Structured data spam

What is structured data spam?

Structured data spam is schema markup that does not match the visible page or misrepresents it, added to win rich results such as review stars, FAQs or prices. Google’s structured data guidelines require markup to describe content users can see, and breaking them can lead to a “Structured data issue” manual action.

Common forms are fake or invented review ratings, marking up content that is not on the page, marking a non-recipe page as a recipe or a company as a product, inflated prices or availability, and self-serving reviews: Google does not show review stars for LocalBusiness and Organization markup where the business reviews itself.

Why structured data spam matters for SEO

Rich results can lift click-through rate, which tempts people to fake them. Google’s answer is to remove eligibility for rich results, which takes away the benefit of honest markup too.

The white hat alternative is accurate schema markup for content that is really on the page, written in JSON-LD and checked with Google’s Rich Results Test.

Risks of structured data spam

• A “Structured data issue” manual action in Search Console.
• Loss of rich result eligibility, for the affected pages or the whole site.
• Lost trust when users see star ratings or prices that do not match the page.
• Legal exposure where markup fakes reviews or prices, under consumer protection rules.

How to find structured data spam

1. Check the Manual actions report and the rich result reports (Enhancements) in Search Console.
2. Run key templates through the Rich Results Test and compare every marked-up value with what is visible on the page.
3. Look for review markup with no visible reviews, or ratings applied site-wide by a plugin.
4. Remove markup that does not match the page and fix the template that adds it.
5. Request review if there is a manual action.

Structured data spam example

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Garden hose",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.9",
    "reviewCount": "2840"
  }
}
</script>
<!-- The page shows no reviews at all: the rating is invented. -->