Does VideoObject schema guarantee a rich result in Google?

No. Valid markup is necessary but not sufficient — Google decides whether to show a video thumbnail, key moments, or carousel placement based on the page's overall relevance and quality. Markup only makes the video eligible; it does not force the rich result to appear.

Can I add VideoObject schema to a page that embeds a YouTube video?

Yes, use embedUrl pointing at the YouTube embed link rather than contentUrl, since you don't host the file directly. You still need thumbnailUrl, uploadDate and duration filled in manually, as YouTube's own schema on its own domain doesn't transfer to your page.

Where does VideoObject JSON-LD need to be placed?

Inside a single tag anywhere in the page's or . It must describe a video that is actually visible on that page — marking up a video that isn't embedded or linked on the page violates Google's structured data guidelines.

What's the most common reason video schema fails validation?

Duration written as plain text like '4:13' instead of the required ISO 8601 format 'PT4M13S'. Google's parser rejects non-conforming duration strings outright, which silently disqualifies the page from duration-related rich result features like key moments.

Free tool · No signup

Video Schema Generator

Turn a video's title, thumbnail and duration into valid VideoObject JSON-LD ready to paste into your page.

Video title *

Description *

Thumbnail URL *

Upload date *

Duration (minutes)

Content URL (.mp4)

Embed URL

Publisher

VideoObject JSON-LD

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "Fixing Keyword Cannibalisation in 12 Minutes",
  "description": "A walkthrough of diagnosing two pages competing for the same query, choosing the canonical target and consolidating internal links.",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/img/cannibalisation-thumb.jpg",
  "uploadDate": "2026-03-18",
  "duration": "PT12M",
  "contentUrl": "https://example.com/video/cannibalisation.mp4",
  "embedUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/embed/aBcD1234efg",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Example Media"
  }
}
</script>

Paste this block into the <head> or anywhere in the <body> of the page it describes, then confirm it parses with the JSON-LD schema validator.

In short

A video schema generator produces VideoObject JSON-LD describing a video's name, description, thumbnailUrl, uploadDate and either contentUrl or embedUrl. Google requires all five of these to consider a page for video rich results and video carousels, and duration must be formatted as ISO 8601 (for example PT4M13S), not plain minutes. Enter your video's details below to get a validated JSON-LD block ready to paste into the page's head.

Worked example

What the output looks like

Input: Title: 'How to Repot a Monstera', thumbnail: monstera-repot.jpg, uploaded 2024-03-12, duration 4m13s, hosted on YouTube
Output: { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "VideoObject", "name": "How to Repot a Monstera", "description": "Step-by-step guide to repotting a Monstera without damaging the roots.", "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/images/monstera-repot.jpg", "uploadDate": "2024-03-12", "duration": "PT4M13S", "embedUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/embed/abc123xyz" }
How to read it: Check that thumbnailUrl resolves to an actual image, duration matches the video's real length in the PT#H#M#S format, and embedUrl points to a working player URL rather than the watch page — Google fetches this to verify the video exists.

How it works

Enter the video's core details

Provide the video's title, a short description, the thumbnail image URL, and the date it was uploaded. These four fields are the minimum Google needs to consider the video for a rich result.

Add duration and hosting URL

Type the running time as minutes and seconds — the tool converts it to ISO 8601 automatically. Choose contentUrl for a direct video file or embedUrl for a hosted player like YouTube or Vimeo.

Copy the generated JSON-LD

The tool outputs a complete script tag with the VideoObject type and all required properties, which you paste into the page's head or body exactly as shown.

What this tool does

Generates full VideoObject markup with thumbnailUrl, uploadDate and duration
Converts plain running time into the required ISO 8601 duration format
Adds contentUrl or embedUrl fields depending on where the video is hosted
Validates that every property Google requires for video rich results is present

Questions

Frequently asked

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