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Nested Structured Data Can Influence Whether Google Shows Rich Snippets

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When it comes to Google not showing rich snippets in the search results for a site that has the markup, it is usually for two reasons.  Either the structured data is implemented incorrectly or there are quality issues with the site.  But according to Google, there is a third reason that Google might not show rich snippets – the way the structured data is nested on the page.

On the Webmaster Help forums, Aaseesh Marina from Google responded to a site owner whose rich snippets were not showing up in the search results, and there was a third reason given for why this could happen – the use of nesting with the structured data that had the most important markup for the page.  In this case, the most important structured data for the site owner was the product related markup, but it was nested below less important or not needed markup, such as WebPage and WebSite type.

Google picks what to show in a snippet based on what it thinks will be the most relevant information for users but you can make better recommendations so it’s easier for Google. In this case, if the Product is the top level entity, instead of being nested under Webpage, there’s a better chance for the Price information to be shown in the snippet.>

Grace Massa Langlois, a Google Top Contributor who often helps on structured data issues also said:

If it were my site, I would simplify the markup, for example, remove WebPage, nest Store in Offer type, only markup the 8 related products displayed on the page, remove WebSite type (only required on homepage) and also ensure any information marked up is actually displayed on the page to users. i.e. mark up Product type as the top entity and eliminate all the other separate markups.

If the issues is invalid structured data, that is easy enough to check using Google’s validation tool which will highlight any errors or issues with the markup.  If it is a site quality related issue, it will often come to light when you do a site:example.com search that includes the pages with the markup – if the markup shows correctly in the search results there, but doesn’t when not doing a site: then that most often points to a quality issue.

But issues with nested structured data when the highest priority markup is nested under less important markup can result with the markup not showing up in the search results.  So if you are looking for a possible reason why your markup is missing, this is another angle for site owners to consider.

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Jennifer Slegg

Founder & Editor at The SEM Post
Jennifer Slegg is a longtime speaker and expert in search engine marketing, working in the industry for almost 20 years. When she isn't sitting at her desk writing and working, she can be found grabbing a latte at her local Starbucks or planning her next trip to Disneyland. She regularly speaks at Pubcon, SMX, State of Search, Brighton SEO and more, and has been presenting at conferences for over a decade.

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