Retrieval and usability, control 14 of 18
R-14 Represent reality in structured data
Markup must describe the real entity and accessible content. Valid JSON alone does not establish feature eligibility or factual accuracy.
- Priority
- Gate. A FAIL stops publish or launch.
- Hard gate
- Yes. A FAIL stops publication, whatever the score.
- Change class
- AUTO_WITH_TEST: A candidate requiring relevant tests.
- Quality bucket
- Retrieval and usability
Why it matters
Markup that describes things a visitor cannot see misleads users and breaks the trust that structured data depends on. Google's structured data guidance for Organization, ProfilePage and LocalBusiness expects markup to reflect real, visible information. Treating schema as a trick to win rich results or AI visibility invites the very problems it was meant to avoid.
Evidence to review
- Parsed markup, relevant feature validation and page-to-data comparison.
How to implement
- Validate syntax, supported types, required fields and page-purpose fit.
- Compare facts with visible content and business records.
- Do not fabricate reviews, offers or people.
- Distinguish Schema.org validity from support in a particular search feature.
- Do not remove accurate, applicable markup solely to lower an invented over-optimisation score. Fix only a verified mismatch, inapplicable type or policy problem.
How UltimateSEO checks this
Partly automated. The scan records page signals, but a passing signal is kept as information: contextual or account evidence is still needed to establish the control.
States used: PASS, FAIL, UNKNOWN, NOT_APPLICABLE or BLOCKED. UNKNOWN is never shown as a pass. How states work.
Myth guards that reference this control
Sources
Part of The UltimateSEO Framework v4.3, catalogue dated 2026-10-14. Evidence states, control states and the publish gate are explained on the hub.