Collection page Rich Results are not from structured data
Let me cut to the chase to dispel any misconceptions about structured data on collection pages.
Google does not currently support any collection1 page Rich Results from structured data.
The types of Rich Results Google shows and the data they use are all up to their algorithm. JSON-LD for SEO always includes as much data as you have set up including the prices, availability, and reviews on product pages. It depends on their algorithm if they show something or not.
When you see things like price ranges or reviews on collection pages, that's 100% Google's algorithm.
Google's technical guidelines say they only want markup on single products and not a collection of products.
Currently, product rich results only support pages that focus on a single product (or multiple variants of the same product). For example, "shoes in our shop" is not a specific product. This includes product variants where each product variant has a distinct URL. We recommend focusing on adding markup to product pages instead of pages that list products or a category of products.
Though Google does have carousel (itemList) markup today, it does not support product markup which means you cannot get a product Rich Result from carousel markup. Google clearly states that itemList markup is only for courses, movies, recipes or restaurants. They do not want itemList markup for products at this time.
To be eligible for a host carousel rich result for your site, add ItemList structured data in combination with one of the following supported structured data features:
- Course list
- Movie
- Recipe
- Restaurant
Google is testing some options for carousel structured data (itemList) on collection pages. It should be noted that carousels for collection pages for products are only available to select countries and are not fully adopted by Google yet. It's in beta testing which means they are trying to see if it adds any value to their current algorithms.
There has been no proof that adding product markup to collection pages aids in winning Rich Results for collection pages. Anyone who tells you otherwise probably doesn't know enough about Rich Results. Google does not guarantee Rich Results will be shown nor do they guarantee that all results will receive Rich Results. Adding product markup that doesn't match the page contents could result in a manual action from Google.
As such, JSON-LD for SEO only adds product data to product pages and not collection pages. We would never implement something that could put your store's SEO at risk.
With that said, there are a few things that may help.
- Make sure your product pages have at least one high-quality set of structured data such as what's provided by JSON-LD for SEO.
- Add the shipping and returns data in JSON-LD for SEO, Merchant Center, or Google Search Console.
- Take part in Google's Customer Reviews program to qualify for Seller Reviews.
- Focus on optimizing your collection pages with normal SEO optimizations. Consider reviewing this extensive article on optimizing collections.
Unfortunately, you cannot earn Rich Results on collection pages with structured data as of this moment. If and when that changes, we'll happily include it in JSON-LD for SEO.
1 Shopify calls them collection pages. They may also be referred to as category pages or product listing pages (PLP's).
JSON-LD for SEO
Get more organic search traffic from Google without having to fight for better rankings by utilizing search enhancements called Rich Results.