@Collegis_Education
Step-1
The Schema Markup Validator and the Rich Results Test are two distinct tools that serve different purposes in the context of schema markup. The Schema Markup Validator primarily focuses on validating the syntactical correctness of your schema code. It checks if your markup follows the structured data guidelines and is free from any syntax errors. This tool is useful during the initial stages of schema implementation to ensure that your code aligns with the schema.org specifications.
Step-2
The Role of Rich Results Test
On the other hand, the Rich Results Test is designed to provide insights into how Google interprets your schema markup and whether it generates rich results in the search engine. It simulates Google's search results and displays how your content may appear as a rich result. This tool not only checks for syntactical correctness but also evaluates how well your schema markup aligns with Google's guidelines for generating enhanced search results. Therefore, it focuses more on the practical impact of your schema markup on search engine results.
Step-3
Trusting the Results
Both tools are valuable in their own right. During the implementation phase, it's crucial to use the Schema Markup Validator to ensure your code's correctness. However, for a comprehensive understanding of how your schema markup will perform in search results, the Rich Results Test provides a more dynamic analysis. Trusting one over the other depends on your specific goals – the Schema Markup Validator for code validation and the Rich Results Test for evaluating the potential impact on search results. To illustrate, in my recent post I utilized schema markup, and both tools played a role in ensuring its accuracy and potential visibility in rich results.