Google Retires 7 Structured Data Features To Streamline Search Results

1939 views

In a notable shift for webmasters and SEO professionals, Google introduced a major simplification in its search ecosystem. The Google structured data update 2025 rolled out with the company officially retiring seven structured data features that once provided added flair to search listings. As we move through 2026, these changes continue to shape how structured data appears in search results.

For those who rely on these structured data types, especially within niche verticals like education, publishing, and automotive, understanding the reasoning behind this change and its broader implications is key to adapting effectively.

Why Google Is Making These Changes?
Which Features Are Being Retired?
What Changes for Websites?
What’s Next?
FAQs

Why Google Is Making These Changes?

According to Google’s official announcement, the goal is simple: reduce clutter and enhance the overall utility of the search experience. Over time, the team found that several structured data types were underused or no longer delivering meaningful value to users.

The Google structured data update 2025 was designed to eliminate these redundancies by retiring seldom-used schema types. While the change affects visual layout—such as rich results previously powered by Book Actions or Claim Reviews—Google has emphasized that the structured data ranking impact remains negligible moving into 2026.

In other words, the update is purely aesthetic and functional—not algorithmic. Your search rankings won’t drop because of this, but the enhanced visual snippets may disappear.

Which Features Are Being Retired?

With the intent of focusing more on widely-used features, Google has listed the following retired schema types in Google Search:

1. Book Actions

The Book actions schema deprecated notice is especially important for publishers. This schema allowed action buttons (like “Buy” or “Preview”) to appear next to book listings directly in Google Search. While this added convenience for users, data suggests it wasn’t widely adopted across the web.

After the Google structured data update 2025, book publishers began noticing a simpler display—without interactive buttons—but content indexing remained unaffected. This simplified presentation continues in 2026.

2. Course Info

The educational sector sees a significant change with the Course info and salary schema changes. This structured data previously displayed course details, such as instructor name, description, and learning outcomes, directly in rich snippets.

Despite its usefulness, its retirement reflects low usage and shifting priorities. Websites can still display such information on-page, but no additional search snippet styling will be applied.

3. Claim Review

In efforts to combat misinformation, the ClaimReview schema enabled fact-checking organizations to display verification statuses alongside headlines. However, Google now finds this method less effective for real-time updates and user clarity.

With the Google removes claim review markup decision, fact-check summaries will no longer be emphasized in the search interface, even though the content remains crawlable.

4. Estimated Salary

A feature once used by job boards and HR platforms, the Estimated Salary schema helped show average compensation for specific roles.

Following the Course info and salary schema changes, this enhancement is now being phased out. Google suggests continuing to display salary details directly on the site, as the structured data ranking impact is still minimal.

5. Learning Video

Educational creators and video-first platforms might notice that their video content no longer appears with enriched learning details.

This is another outcome of the retired schema types in Google Search list. The Google structured data update 2025 no longer supports rich enhancements for learning videos, opting instead for a cleaner and more standardized video snippet experience.

6. Special Announcement

Initially introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the SpecialAnnouncement schema was created to display time-sensitive alerts—such as closures or emergency changes—in a highlighted box within search results.

Given its highly contextual use and decreasing need post-pandemic, this schema joins the list of deprecated formats. This contributes to the broader goal of search results visual enhancements removed.

7. Vehicle Listing

Automotive listings have also been simplified. Previously, structured data allowed for enriched car listings complete with pricing, specifications, and call-to-action options.

Following the Google structured data update 2025, these visual perks were scaled down. Dealers and car marketplaces can still index their content as usual, but the vehicle listing display now appears in a simpler format in 2026 search results.

What Changes for Websites?

The most significant shift here is in search results visual enhancements removed—not in visibility, ranking, or SEO performance. Rich elements powered by the above schema types will simply no longer show up.

There’s no need to panic. If your site currently uses these structured data types, they will not lead to errors or ranking drops. Google continues to crawl and index this content normally, even after the structured data changes extending into 2026.

This move is less about penalization and more about re-prioritization. Google’s simplification strategy reflects a broader trend that continues in 2026, where search results are streamlined to focus on the most useful interactions and information for users.

Partner with our Digital Marketing Agency

Ask Engage Coders to create a comprehensive and inclusive digital marketing plan that takes your business to new heights.
Contact Us

What’s Next?

If you’re managing a site impacted by these changes, rest easy—no immediate action is required. However, it’s wise to review your existing structured data and decide whether maintaining these markups still serves a non-Google purpose (such as internal search engines or external platforms).

Continue to monitor updates, especially as Course info and salary schema changes, the Book actions schema deprecated status, and the Google removes claim review markup may indirectly influence user behavior and engagement.

Looking ahead, SEO professionals and developers should:

Audit schema usage regularly.
Adapt to changes without depending on outdated visual formats.
Focus on structured data types that continue to offer rich value.

FAQs

The Google Structured Data Update 2026 refers to the continued impact of Google’s decision to retire several rarely used schema types. The goal is to simplify search results and focus on structured data that provides meaningful value to users.

No. Removing these structured data features does not directly affect SEO rankings. The update mainly affects how rich results appear in search rather than how pages are ranked.

Google removed seven schema types, including Book Actions, Course Info, Claim Review, Estimated Salary, Learning Video, Special Announcement, and Vehicle Listing. These were removed because they were rarely used or provided limited value in search results.

Websites are not required to remove deprecated structured data immediately. However, reviewing and updating schema markup helps keep site code clean and aligned with Google’s current guidelines.

Google aims to reduce clutter in search results and focus on structured data that genuinely improves the user experience. Removing rarely used schema types helps maintain a cleaner and more consistent search interface.

Websites should review their schema implementation, remove outdated structured data where appropriate, and prioritize widely supported schema types such as Article, Product, Organization, and FAQ.

Yes. Rich snippets still play an important role in improving visibility and click-through rates. Structured data helps search engines better understand content, which can improve how results appear in search.

SEO professionals should focus on maintaining accurate schema markup, improving content quality, and ensuring strong technical SEO practices such as structured data validation and regular audits.

Google continues to evolve search features and may introduce new structured data formats that improve how information appears in search results.

Websites should audit their structured data regularly, ideally once or twice a year, or whenever Google releases major search updates that affect schema markup.