Summary
This article examines Google’s structured data changes announced for 2026, explaining how these updates will impact B2B SEO strategy and search visibility. It covers the structured data types that Google is retiring, which features remain supported, and the specific actions B2B websites must take to maintain rich search results.
The content addresses the removal of certain structured data features, including book actions, course listings, automotive listings, vehicle listings, fact check markup, and special announcement schema, while providing practical guidance on adapting SEO implementation to align with Google’s streamlined approach. Designed for SEO managers, technical SEO specialists, and marketing leaders responsible for maintaining organic search performance as Google Search Central guidelines evolve.
Google announced sweeping changes to its structured data support that will reshape how B2B websites appear in search results. The Google structured data changes 2026 represent the most significant simplification of schema markup guidelines in years, retiring from multiple structured data types while consolidating others.
For B2B SEO teams, these changes demand immediate attention. Structured data that currently drives rich results will stop working. Features you’ve implemented to enhance search visibility will disappear from the search results page. Investment in certain markup types will become worthless.
But the story isn’t just about what’s being removed. Google’s changes reveal strategic priorities about what search experience they’re building, and which structured data features deliver value to users and publishers.
Understanding these shifts separates SEO strategies that maintain visibility from those that wake up in 2026, wondering why their rich results vanished.
What Google Is Removing and Why It Matters
Google’s structured data changes in 2026 will eliminate several structured data types that B2B websites commonly use.
1. Book Actions markup:
Book actions markups retire completely. This structured data allowed publishers to add action buttons for purchasing, borrowing, or previewing books directly in search results. While primarily consumer-focused, B2B publishers who offer educational books or resources will lose this feature.
2. Course structured data:
This faces major changes. Google will stop showing course listings in dedicated search features, though the markup itself isn’t entirely deprecated. B2B companies offering training programs, certifications, or educational content will see reduced visibility in search engines.
3. Automotive Listings and Vehicle Listing markup:
Disappear from supported types. These specific structured data formats enable dealerships and automotive sites to showcase inventory. While less relevant to most B2B companies, those in fleet management or commercial vehicle spaces lose this capability.
4. Fact Check markup:
Get removed from Google’s supported features. This structured data type allowed publishers to highlight fact-checking content with special indicators in search. B2B publishers who invested in fact-checking content lose this differentiation.
5. Special Announcement:
Structured data is being retired. Introduced during the pandemic for time-sensitive updates, this markup type helped organizations communicate urgent information. Its removal makes sense as the urgent use case has passed.
6. Claim Review markup:
This also faces elimination. Like fact-checking, this allowed highlighting claims being reviewed or verified, a feature that never gained widespread adoption.
The pattern behind these removals reveals Google’s priorities. They’re eliminating structured data features with low adoption, high complexity, or limited user value. They’re simplifying the search experience by reducing specialized features that confused more than they helped.
Understanding Google’s Strategic Direction
These Google structured data changes in 2026 reflect broader shifts in how Google thinks about structured data.
Google wants to simplify the search experience for users. Too many specialized rich results created clutter rather than clarity. By consolidating structured data types, Google aims for cleaner search results pages that serve core user needs better.
The company is also responding to the AI search evolution. As Google AI Overviews and other AI-powered features dominate search results, traditional rich results occupy less prominent positions. Google is prioritizing structured data that feeds AI understanding over markup that creates visual flourishes.
According to Google Search Central announcements, the focus shifts toward structured data that helps search engines understand content fundamentally rather than markup that merely enhances appearance. This philosophical shift matters more than any individual feature removal.
For a B2B SEO strategy, this means prioritizing structured data that improves content comprehension over markup that chases visual differentiation. The fundamentals matter more than the decorative elements.
Which Structured Data Types Remain Critical
Not everything is being removed. Core structured data types that B2B websites depend on remain fully supported.
1. Organization markup:
Stays essential for establishing entity relationships and brand information. This structured data helps Google understand your company, leadership, locations, and relationships with other entities.
2. Article and Blog Posting schema:
Remain critical for content publishers. These structured data guidelines ensure Google properly indexes and displays your content with appropriate metadata like publish dates, authors, and headlines.
3. Product and Offer markup:
Continue supporting e-commerce and B2B commerce implementations. For companies selling products or services, these structured data features drive rich results that directly impact conversion.
4. FAQ and How-to schema:
Maintain their importance for informational content. These structured data types help content appear in featured snippets and answer boxes, critical visibility for B2B thought leadership.
5. Event markup:
Remains supported by companies promoting conferences, webinars, or other gatherings. B2B event marketers can continue leveraging this structured data for enhanced visibility.
6. Job Posting schema:
Stays relevant for employer branding and recruitment. B2B companies attracting talent need this structured data to appear properly in job search features, including estimated salary information where applicable.
7. Review and Rating markup:
Continues enabling social proof display. B2B companies with customer reviews benefit from this structured data in local and product search contexts.
The takeaway is clear. Core business use cases retain support. Specialized, low-adoption features get eliminated.
Immediate Actions B2B SEO Teams Must Take
The Google structured data changes of 2026 require proactive audit and adjustment.
- Audit your current structured data implementation – Use Google Search Console to identify which markup types your site currently uses. Focus particularly on the deprecated types listed above. Understanding your exposure comes first.
- Prioritize removal or replacement of deprecated markup – While deprecated structured data won’t hurt your site, it serves no purpose and clutters your code. Clean implementation becomes easier to maintain.
- Test critical structured data using updated tools – Google’s Rich Results Test and Schema Markup Validator reflect the new guidelines. Verify that your essential markup validates correctly and drives the rich results you need.
- Review your structured data strategy holistically – Use this transition as an opportunity to assess whether your structured data implementation actually drives business value or just exists because someone implemented it years ago.
- Document changes for future reference – Your team will need to understand why certain markups were removed and what replaced them. Documentation prevents confusion when new team members wonder about historical decisions.
- Monitor Search Console for warnings – As Google implements these changes, Search Console will flag deprecated markup. Set up monitoring to catch issues before they impact visibility.
Adapting Your Long-Term SEO Strategy
These changes should inform how B2B companies approach structured data going forward. Focus on structured data types that Google explicitly supports and actively uses in search features. Chasing every possible markup type spread resources thin. Concentrate on implementations that drive measurable impact.
Prioritize structured data that improves AI understanding of your content. As search moves toward AI-generated answers and summaries, markup helps algorithms comprehend your content matters more than markup that creates visual enhancements.
Implement structured data strategically rather than comprehensively. Not every page needs every possible schema type. Target markup to pages where rich results drive business outcomes.
Consider structured data as part of a broader B2B SEO strategy rather than isolated tactics. Markup supports content strategy, technical SEO, and user experience; it doesn’t replace them. Effective enterprise SEO integrates structured data with all other optimization efforts.
Preparing for Future Search Evolution
The 2026 changes preview ongoing evolution in how search engines use structured data. Expect continued consolidation as Google simplifies guidelines and focuses on high-value features. The trend moves away from specialized markups toward core types that serve broad use cases.
AI integration will increasingly determine which structured data types matter. Markup that feeds large language models and AI understanding systems will gain importance. Markup that merely decorates search listings will fade.
User experience on the search results page drives Google’s decisions. Features that confuse users get removed. Features that simplify the search experience get enhanced. This user-first approach should guide your structured data decisions.
The companies that adapt quickly to these Google structured data changes in 2026 maintain competitive advantages in search visibility. Those who delay adjustments risk falling behind competitors who optimize for the new reality faster.
Organizations managing complex SEO implementations benefit from partners who track these technical changes and understand their business implications. Proton Effect helps B2B companies navigate technical SEO evolution while maintaining focus on revenue-driving SEO strategy rather than chasing every technical detail.
Understanding Search Console reporting changes alongside structured data evolution ensures you’re measuring the right metrics and responding to real trends rather than data artifacts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When exactly will Google implement these structured data changes?
A: Google announced these changes for implementation throughout 2026, with specific timelines varying by feature. Most deprecated structured data types will stop generating rich results in the first half of 2026. Monitor Google Search Central for exact dates as they’re confirmed.
Q: Will deprecated structured data hurt my site’s rankings?
A: No. Deprecated structured data won’t harm rankings or cause penalties. It simply won’t generate rich results anymore. However, removing unused markup improves code cleanliness and makes future maintenance easier. Focus removal efforts on pages where you need optimal performance.
Q: Should I remove all deprecated structured data immediately?
A: Not necessarily urgent, but advisable during your next site update cycle. Prioritize removal on high-traffic pages and new content. Legacy pages with deprecated markup won’t cause problems but offer no benefits. Balance the cleanup effort against other SEO priorities.
Q: How can I check which structured data my site currently uses?
A: Use Google Search Console’s Enhancement reports to see which structured data types Google detects on your site. For detailed page-level analysis, use the Rich Results Test tool or crawl your site with SEO tools that report schema markup usage.
Q: What structured data should B2B websites prioritize going forward?
A: Focus on Organization markup for brand identity, Article/Blog Posting for content, FAQ/how-to for informational resources, and Job Posting if recruiting. Product and review markup matters for commerce activities. These core types serve essential B2B use cases and remain fully supported.
Q: Will these changes affect my site’s visibility in AI Overview results?
A: Indirectly, yes. Structured data that helps Google understand your content improves the chances of being cited in AI Overviews. Focus on core markup types that enhance content comprehension rather than deprecated types that only affect traditional rich results of display.
