And Why This 5-Minute Check Could Be Costing You Sales
Something most Shopify store owners are ignoring—and it's quietly killing their search visibility.
You've got great products. You're driving traffic. But Google isn't showing your product pages the way they should appear in search results. No star ratings. No price displays. No "in stock" indicators. Just... plain blue links that look exactly like everyone else's.
Here's the thing: If Google can't read your structured data properly, you're invisible in the ways that actually matter. And I'm not talking about some advanced SEO wizardry—I'm talking about a 5-minute fix that most 7-figure stores have already implemented.
This is one of those blind spots I see constantly with my coaching clients. They're spending thousands on ads while leaving money on the table because their product pages aren't speaking Google's language.
Let me show you exactly how to check if your store has this problem—and more importantly, how to fix it.
Why Rich Results Actually Matter for Your Revenue
Before we dive into the how-to, let's talk about the why—because you're busy, and I'm not going to waste your time on things that don't move the needle.
Rich results are the difference between:
- A boring text link → and a product showcase with pricing, ratings, and availability
- 2% click-through rates → and 5-8% click-through rates
- Looking amateur → and looking like you belong alongside major brands
When Google can properly read your product data through structured markup, it can display:
- ⭐ Star ratings and review counts
- 💰 Pricing information
- ✅ Stock availability
- 🚚 Shipping details
- 🏷️ Product categories
Translation: More clicks. Better-qualified traffic. Higher conversions.
This isn't theory—this is exactly how my clients go from "working their butts off for every sale" to "waking up to orders from organic search."
The Step-by-Step Rich Results Test (With What Each Step Actually Means)
Step 1: Navigate to Google's Rich Results Test
Go to: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results
This is Google's free tool that tells you exactly what they see when they crawl your product pages. Think of it as putting on Google's glasses—you'll see what they see, and trust me, it's often not what you think.
Step 2: Enter Your Product Page URL
Click the URL field and paste in the complete URL of one of your product pages—not your homepage, not a collection page, but an actual product page where people buy.
Pro tip: Start with your best-selling product. If that page has issues, your other pages probably do too.
Click 'Test URL' and let Google do its thing. This usually takes 10-30 seconds.
Step 3: Review the Results
Now you'll see one of three scenarios:
✅ Green "Valid" Message: Congrats—your page is properly structured. Google can read everything and display rich results.
⚠️ Yellow "Valid with Warnings": Your page works, but you're missing optional elements that could make it perform better. (This is where most stores sit—functional but not optimized.)
❌ Red "Invalid" Message: Houston, we have a problem. Google can't properly display your products, which means you're getting buried in search results.
Step 4: Identify Critical Issues
Click on the sections to expand and see exactly what's wrong. Google will show you:
- Critical Issues (must fix): These break your rich results completely
- Warnings (should fix): These aren't deal-breakers but you're leaving performance on the table
- Valid Properties (you're good): These elements are working correctly
Step 5: Understanding Common Issues
Here's what you'll typically see and what it actually means:
"Missing field 'availability' (in 'offers')"
This means Google doesn't know if your product is in stock, out of stock, or available for pre-order. Without this, you can't show that little "In Stock" badge that builds buyer confidence.
Fix: Your Shopify theme or app needs to output proper schema markup for product availability.
"Missing field 'review' or 'aggregateRating'"
Google can't display your star ratings because they're not properly marked up. Even if you have 50 five-star reviews, Google has no idea.
Fix: Ensure your review app (like Judge.me, Loox, or Yotpo) includes proper schema markup.
"Price not specified"
Your product has a price, obviously—but Google can't find it in the code. This kills your chances of showing up in Google Shopping results.
Fix: Your theme needs to output price schema correctly (most modern Shopify themes do this, but older or custom themes often don't).
Step 6: Connect to Google Search Console
Click "Go to Search Console" to see a broader view of issues across your entire site.
This is where you graduate from testing individual pages to seeing the big picture:
- How many pages have issues
- Which issues are most common
- Trends over time (are things getting better or worse?)
Step 7: Navigate to Your Property
In Search Console, click your domain property (e.g., "ornamentshop.com - Domain property").
If you haven't set up Search Console yet, stop everything and do it now. It's free, it's essential, and it's non-negotiable if you're serious about organic traffic.
Step 8: Check Product Snippets Report
Click "Product snippets" in the left sidebar (under Enhancements or Experience).
This shows you:
- Total product pages discovered
- How many have errors
- How many have warnings
- Specific examples of affected pages
This is your roadmap for fixing issues at scale—not one product at a time, but theme-wide or app-wide
What to Do Next (The Part Most Guides Skip)
Identifying the problem is step one. Here's how to actually fix it:
If you're on a modern Shopify theme (2.0+): Most issues are caused by missing or incompatible apps. Check if your review app, inventory app, or customization app is breaking the schema.
If you're on an older theme: Consider upgrading to a modern theme that includes proper structured data by default. Yes, it's an investment—but it's the foundation of a professional site.
If you're not technical: Hire a Shopify expert for 2-3 hours to audit and fix your schema markup. This is a one-time fix that pays dividends forever. (Don't try to DIY this if you're not comfortable with code—you'll waste hours and potentially break things.)
If you're working with developers: Send them the Search Console report and ask them to implement proper schema.org markup for Product, Offer, and AggregateRating types.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How often should I test my rich results?
A: Test after any major change: theme updates, app installations, or product page redesigns. Otherwise, quarterly checks are plenty. Set a reminder—this isn't something you need to obsess over, but you also can't "set and forget."
Q: My test shows "Valid" but I'm still not seeing rich results in Google. What gives?
A: A Valid schema is necessary but not sufficient. Google also considers:
- Your domain authority: New sites might not qualify for rich results immediately
- Content quality: Google has to trust your site
- User signals: Are people clicking and engaging with your pages?
- Manual actions: Check Search Console for any penalties
Give it 2-4 weeks after fixing issues. Google doesn't update overnight.
Q: Can I just hire someone on Fiverr to fix this?
A: You can, but be careful. Cheap fixes often create new problems. If you're going to hire someone, make sure they:
- Have Shopify-specific experience
- Provide before/after validation
- Understand schema.org standards (not just copy-paste code)
This is a foundation element—worth investing in properly.
Q: My competitor's pages look amazing in search results. Is that rich results?
A: Probably! That's exactly what proper structured data does. Your competitor isn't smarter than you—they just implemented something you haven't yet. Good news: it's a level playing field once you fix it.
Q: Will fixing rich results automatically increase my traffic?
A: Not automatically, but here's what typically happens:
- Week 1-2: No change (Google needs to recrawl)
- Week 3-6: Click-through rates improve (your listings look better)
- Week 8-12: Rankings may improve slightly (better CTR signals quality)
- Long-term: Compounding effect as more people click and engage
This is a multiplier, not magic. You still need good products, decent traffic, and solid SEO fundamentals.
Q: I have hundreds of products. Do I need to fix each one individually?
A: No! That's the beauty of Shopify. The schema is usually theme-level or app-level. Fix it once, and it applies to all products automatically. Start by fixing your theme's product template, then validate a few different products to confirm.
Q: What's the difference between "warnings" and "critical issues"?
A:
- Critical issues = Google can't display rich results at all. You're completely missing out.
- Warnings = Google can display basic rich results but you're missing enhanced features. You're leaving opportunity on the table.
Fix critical issues first, warnings second. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
Q: Can rich results really make a difference for a small store?
A: Yes—maybe even more so. When you're competing against big brands, rich results level the playing field. A small store with 4.8-star ratings displayed prominently can absolutely out-perform a corporate site with plain listings. This is one of those rare areas where small businesses can punch above their weight class.
Q: My Shopify theme is supposed to handle this automatically. Why am I still seeing errors?
A: A few common culprits:
- App conflicts: A third-party app is overriding your theme's markup
- Custom code: Someone added custom liquid code that broke the schema
- Outdated theme: Your theme hasn't been updated to current schema.org standards
- Incorrectly installed apps: Review or inventory apps that aren't properly integrated
Check your Search Console for specific errors—that'll tell you exactly what's broken.
Q: Should I worry about other types of structured data beyond products?
A: For an eCommerce store, prioritize:
- Product schema (this guide)
- Organization schema (your business info)
- Breadcrumb schema (helps with site navigation in search)
- FAQ schema (if you have FAQ pages)
Don't get overwhelmed—focus on products first. That's where the money is.
Q: What if I'm on Shopify Plus? Does this still apply?
A: Yes! Shopify Plus stores have the same schema requirements. In fact, if you're doing the volume that justifies Plus, you absolutely cannot afford to ignore this. The revenue impact scales with your traffic.
The Bottom Line
Here's what I tell my coaching clients: Your store can't look amateur in some areas and expect professional results.
Rich results aren't sexy. They're not a shiny new app or a trendy marketing hack. They're foundational infrastructure—like having a working shopping cart or functional checkout.
But here's the thing about foundations: When they're broken, nothing else works as well as it should.
You could be running the perfect ad campaign, have the best product photography, and write compelling copy—but if Google can't properly display your products in search results, you're fighting with one hand tied behind your back.
This is one of those 80/20 wins: small effort, disproportionate return. Five minutes to test. A few hours to fix. Years of compounding benefits.
Your 7-figure competitors have this dialed in. Now you do too.
Ready to audit your entire store's technical foundation? This is exactly the kind of blind spot I help clients identify and fix in my coaching program—the unsexy stuff that actually drives revenue while you sleep.
Want more straight-talk guides like this? [Subscribe to get tactical eCommerce advice that actually moves the needle—no fluff, no BS.] Email me on my contact page!!!
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