Why your schema isn't showing in Google
Your schema passed the Rich Results Test. The page is indexed. It has been six weeks. The SERP shows a plain blue link. Here is the actual diagnostic checklist before you assume Google has it in for you.
The 24-hour myth
The widespread belief that Google picks up schema in 24-48 hours is wrong. The real timeline for rich-result eligibility, in my experience across dozens of sites, is:
- 1-3 days: Google sees the schema after a normal crawl.
- 1-4 weeks: Google decides whether to surface the rich result for any given query.
- Indefinitely: Google may show the rich result for some queries and not others.
If it has been less than two weeks, you don't have a problem — you have impatience. If it has been six weeks, here's where to look.
Check 1: Is the page indexed?
Go to Google Search Console → URL Inspection. Paste the URL. If it says "URL is not on Google", no schema in the world will help — fix indexing first.
You can also check with a site: operator:
site:yoursite.com inurl:your-page-slug
If nothing comes up, the page isn't indexed.
Check 2: Is the schema in the rendered HTML, not just the source?
If you inject JSON-LD via client-side JavaScript, Google's crawler may or may not execute it before deciding whether to index the rich result. The safest path is server-rendered.
Open the page, View Source (not Inspect Element). Search for application/ld+json. If it isn't there in the static HTML, that's your problem.
For Next.js App Router specifically, the fix is to put the <script> tag in the server component, not in a useEffect. See How to add JSON-LD to Next.js.
Check 3: Does the page content match the schema?
Google's most-violated rule: the schema must reflect the page. If your Recipe schema says prepTime: PT30M but the visible page doesn't mention prep time anywhere, Google will silently drop the rich result.
Likewise for aggregateRating — Google wants the stars to correspond to first-party reviews actually on the page, not aggregated from elsewhere.
Check 4: Are all required fields present per current Google docs?
Google's requirements drift. A schema that was valid in 2024 may need additional fields in 2026. Open the relevant entity page on schemapreview and check the required + recommended list — it's synced to current Google docs:
Check 5: Is your page eligible at all?
Some rich-result formats are restricted. The big one: FAQPage rich results were rolled back in August 2023 and are now limited to government and health sites. If you marked up FAQs hoping for the accordion, you no longer get it. Sorry.
Other restrictions:
- HowTo rich results were also rolled back; only mobile, only some queries.
- News and Top Stories are restricted to publishers approved in Google News.
- Job Postings require a valid
validThroughand the job must not have expired.
Check 6: Is the page mobile-friendly?
Mobile-first indexing means Google primarily uses the mobile version of your page. If the mobile version is broken — paywall blocking schema, mobile theme stripping it, viewport issues — the rich result won't show even if desktop works.
Run the page through the Mobile-Friendly Test in Search Console.
Check 7: Has Google flagged manual actions?
GSC → Security & Manual Actions → Manual actions. If you see a structured data violation, the rich result is suppressed until you fix and request review.
What if all 7 check out
Then you've done your part. Google's final filter — whether your rich result is more useful than the plain link for this query — is unknowable. Some pages show rich results for branded queries but not generic ones. Some only show on mobile. Some appear for a week, vanish, reappear.
The only honest advice: keep the schema valid, keep the content relevant, monitor impressions in Search Console's Rich Results report, and resist the urge to change everything at once.
If you want a faster diagnostic on a specific URL, paste it into the URL validator on the homepage — it shows you exactly which fields Google would accept.