{"id":1773,"slug":"google-rich-results-eligibility-not-guarantee","title":"Google Search Central — structured data produces eligibility, not a guarantee; does not guarantee rich results even with correct markup","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","dev","candid-team"],"topics":["editorial-discipline","structured-data-mechanics","rich-results-eligibility"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** \"Google does not guarantee that your structured data will show up in search results, even if your page is marked up correctly.\"\n\n**Source:** Google Search Central, \"Intro to How Structured Data Markup Works,\" last updated 2025-12-10.\n\n**Confidence:** Verified — primary.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** The honesty caveat we are obliged to carry every time we recommend structured data: it produces *eligibility*, not a guarantee. Anchors [[rule-quarantine-vendor-ctr-multipliers]] — without this caveat, vendor CTR-uplift claims smuggle in a \"ranking factor\" assumption Google explicitly rejects.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"google-structured-data-mechanism-recipe-example","title":"Google Search Central — structured data labels each individual element so users can search by ingredient, calorie count, cook time","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"rule-quarantine-vendor-ctr-multipliers","title":"R6 — Quarantine vendor CTR / AI-citation multipliers; the only clean primary figure (Nestlé 82%) is single-company and ring-fenced","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-searchable-structured-catalogue-working-tool-june-2026","title":"Research brief: the searchable, structured catalogue as a working tool — when records-not-prose pays off (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"google-freshness-no-rich-results-stale-time-sensitive-content","title":"Google Search Central — \"We won't show a rich result for time-sensitive content that is no longer relevant\"; data freshness is implicitly rewarded","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"nestle-82-percent-ctr-rich-results-ring-fenced","title":"Nestlé 82% higher CTR on rich-results pages — Google's own documentation, attributed to one named company; RING-FENCED, never present as typical","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"ai-citation-eligibility-via-structured-records","title":"AI-citation eligibility via structured records — DIRECTIONAL; vendor-blog driven, Google's own position is \"not a direct ranking factor\"","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"quarantine-vendor-structured-data-ctr-and-ai-multipliers","title":"QUARANTINE — \"Pages with structured data earn 35% higher CTR\" / \"2.5x higher chance of appearing in AI answers\" / \"40% more AI Overview appearances\"","kind":"research-notes","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"rule-do-not-generalise-nestle-82-percent","title":"R4 — Do NOT generalise the Nestlé 82% CTR figure; it is one company's self-measurement, never present as typical","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"rule-quarantine-vendor-ctr-multipliers","title":"R6 — Quarantine vendor CTR / AI-citation multipliers; the only clean primary figure (Nestlé 82%) is single-company and ring-fenced","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-21T13:17:12.656Z","updated_at":"2026-06-21T13:17:12.656Z"}