Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool (GSDTT) was an integral part of the digital marketer’s toolkit, mainly for SEO. This essential tool was migrated across to a different domain; it has now been renamed to the Rich Results test tool. If you are looking for any alternatives to the Rich Results test tool, the Schema Markup Validator has been made available in open beta.
But, what is the Schema Markup Validator? How is it a suitable replacement for Google’s Structured Data Tool?
Here is the complete guide to Schema Markup Validator!
A Complete Guide to Schema Markup Validator
It is necessary to note at first that the Schema Markup Validator is not a complete replica of Google’s tool. However, functionally similar, Google’s official tool was migrated to the rich results tool, and the official GSDTT was scraped from being a standalone tool. The full functionality of the GSDTT was not migrated to the new rich results test tool, which created limitations for the Rich Results test tool.
“RICH RESULTS ARE EXPERIENCES ON GOOGLE SURFACES, SUCH AS SEARCH, THAT GO BEYOND THE STANDARD BLUE LINK. RICH RESULTS CAN INCLUDE CAROUSELS, IMAGES, OR OTHER NON-TEXTUAL ELEMENTS.”
The Schema Markup Tool can test and show results for all schema properties and not just the ones used by Google’s search results. The Schema Markup Tool can be used in one of two ways. Either, you can paste in the URL of the page or paste in the programming code of the page. It will check for structured data in the HTML and javascript code of the page for showing the results.
Some of the standout features of the schema markup tool that makes it the perfect replacement for Google’s SDTT are:
- The schema markup tool is able to extract microdata markup, including JSON-LD 1.0 and RDFa 1.1.
- The schema markup tool is able to display a complete summary of the structured data graphs for website owners and marketers to collect the data they require.
- One of the best features of the schema markup tool is that it is able to highlight and identify any syntax mistakes that you might have in the code of the markup.
Other than having the official Google branding, the schema markup tools work and function awfully similar to the old GSDTT. The Schema Markup Tool website is very easy to navigate, and users can get their results with as little hassle as possible.
How to Use the Rich Results Test?
Upon going to the URL: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results , the users are greeted with an option to paste in the URL or code of the page they are trying to test.
The results appear in a few seconds after you paste your code or URL and click on the run test option. The results are displayed just as anyone who has used such tools in the past would expect.
