VideoObject

Minimal valid version

The smallest markup that still produces a valid VideoObject entity. Use it as the floor. Reach for the advanced example above when you want search engines and AI agents to understand more about your content.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "How XooTee Classics are screen-printed",
  "description": "Watch the full screen-printing process at Xoo Code Shop Dunmore.",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://xoocode.com/media/xootee-print-thumb.jpg",
  "uploadDate": "2025-09-15"
}
</script>

Google rich results this unlocks

Markup matching this example makes your page eligible for the following Google Search rich results. The primary target drives the required / recommended property classification in the advanced code block above.

• Videoprimary

  Google docs

Common VideoObject mistakes

Mistakes that pass validation but silently fail to earn rich results or mislead consumers walking the graph. Avoid these and your markup will be ahead of most sites in the wild.

1. 01

   Duration as a plain string instead of ISO 8601

   Wrong

   "duration": "4:50"

   Right

   "duration": "PT4M50S"

   ISO 8601 duration format requires the PT prefix (period of time) followed by numeric values with unit suffixes. <code>PT4M50S</code> means 4 minutes and 50 seconds. Developers frequently write clock-style strings like <code>4:50</code> or plain seconds like <code>290</code>, both of which Google rejects. The duration badge disappears from the video rich result and the value is silently dropped. Always use the full ISO form.

2. 02

   thumbnailUrl pointing to the page instead of the image

   Wrong

   "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/videos/my-video"

   Right

   "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/media/my-video-thumb.jpg"

   thumbnailUrl must be a direct link to an image file, not a page that contains the video. Google needs to fetch and render the image as the thumbnail card in search results. A page URL returns HTML, which Google cannot render as an image. Use the full URL to a .jpg, .png, or .webp file at least 60x30 pixels.

3. 03

   Clip startOffset as a string instead of a number

   Wrong

   "startOffset": "45"

   Right

   "startOffset": 45

   schema.org defines <code>startOffset</code> and <code>endOffset</code> as <code>Number</code> values (seconds from the start of the video). A quoted string like <code>"45"</code> technically passes JSON validation but is semantically wrong and some parsers reject it. Always use unquoted numeric values for offsets. The generator handles this automatically.

4. 04

   Using a page URL for contentUrl or embedUrl

   Wrong

   "contentUrl": "https://example.com/videos/my-video"

   Right

   "contentUrl": "https://example.com/media/my-video.mp4"

   contentUrl must point at the video file itself (.mp4, .webm, .ogg), not at a page that embeds the video. embedUrl must point at an embeddable player endpoint (like a YouTube /embed/ URL), not at a watch page. Google uses contentUrl to crawl the video directly for duration extraction and thumbnail generation. A page URL in either field produces a broken rich result.

Schema properties in this example