This week, Google formally deprecated support for structured data markup related to vehicle listings, triggering confusion across the automotive space. For many, though, the disruption wasn’t new. Dealers and providers began seeing vehicle listings quietly disappear months ago, with no clear explanation. As is often the case, Google offered little context. Google is not going to tell anyone definitively what the problem is, but from our thousands of locations, here's what we're surmising.
Google will no longer support structured data markup for powering the “Vehicles for Sale” (also known as Cars for Sale) experience in Google Business Profiles. That means any dealer or platform relying solely on structured data embedded on their website to display listings will lose access to enhanced visibility on Google.
Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t a sudden change.
Starting approximately in October 2024, some inventory providers began noticing sporadic issues: disappearing listings, inconsistent vehicle data, and an overall decline in inventory visibility. While it may have felt random or isolated at the time, the pattern now makes more sense in hindsight.
Here’s why:
When companies like Google roll out significant changes to their systems, they rarely do so all at once. Instead, it follows a deliberate and controlled testing model. The process typically starts with a very small percentage of users — often just 1% — to monitor how a change impacts performance, data quality, and user behavior. That 1% acts as a testing ground, allowing Google to assess collateral effects: What breaks? What adapts? What unforeseen consequences emerge?
If the results are within expectations, Google expands the rollout incrementally: 5%, 10%, 25%, and so on. This gradual expansion is designed to mitigate risk and reduce widespread disruption. But it also means that identifying cause and effect becomes incredibly difficult for those on the outside. Without an official statement from Google — which rarely comes — you're left to connect the dots through industry chatter, pattern recognition, and direct platform behavior.
This rollout strategy isn’t new. It mirrors how other major changes have unfolded. Take AI-generated search answers, for example. When AI answers first appeared in Google Search, they were limited to a small subset of queries and users. Over time, their presence expanded quietly until they became a standard part of nearly every search experience.
Structured data deprecation followed that same playbook. It began as a quiet test — affecting only a handful of inventory feeds — but it created visible ripple effects for those providers caught in the early phases. And because the change wasn’t announced publicly, it created confusion: Was this a bug? Was it temporary? Was it specific to one provider or platform?
Now that Google has made the structured data deprecation official, it’s clear this has been in motion for months. But because the rollout was so gradual and opaque, it was nearly impossible to pinpoint the root cause — or even recognize that a bigger shift was underway.
While Google rarely offers detailed explanations, if any, it consistently provides notice when fully deprecating a program. There has been no indication from Google that the Vehicles for Sale program itself is being deprecated — no updated documentation, no partner communication, and no formal notice. Given their usual pattern of signaling upcoming changes, this silence strongly suggests that the program isn't going anywhere.
So what has changed?
Here’s what we’ve pieced together from ongoing industry discussions and direct conversations with Google contacts:
Structured data was likely serving as a behind-the-scenes validation layer for vehicle inventory feeds. Google appears to have used schema markup (fields like mileage, trim, condition, etc.) to cross-check submitted feed data against what was publicly visible on a dealer’s website. This helped confirm the accuracy and completeness of feed submissions.
When structured data was deprecated, that validation system was quietly removed — but the underlying feed rules didn’t adjust accordingly. That mismatch triggered a validation breakdown. Without the schema to support feed checks, inventory began to disappear, even when the feeds themselves seemed correctly formatted.
This situation is a textbook example of complex systems theory in action. In systems as intricate and interdependent as Google's, altering one layer — like structured data — can have unintended consequences in other areas. Without visibility into those internal mechanisms, it becomes extremely difficult to trace the source of disruptions or predict how a change will propagate.
And this is precisely why Google introduces major changes gradually. As mentioned earlier, they often start with just 1% of traffic or users to monitor the impact before scaling up. But for the industry watching from the outside, this approach can make it difficult to spot the pattern, and nearly impossible to connect symptoms with cause until much later.
You might ask, “Why hasn’t Google fixed this yet?”
This free product serves a specialized niche within Google’s vast ecosystem of 18 million Google Business Profiles in the United States. Although approximately 14,000 OEM-affiliated dealers in the US may be affected, this represents a relatively small segment of businesses overall.
A few hundred complaints about missing vehicle listings don’t yet carry the weight to push resolution to the top of a long engineering queue.
That said, our contacts at Google confirm that the Vehicle Listings program is not going away. They’re actively working, possibly in tandem with AI-driven methods, to rebuild the feed validation layer. But engineering takes time, especially at this scale.
If you’re using our dbaPlatform feed-based inventory system, you're already ahead:
✅ Fully compliant with the current Google standard
🚫 No disruption to your listings
🔄 Automatic updates and diagnostics ensure peak feed health
🧭 Aligned with Google’s direction and future-proofed for upcoming changes
| Action | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Stop using structured data | It is no longer supported for vehicle listings |
| Power listings with a feed file | The only method still recognized by Google |
| Report issues to Google | Volume drives prioritization - each report helps |
| Clean up your feed | Accurate VIN, mileage, and condition data reduce flags |
| Monitor diagnosis tools | Catch and resolve issues before they impact visibility |
Google’s structured data deprecation is probably part of a staged, experimental rollout, not an abrupt shutdown.
The real issue? A broken validation system, not the vehicle listings program itself.
Feed-based listings are safe and should be your priority.
When dealing with big platforms, adapting to their evolving standards is key.
If you’re experiencing problems, not yet using a feed, or simply want peace of mind, we’re here to help.
Existing Clients: Ryan McCallister
New Inquiries: River Grace
We’ll continue monitoring Google’s updates and share insights as new developments emerge.