site, this is a priority.
The measurement methodology matters here. Schema App's framework assigns dollar value using a clean formula: incremental clicks from rich results multiplied by average CPC for those keywords. A page earning 500 additional clicks per month on keywords with a $3 average CPC represents $1,500 in equivalent paid search value. That makes the business case concrete.
The six types that consistently earn rich results in 2026: Product, LocalBusiness, JobPosting, Review, Event, and Video. Everything else is aspirational markup — technically valid, practically invisible.
Review, Event, Video
Review/AggregateRating markup is arguably the most visually influential type in search results. Star ratings catch the eye before users read anything else. Google's documentation confirms Review snippet eligibility across product, recipe, and local business contexts. The constraint: reviews must meet Google's quality guidelines. Synthesized or self-authored ratings get filtered. When legitimate, review stars remain one of the strongest CTR signals available in organic results.
Event schema triggers date, time, and location displays that are uniquely actionable. For venues, conferences, and recurring event series, this markup feeds Google's dedicated Events experience — similar to how JobPosting feeds the Jobs interface. The data on Event schema is thinner than Product or LocalBusiness, but the implementation is lightweight and the downside risk is essentially zero.
Video schema bridges two search surfaces. Properly marked-up video content can earn thumbnail previews, duration badges, and key moment timestamps in standard search, while also improving visibility in Google's video tab. If you're producing video content without schema markup, you're skipping the easiest win available.
Measurement Methodology
The methodology gap is why schema ROI stays vague in most organizations. Schema App's approach provides a repeatable framework:
- Establish CTR baselines before deployment
- Annotate schema deployment dates in GA4
- Wait 2–4 weeks for Google to re-crawl and process
- Calculate value: incremental clicks × average CPC for those queries
The re-crawl window is critical. Schema doesn't take effect instantly — Google needs to re-process your pages, and rich result eligibility can take days to weeks. Teams that check results after 48 hours and declare "schema doesn't work" are measuring noise.
Two tools handle validation, and they test different things.
The Schema Markup Validator checks syntax: is your JSON-LD well-formed and does it follow the vocabulary spec? The Rich Results Test checks eligibility: will Google actually generate an enhanced result from this markup?
Passing the first without passing the second is exactly the "accepted but not displayed" problem.
Excel: 777% year-over-year growth in clicks, 308% growth in impressions. CapREIT: 386% increases.
These are outliers, but they demonstrate the ceiling when schema is applied strategically rather than sprayed across a site.
Foundation First, Then Match Schema to Revenue
Every site should implement three foundational types regardless of business model: Organization, WebSite, and Article (or BlogPosting). These don't generate flashy rich results, but they establish entity identity and help Google understand site structure. Think of them as plumbing — nobody sees it, but everything breaks without it.
After the foundation, your business model dictates priority:
- E-commerce: Product schema first, then Review/AggregateRating
- Local service businesses: LocalBusiness, then Event if applicable
- Hiring-heavy organizations: JobPosting immediately
- Publishers: Article is already in your foundation; add Video if you produce it
What you should stop doing: implementing every schema type the validator accepts.
The deprecation wave is a signal. Google is trimming the types it renders, and the trajectory suggests more culling ahead. Time spent on Claim Review or Special Announcement markup in 2024 is now time wasted.
Our read: Schema markup has matured from "nice to have" into a measurable channel with clear winners and losers. The six types that deliver results are well-documented. The implementation cost is manageable. The ROI formula exists.
What's changed is that the "implement everything" approach now carries real opportunity cost — every hour spent on aspirational schema is an hour not spent on the types Google actually rewards.