Google Webmaster Trends Analyst, John Mueller, was recently asked why rich snippets are not showing up in search results.
More specifically, the question was phrased as:
"How do I debug why my Google Rich cards are not appearing when the webmaster console says everything ok and the help article doesn’t apply?"
Mueller’s response on Twitter can be seen below:
Here is a more detailed breakdown of his response.
Answer #1: Technically incorrect.
Solution: There may be an issue with the code being used to implement rich snippets. To identify and resolve the errors, Mueller recommends using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool.
Answer #2: Not compliant with policies.
Solution: Ensure compliance with Google’s policies for structured data. Follow them to ensure your structured snippets are shown.
Answer #3: General quality issue with the site.
Solution: There is no single fix for this issue. Various factors could reduce the quality of a site in Google’s estimation, including:
- Poorly written and/or thin content
- Keyword stuffed content
- Low quality inbound links pointing to the site
- Slow loading times
- Not mobile-friendly
- Too many obtrusive ads
Go through your site with an open mind and try to conduct an objective assessment as to why there may be a quality issue.
Better yet, have someone else look at it who you trust will be able to give you some honest feedback.
