Video schema validator: VideoObject required fields

Paste the JSON-LD that describes a video and this validator checks it against the property tables in Google’s video structured data documentation. It runs in your browser with JSON.parse, and nothing you paste is sent anywhere.

What this video schema validator checks#

• A VideoObject node. The input can be one object, an array, or an object with an @graph list. The checker uses the first node whose @type is VideoObject.
• The three required properties. Google documents name, thumbnailUrl and uploadDate as required. name is the video title, which Google asks to be unique for each video on the site. thumbnailUrl points to the video’s thumbnail image. uploadDate is when the video was first published.
• Eight recommended properties. contentUrl, embedUrl, description, duration, creator, interactionStatistic, expires and regionsAllowed are each reported as present or missing. Google accepts author in place of creator, so either one counts.
• creator shape. Google documents creator (or author) as a Person or Organization. A plain text value gets a Warning, and so does a Person or Organization with neither name nor alternateName, because Google says you must provide one of them.
• interactionStatistic values. Each counter, one object or an array, is checked for an interactionType Google supports, WatchAction, LikeAction, CommentAction or ShareAction, and for a userInteractionCount that is an integer. A legacy interactionCount with no interactionStatistic gets an Info row, since Google recommends the newer property.
• uploadDate format. It must be an ISO 8601 date or datetime, as in Google’s example 2024-03-31T08:00:00+08:00. A datetime without a timezone gets an extra note, because Google recommends one and otherwise defaults to Googlebot’s timezone.
• duration format. It must be an ISO 8601 duration. Google’s example is PT1M54S, one minute and fifty-four seconds.
• A way to find the video. If both contentUrl and embedUrl are missing, the checker warns. Google calls contentUrl the most effective way for it to fetch the video file, and embedUrl the alternative when the file URL is not available.

How to read the results#

Every row carries one of four labels.

• Problem. No VideoObject node, a missing required property, or an uploadDate that is not a valid ISO 8601 date. Fix these first.
• Warning. A duration that is not an ISO 8601 duration, no contentUrl and no embedUrl, a creator that is not a named Person or Organization, or an unsupported interactionType or non-integer userInteractionCount.
• Info. A missing recommended property, an uploadDate time with no timezone, or a legacy interactionCount.
• Pass. The property is present or the format is valid.

If the text is not valid JSON, the checker shows the parser’s error message instead, for example after a trailing comma or a missing quote.

Worked example#

This markup sits inside an @graph with a WebPage node:

{
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "Canonical tags explained",
  "uploadDate": "2026-09-01T08:00:00",
  "duration": "2:10",
  "embedUrl": "https://example.com/embed/42"
}

The checker finds the VideoObject node and reports:

Row	Result
thumbnailUrl	Missing, Problem
uploadDate is ISO 8601	Pass
uploadDate has a timezone	Info
duration is an ISO 8601 duration	2:10, Warning
contentUrl, description, creator, interactionStatistic, expires, regionsAllowed	Missing, Info

name, uploadDate, embedUrl and duration pass the presence check. Adding a thumbnailUrl, writing the date as 2026-09-01T08:00:00+00:00 and the duration as PT2M10S clears every Problem and Warning. embedUrl alone satisfies the contentUrl-or-embedUrl check, so no warning appears for it.

Common mistakes it catches#

• No thumbnail. thumbnailUrl is required, so a missing thumbnail is reported as a Problem, not a suggestion.
• Clock-style durations. 2:10 or 130 instead of PT2M10S.
• Dates without a timezone. Valid ISO 8601, but Google then assumes Googlebot’s timezone.
• Non-ISO dates. A value like 01/09/2026 fails the uploadDate check.
• A creator as a bare string. "creator": "Jane Doe" instead of a Person object with a name.
• Unsupported interaction types. A ViewAction counter, where Google documents WatchAction for views.
• No way to reach the video. Neither contentUrl nor embedUrl, so Google has no URL for the video itself.

What it cannot check#

It reads only the JSON you paste. It cannot confirm that the thumbnail URL loads or is crawlable, that the video sits on a watch page, as Google requires, or that the video gets indexed. Google’s documentation points to its Rich Results Test for testing the live page.

Related tools and reading#

• JSON-LD syntax and required-field validator
• Structured data generator for search and AI
• VideoObject schema: the required properties Google actually documents
• Italiaonline: 841% video click growth after schema fixes