Google has updated its Google Search Console enhancement report for event structured data/rich results to show more errors. In short, Google is now able to report on more issues with your event structured data.
What changed. Google said it changed how it evaluates and reports errors for event structured data in its Search Console enhancement reports. Now Search Console is able to detect Event entities at all hierarchy levels, not just at the root level. Plus, Google said errors in recommended properties are now flagged as warnings rather than errors.
What does this mean. As a result of this change, Google said you “may see small increases in the number of Event entities and issues reported for your property, as well as a change in severity of some issues from errors to warnings.”
Should I be concerned. No, not really. This is a reporting change and the increase in errors you may see with this change does not mean that something is all of a sudden wrong with your event structured data. It means that there has always been a problem, but Google has not shown you those issues yet.
So review the issues and see if it is worth your time fixing.
What is event rich results. Event rich results is when Google Search uses your structured data on your event pages and shows richer search result snippets in its search results. Google said this can provide More interactive result by showing your logo, description of the event, and also increased chances of discovery and conversion by improving click through rates.
This is what these results can look like:
Why we care. If you see a spike in errors or warnings reported in the events structured data report, this is a reporting change made by Google. Now you are able to see more issues with your structured data in this report than you were previously. So review the issues and look to resolve them at your convenience.
About The Author
Barry Schwartz a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry’s personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here.