In Google Search, enhanced listings are commonly referred to as rich snippets (also known as rich results).
They show extra details that aren’t stored in the meta description but are pulled from structured data added to a page’s source code.
According to Google, rich snippets don’t directly improve a page’s rankings, so they aren’t considered ranking factors. However, search results with additional information can still bring several SEO benefits:
Rich snippets can display different kinds of information. Common categories include:
Major search engines support the Schema.org vocabulary. Using Schema.org markup, an experienced webmaster can choose the schemas that match your web page and add them to the site code.
Search engines can read structured data in JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa formats. In practice, Google and Bing are the most active in using structured data to generate rich snippets and other enhanced search features.
For search engines to understand structured data, the source code must include valid markup. Webmasters typically use JSON-LD (often recommended for many use cases), but Microdata and RDFa are also supported depending on the implementation.
On a single website, you can mark up multiple “entities” — for example, recipes and events — so search engines can interpret each type of content correctly.
Example from google.com for a recipe website that is also available as AMP:
<!doctype html>
<html amp lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<title>Strawberry-Mango Mesclun Recipe</title>
<link rel="canonical" href="http://example.ampproject.org/recipe-metadata.html" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,minimum-scale=1,initial-scale=1">
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "http://schema.org/",
"@type": "Recipe",
"name": "Strawberry-Mango Mesclun Recipe",
"image": "http://images.media-allrecipes.com/userphotos/600x600/1116471.jpg",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "scoopnana"
},
"datePublished": "2008-03-03",
"description": "Mango, strawberries, and sweetened dried cranberries are a vibrant addition to mixed greens tossed with an oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.",
"aggregateRating": {
"@type": "AggregateRating",
"ratingValue": "5",
"reviewCount": "52"
},
"prepTime": "PT15M",
"totalTime": "PT14M",
"recipeYield": "12 servings",
"nutrition": {
"servingSize": "1 bowl",
"calories": "319 cal",
"fatContent": "20.2 g"
},
"recipeIngredient": [
"1/2 cup sugar",
"3/4 cup canola oil",
"1 teaspoon salt",
"1/4 cup balsamic vinegar",
"8 cups mixed salad greens",
"2 cups sweetened dried cranberries",
"1/2 pound fresh strawberries, quartered",
"1 mango - peeled, seeded, and cubed",
"1/2 cup chopped onion",
"1 cup slivered almonds"
],
"recipeInstructions": "n1. Place the sugar, oil, salt, and vinegar in a jar with a lid. Seal jar, and shake vigorously to mix.n2. In a large bowl, mix salad greens, sweetened dried cranberries, strawberries, mango, and onion. To serve, toss with dressing and sprinkle with almonds."
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<h1>The best strawberry and mango mesclun you’ll ever try!</h1>
</body>
</html>(Source: Google Rich Results Test / Schema Markup Validator)
Additional example for event structured data:
<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Event">
<a itemprop="url" href="nba-miami-philidelphia-game3.html">
NBA Eastern Conference First Round Playoff Tickets:
<span itemprop="name">
Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers - Game 3 (Home Game 1)
</span>
</a>
<meta itemprop="startDate" content="2016-04-21T20:00">
Thu, 04/21/16 8:00 p.m.
<div itemprop="location" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Place">
<a itemprop="url" href="wells-fargo-center.html">
Wells Fargo Center
</a>
<div itemprop="address" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/PostalAddress">
<span itemprop="addressLocality">Philadelphia</span>,
<span itemprop="addressRegion">PA</span>
</div>
</div>
<div itemprop="offers" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/AggregateOffer">
Priced from: <span itemprop="lowPrice">$35</span>
<span itemprop="offerCount">1938</span> tickets left
</div>
</div>In both examples, you can see that markup can include both core properties and extra details — not all of them will necessarily appear in the SERP snippet. Tip: as an alternative to editing the source code, you can use Google’s Data Highlighter (a legacy Search Console feature) to tag repeated elements on your site. Google may store them as structured data and apply them to similar pages, but results can be inconsistent, so it’s best treated as a temporary workaround.
There are also online snippet/schema generators that can help produce valid structured data quickly. They’re often reliable for basic use cases and reduce the risk of formatting mistakes for people new to Microdata/JSON-LD.
Google offers free tools for validation and troubleshooting, such as the Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator. You can test either a URL or a code snippet. The tools highlight errors and show what Google features your page may be eligible for.
Keep in mind: even if a validator shows no implementation errors, it doesn’t guarantee that Google will display a rich snippet — eligibility also depends on content quality, policy compliance, and how Google chooses to show features for a query.
Tip: Mark up more than what’s shown
From an SEO perspective, it helps to structure as much content as possible around clear entities. Even if Google doesn’t consistently display the rich snippet, structured data can still improve how search engines interpret the page — which can support better matching to user intent over time.