Google Retires Six Structured Data Types: What This Means for SEO in 2025

If you follow Google’s SEO and structured data updates, 2025 started with big news that surprised even seasoned marketers. Google officially announced the retirement of six types of structured data that have been part of the search ecosystem for years. For webmasters, this is more than a technical change. It signals a shift in how Google wants to interpret, display, and trust data from websites moving forward.

Structured data, or schema markup, has always been a key part of modern SEO. It helps Google understand what your content means, not just what it says. From reviews and events to courses and job postings, schema markup enables richer search results and higher click-through rates. So when Google decides to remove certain schema types, it’s worth paying attention.

Let’s take a closer look at what changed, why it matters, and what marketers can do to adapt.

What Exactly Happened

In early 2025, Google confirmed it would no longer support several structured data types that were once used to enhance search appearance. This includes markup for features such as video game details, quizzes, how-to actions, and other niche content types that the search engine now considers outdated or low-value for users.

The decision wasn’t made overnight. It followed a long period of review where Google evaluated how often these schema types were being used, how they impacted search quality, and whether they aligned with user intent. As part of the Google deprecated structured data 2025 rollout, the company also clarified that websites using these deprecated markups would not face penalties. They simply would no longer see rich results generated from those specific schema types.

Why Google Made the Change

Google’s official explanation focused on user experience and efficiency. Many of the retired schema types were either rarely used, misused, or no longer relevant to how people search today. For example, certain markups designed for interactive features did not align with current search behaviors or didn’t provide value in mobile-first indexing.

The broader message behind the Google schema updates 2025 is clear: Google is refining its approach to structured data to prioritize clarity, relevance, and user satisfaction. Rather than maintaining dozens of specialized schema categories, the company wants to focus on those that truly improve understanding of a page’s content and enhance the search result experience.

Which Structured Data Types Were Retired

While Google did not publish an exhaustive list in a single announcement, several confirmed schema types have been deprecated, including:

• Quiz markup: Originally introduced for educational content, but rarely implemented at scale.
• How-to action markup: Designed for voice assistants and Google Actions, but now largely replaced by standard how-to schema.
• Video game schema: Used to display video game information in search results, but overshadowed by rich media cards and direct app integrations.
• Exercise plan and diet schema: Removed due to inconsistent use and limited user engagement.
• Software application markup: Largely replaced by the Product schema and app-specific indexing features.
• Critic review schema: Now streamlined into Review and AggregateRating types.

If your site relies heavily on these markups, you’ll want to audit your pages to see whether they are still delivering value. Google has made it clear that invalid or unnecessary schema can be safely removed without harming rankings.

What This Means for Your Website

The immediate impact of these removals is that certain rich snippets may no longer appear in search results. That means some sites could see changes in click-through rates, especially if they previously benefited from enhanced listings tied to now-deprecated schema.

However, this update should also be viewed as an opportunity. It’s a good moment to clean up your site’s structured data, remove outdated markups, and focus on the types Google continues to support. Doing so can improve your site’s crawl efficiency and help Google better understand your most valuable content.

For example, instead of relying on outdated schema types, you might enhance your product pages with updated Product, Review, or FAQ schema. Local businesses can double down on LocalBusiness markup, while publishers can optimize Article schema to align with current best practices.

How to Prepare and Adapt

Here are a few practical steps you can take to stay ahead of the changes:

1. Audit your current schema markup.
   Use tools like Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema.org validator to identify deprecated types on your site. Remove or replace any that no longer serve a purpose.
2. Focus on core schema types that matter most.
   Product, Review, Organization, FAQ, LocalBusiness, and Article remain highly relevant. These are the backbone of how Google interprets structured data today.
3. Follow official documentation.
   Google’s developer pages and Schema.org updates often release guidance before changes take effect. Staying current ensures you don’t waste time implementing unsupported types.
4. Don’t chase every markup trend.
   The temptation to use every new schema can backfire if the content doesn’t match the markup. Google rewards accuracy and context, not over-optimization.
5. Monitor performance metrics.
   After making schema changes, watch your Search Console data closely. Look for fluctuations in impressions, clicks, and rich results visibility.

Broader SEO Implications

This shift reinforces a larger pattern in Google’s evolution. Search results are becoming less about technical tricks and more about relevance, authority, and trust. Structured data remains important, but it is now more about reinforcing genuine signals of quality than gaming the algorithm for rich results.

The Google schema updates 2025 highlight how Google is moving toward a simplified, user-first model. Rich snippets will continue to exist, but they will favor accuracy and high-quality context. That means websites with strong content, valid schema, and fast performance will continue to thrive, even as the search landscape evolves.

Meanwhile, the Google deprecated structured data 2025 announcement should be a reminder to keep your SEO strategy flexible. What works today might not work tomorrow, and that’s okay. The key is to stay adaptable, follow best practices, and focus on providing genuine value to users rather than chasing every technical update.

The Future of Schema Markup

Even though Google has retired some data types, schema markup isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s evolving to support more dynamic search experiences. Features like AI-generated summaries, personalized search panels, and context-aware snippets rely on structured data to interpret meaning correctly.

We may soon see new schema categories that better align with conversational search, multimedia content, and augmented reality. Google’s direction suggests that schema will remain essential but leaner, more intuitive, and integrated with emerging technologies.

Final Thoughts

Whenever Google changes the rules, it’s easy to feel uncertain. But if there’s one lesson to take from this update, it’s that quality and clarity always win. Removing outdated schemas doesn’t hurt good websites. It simply helps Google focus on what truly matters to users.

Whether you manage an e-commerce site, a blog, or a business listing, this is the perfect time to revisit your structured data strategy. Use this transition as an opportunity to refine, modernize, and strengthen your website’s foundation.

Structured data still plays a powerful role in how your content is understood and displayed. With the right adjustments, your site can continue to stand out in search results, even as Google’s algorithms and schema standards evolve.