Google’s structured data recipe requirements have changed. The old method of structured data is no longer valid, and Google requires that the recipe structured data be updated to meet the most recent requirements.
Recipe Structured Data
Recipe structured data is information that publishers share with search engines such as Google to help them better understand the content. Structured data also enables Google to display content in engaging ways that draw attention to the recipes, a feature known as Recipe Enhancements.
Typical Recipe Enhancements are:
- Guided Recipes
- Recipe host carousel
It is critical to use valid structured data. Failure to use correct structured data may result in a site losing eligibility to appear in Recipe Enhancements, as well as a loss of search engine traffic to other sites that do use correct structured data.
Three Recipe Structured Data Properties Changed
According to Google’s documentation, they have removed their advice for specifying a time range for the cookTime and prepTime properties.
The cookTime property recommendation has the following wording removed:
“You can use min and max as child elements to specify a range of time.”
The following wording was removed from the prepTime property:
“You can use min and max as child elements to specify a range of time.”
Google now only supports exact time for the cookTime and prepTime properties, as well as one more that Google has not documented.
The time range is no longer supported.
“Currently, the only supported method is an exact time; time ranges aren’t supported. If you’re currently specifying a time range and you’d like Google to better understand your time values for cook time and prep time, we recommend updating that value in your structured data to a single value (for example, “cookTime”: “PT30M”).”
A Third Structured Data Property Changed
According to Google’s changelog documentation, only two properties have changed: cookTime and prepTime.
However, there is a third property that has changed as well.
This is what the changelog states:
“Removed guidance about specifying a range for the cookTime and prepTime properties in the Recipe documentation.”
Read Should You Worry about the Death of Third-Party Cookies?
Although it is not mentioned in Google’s changelog documentation, the totalTime property has also changed.
The previous totalTime Recipe documentation states:
“You can use min and max as child elements to specify a range of time.”
Although Google’s documentation omits noting the change in the totalTime property, it’s probably prudent to take note that this property has also changed and to avoid including a time range for the totalTime property in the future because Google no longer recommends it.
Structured Data for Recipes
For structured data, many recipe websites rely on plugins. If you use a recipe structured data plugin that also uses the time range, you should update to the most recent version to ensure that your recipe structured data is up to date.
This change in structured data is relatively new, having been implemented on January 18, 2022.
Need help with our free SEO tools? Try our free Code to Text Ratio Checker, Broken Links Finder, Online Ping Website Tool.
Learn more from SEO and read 6 Factors That Will Affect Your SEO in 2021.
2 Comments