Structured data markup (such as schema.org and similar formats), plays a crucial role in helping Google Shopping and other platforms understand the content displayed on your product pages. While search and shopping bots can extract information from visible content, they might misinterpret what’s shown - for example, confusing a cross-sell product’s price for the main product price. Properly implemented structured data markup eliminates that ambiguity.
When your product pages include accurate structured data, Google can confidently match your website content with the product data in your Merchant Center feed. It also enables Google to apply automatic item updates, ensuring your prices and availability stay consistent between your feed and your site.
To make the most of this, it’s important to have your structured data configured correctly. Here’s what to check:
- Only the first static page load counts
Googlebot doesn’t wait for JavaScript-rendered content. Any price or variant data that appears after the page loads dynamically is ignored. Make sure that the correct structured data is present in the initial HTML so that Google can read it reliably. - Each variant has the correct ID and price
If your product page displays multiple variants, ensure that each one has its own unique identifier ( sku ) and corresponding price within the structured data. This allows Google to match each variant with the correct item in your feed, avoiding mismatched or duplicate entries. - The structured data price matches the preselected variant
On most product pages, a single variant (colour, size, etc.) is preselected. The structured data should represent the price of that variant - not of a different option or a range of prices. Consistency here helps Google correctly validate the data when it crawls your landing pages. - Currency must match
If you have a multi-currency setup, ensure that the currency defined in your structured data matches the one displayed on the page and the one specified in your product feed. Any mismatch can cause Google to flag or disapprove your listings due to inconsistent pricing information.
What Happens When Structured Data Doesn’t Match?
Incorrect or inconsistent structured data can lead to serious issues:
- Google might override your feed data with what it reads on the page source, even if that data is wrong.
- Products can get disapproved inside the Google Merchant Center due to price or availability mismatches.
- Automatic item updates may fail, leading to inaccurate listings or reduced visibility.
- Sale prices and promotions may be missed. If your structured data doesn’t correctly include sale or promotional pricing, Google may fail to recognise active discounts. This can cause your sale events - such as Black Friday or other limited-time offers - to be displayed at the regular price or missing sale badges, reducing visibility and conversion during key sales periods.
If you can’t ensure your structured data accurately reflects what’s displayed on the page, it’s better to remove it altogether (but only as a last resort, if it truly can’t be corrected) as in that case, bots will rely solely on the visible content rather than conflicting structured data.
How to Validate Your Structured Data?
Feedoptimise includes a built-in validation mechanism that lets you preview and verify your structured data directly. Currently supported schemas include: Schema.org and Meta’s Open Graph Protocol (og:). This helps identify inconsistencies early and ensures your product pages and feed data remain aligned.
You can also use the official Schema.org Markup Validator at validator.schema.org to check how your structured data is read by crawlers. Just enter a product URL or paste your code snippet to confirm that at least the key attributes such as product name, price, availability, and currency are correctly recognised.
In summary:
Accurate structured data helps web crawlers to better understand and trust your product information. It strengthens the connection between your website and your data feeds - reducing disapprovals, maintaining pricing accuracy, and improving your visibility across Google Shopping and various other channels.