Introducing Rich Cards

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Rich cards are a new Search result format building on the success of rich snippets. Just like
rich snippets, rich cards use schema.org structured markup to display content in an even more
engaging and visual format, with a focus on providing a better mobile user experience.

For site owners, this is a new opportunity to stand out in Search results and attract more targeted
users to your page. For example, if you have a recipe site, you can build a richer preview of your
content with a prominent image for each dish. This visual format helps users find what they want
right away, so you’re getting users who specifically want that especially delicious cookie recipe
you have.

We’re starting to show rich cards for two content categories: recipes and movies. They will appear
initially on mobile search results in English for google.com. We’re actively experimenting with
more opportunities to provide more publishers with a rich preview of their content.

We’ve built a comprehensive set of tools and completely updated our developer documentation to take site owners and developers from initial exploration through implementation to performance monitoring.

Explore rich card types and identify where your content fits

Browse the new gallery with screenshots and code
samples of each markup type.

Test and tweak your markup

We strongly recommend using JSON-LD in your implementation.

• Find out
  which fields are essential
  to mark up in order for a rich card to appear. We’ve also listed additional fields that can
  enhance your rich cards.
• See a preview in the
  revamped
  Structured Data Testing Tool of how the rich card might appear in Search (currently
  available for recipes and movies).
• Use the Structured Data Testing Tool to see errors as you tweak your markup in real time.

Keep track of coverage and debug errors

Check how many of your rich cards are indexed in the
new Search Console Rich Cards report.

• Keep an eye out for errors (also listed in the Rich Cards report). Each error example links
  directly to the Structured Data Testing tool so you can test it.
• Submit a sitemap to help us discover
  all your marked-up content.

Find opportunities for growth

In the Rich Cards report, you’ll see which cards can be enhanced by marking up additional fields.

Monitor performance

A new “Rich results” filter in Search Analytics (currently in a closed beta) will help you track
how your rich cards and rich snippets are doing in search: you’ll be able to drill down and see
clicks and impressions for both.

FAQ

Can I keep my existing rich snippets markup?

Yes, you can! We’ll keep you posted as the rich result ecosystem evolves.

What about the Structured Data report in Search Console?

The Structured Data report will continue to show only
top-level entities
for the existing rich snippets (Product, Recipe, Review, Event, SoftwareApplication, Video, News
article) and for any new categories (for example, Movies). We plan to migrate all errors from the
Structured Data report into the Rich Card report.

What if I use the wrong markup?

Technical and quality guidelines apply for rich cards as they do for rich snippets. We will enforce them as before.

Learn more about rich cards in the
Search and the mobile content ecosystem
session at Google I/O (watch the
recording on YouTube) or in our
documentation. If you have more questions,
find us in the dedicated
structured data section of our forum or on Twitter.

Posted by Na’ama Zohary, Search Console Team, and Elliott Ng, Product
Management Director, Search Ecosystem