Validating Your Schema: Rich Results Test Warnings vs. Errors

If Google’s Rich Results Test or Search Console is flagging a field in your schema markup, it doesn’t always mean something is broken. This guide explains the difference between a warning (safe, no action needed) and an error (should be fixed), and how to tell which one you’re looking at.

Why you might see a warning even though you filled everything in

Some schema fields, like an article’s featured image or an author’s bio, pull their value automatically from your page content instead of a fixed setting. If that underlying content doesn’t exist for a specific post (say, a post has no featured image set), the field is left out of the published schema for that page, even if it looked configured in your SureRank settings screen.

In other words: a field can be “filled in” in the settings UI but still render empty on a specific page if what it’s pointing to is missing on that page. This is expected behavior, not a bug. The fix is to add the missing content (for example, set a featured image), not to change any SureRank setting.

Step 1: Check whether it’s actually an error or just a warning

Don’t assume the worst from a single flag. Open the page in Google’s Rich Results Test or check Search Console → Enhancements, and look at how Google classifies it:

• Error: the page won’t qualify for that rich result until it’s fixed.
• Warning / non-critical issue: the page still qualifies; the field is just recommended, not required.

Make a note of the schema type (Article, Product, FAQ, etc.) and the exact field name being flagged.

Step 2: Check the field against what Google actually requires

Google’s requirements aren’t always identical to what’s marked “required” in the SureRank editor. The table below reflects Google’s published requirements.

Google’s own documentation lists an image as required for Product rich results, even though it isn’t strictly enforced in every case. If you’re missing a product image, we recommend adding one regardless of what SureRank’s editor shows.

Using a schema type not listed here (Book, Event listings, Software, etc.)? Check Google’s structured data gallery for that type’s specific requirements. The same “required vs. recommended” split applies.

Step 3: Still think a required field is missing, even though you set it?

Here’s how a field’s value actually makes it onto the page, from settings to what Google sees:

1. A SureRank setting (for example, a featured image) is looked up per page.
2. If the value is found on that page, it’s included in the page’s schema markup (JSON-LD), and Google reads it correctly.
3. If the value isn’t found on that page (for example, no featured image on that specific post), the field is left out of that page’s markup, and Google flags it as missing.

A “required” field in the editor is really a pointer. If what it points to is empty on a given page, it won’t appear in that page’s output, even though the setting itself looks fine.

To check this yourself:

1. View the page’s source (right-click → View Page Source) and find the <script type=”application/ld+json”> block for that schema type.
2. Check whether the field actually appears in that JSON, not just in the SureRank settings screen.
3. If it’s missing from the JSON, the content behind it is empty on that page (no featured image, no author bio, no reviews, etc.). Add the missing content and the field will appear.
4. If it is present in the JSON but Google still reports it as missing, that’s unusual. Contact support with the page URL so we can take a closer look.

Image size warnings

If you’re seeing a warning about image dimensions on an Article or Product page, Google recommends images be at least 1200×675 px and hosted on your own domain. This is a recommendation, not a requirement. It won’t block your rich result eligibility.

Still not sure?

If you’ve checked the table above and confirmed a required field really is present in your page’s live schema markup (not just in settings), but Google keeps reporting it missing, reach out to support with:

• The page URL
• The schema type and field name
• A screenshot or link to the Rich Results Test result