Fixing Event, Job and Product Rich Results

One page, one thing: choosing the right type

All three rich results assume that a page is about one specific item. Most eligibility problems for these types start with markup on the wrong kind of page.

Google's event documentation is clear that promotions and time-limited offers are not events, and its job posting guidelines require a real vacancy that people can apply for. Markup on the wrong page is not just ineligible; it can count as spammy structured data.

Event: the minimum that works

Google requires three things for an event rich result: name, startDate and location. Almost everything else is recommended, but several recommended fields make a real difference to how the listing looks and to whether people trust it.

A working in-person event

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Event",
  "name": "Beginners' Sourdough Workshop",
  "description": "A three-hour hands-on class covering starters, shaping and baking. All ingredients provided.",
  "startDate": "2026-11-14T10:00:00+00:00",
  "endDate": "2026-11-14T13:00:00+00:00",
  "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled",
  "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode",
  "location": {
    "@type": "Place",
    "name": "Millrace Bakery School",
    "address": {
      "@type": "PostalAddress",
      "streetAddress": "4 Wharf Lane",
      "addressLocality": "Bakewell",
      "postalCode": "DE45 1AA",
      "addressCountry": "GB"
    }
  },
  "image": ["https://example.co.uk/images/sourdough-class-16x9.jpg"],
  "organizer": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Millrace Bakery School", "url": "https://example.co.uk" },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "url": "https://example.co.uk/classes/sourdough-14-nov",
    "price": "65.00",
    "priceCurrency": "GBP",
    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
    "validFrom": "2026-09-01T09:00:00+01:00"
  }
}
</script>

Note the +00:00 offset: 14 November is after the clocks go back, so UK times are on GMT. The ticket sale date in September uses +01:00 because it falls in British Summer Time.

Online and hybrid events

For a webinar, set eventAttendanceMode to online and give location as a VirtualLocation with the joining or registration URL. For a hybrid event, use mixed attendance and supply location as an array containing both the Place and the VirtualLocation.

JobPosting: the minimum that works

Job posting markup feeds Google's job search experience. The required fields are title, description, datePosted, hiringOrganization and jobLocation, with one exception for fully remote roles. validThrough is required when the advert has a closing date, and baseSalary, employmentType, identifier and directApply are recommended.

• title is the job title only. "Senior Bookkeeper" is right; "Senior Bookkeeper, Leeds, £32k, apply now!!" is not.
• description must be the full advert, and it can contain simple HTML such as paragraphs and lists, which the other text fields cannot.
• hiringOrganization is the employer. An agency advertising for a named client should name the client if it can; if the client is confidential, the agency may use its own name.
• Remote roles use jobLocationType set to TELECOMMUTE plus applicantLocationRequirements naming the country or region applicants must live in. A hybrid role still needs its office jobLocation.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "JobPosting",
  "title": "Part-time Bookkeeper",
  "description": "<p>Keep the accounts for a busy family-run garden centre, three days a week.</p><ul><li>Purchase and sales ledgers</li><li>VAT returns</li></ul>",
  "identifier": { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Fernbrook Garden Centre", "value": "FB-2026-014" },
  "datePosted": "2026-09-22",
  "validThrough": "2026-10-20T23:59:00+01:00",
  "employmentType": "PART_TIME",
  "hiringOrganization": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Fernbrook Garden Centre", "sameAs": "https://example.co.uk" },
  "jobLocation": {
    "@type": "Place",
    "address": {
      "@type": "PostalAddress",
      "streetAddress": "Old Road",
      "addressLocality": "Matlock",
      "postalCode": "DE4 3AA",
      "addressRegion": "Derbyshire",
      "addressCountry": "GB"
    }
  },
  "baseSalary": {
    "@type": "MonetaryAmount",
    "currency": "GBP",
    "value": { "@type": "QuantitativeValue", "minValue": 15, "maxValue": 17, "unitText": "HOUR" }
  },
  "directApply": true
}
</script>

Product: the short version

Product markup is covered in depth in the Product schema errors guide, so only the eligibility minimum is repeated here. Product snippets need a name plus at least one of offers, review or aggregateRating. Merchant listings, the shopping-style results, need name, image and an offers object with price and priceCurrency, and they only apply to pages where the visitor can buy from you.

The quick checks that fix most product eligibility problems: the price is a plain number without a currency symbol; the currency is a three-letter code such as GBP; availability is a full schema.org URL; and the price in the markup is the same as the price on the page. If you add ratings, the separate guides on aggregateRating errors and review snippets cover the rules.

Dates, times and the UK clock change

Date handling is the most common reason an event or job goes wrong after it has been marked up correctly once. Google reads ISO 8601, and the offset matters.

• Always include an offset. 2026-11-14T10:00:00 with no offset leaves Google guessing the time zone. Add +00:00 in winter or +01:00 in summer for UK events.
• Watch the clock change. Templates that hard-code +01:00 put every winter event an hour out. Generate the offset from the event's actual date using your server's time zone database, set to Europe/London.
• Date-only is acceptable for all-day events and for datePosted, but do not append midnight with a wrong offset.
• Keep the page and the markup in step. If the page says "Doors 7pm, show 8pm", pick one for startDate and use it consistently.

Wrong:  "startDate": "14/11/2026 10am"
Wrong:  "startDate": "2026-11-14T10:00:00+01:00"   (summer offset in November)
Right:  "startDate": "2026-11-14T10:00:00+00:00"

Cancellations, postponements and expiry

Events and jobs are time-limited, so the markup needs maintaining after publication. Stale items are one of the policy problems that can cost rich results.

Events that change

• Cancelled: keep the page and the original startDate, and set eventStatus to EventCancelled. Do not delete the page straight away; people will still search for it.
• Postponed with no new date: set EventPostponed and leave the original date in place.
• Rescheduled: set EventRescheduled, put the new date in startDate and the old one in previousStartDate.
• Moved online: set EventMovedOnline, change the attendance mode and add a VirtualLocation.

Jobs that close

When a vacancy is filled or closed, do one of these the same day: remove the page so it returns a 404 or 410, add noindex, or remove the JobPosting markup. Updating validThrough to a past date also tells Google the advert has expired. Leaving closed jobs marked up as open is a clear breach of Google's job posting guidelines and can lead to a manual action.

The fix, step by step

Where this markup usually comes from

• WordPress: event calendar plugins and job board plugins usually output their own markup. Check that only one plugin produces each type, and that its time zone setting matches the site's general settings.
• Ticketing platforms: if tickets are sold through a third-party platform, its event page may already carry Event markup. Your own page can still carry markup for the same event, but both should agree on dates and venue.
• Applicant tracking systems: many hosted careers pages output JobPosting automatically. If your own site also lists the job, decide which page is the main one and avoid two conflicting versions.
• Shop platforms: Product markup normally comes from the theme. See the Shopify rich snippets guide for store-specific problems.