Schema Markup For Adult Sites
The truth about structured data on adult websites: which schema types actually work, which are blocked by SafeSearch, and the exact implementation that Google accepts in 2025.
The Reality Check
Before investing hours implementing schema markup, every adult webmaster needs to understand what Google actually does with structured data on explicit content sites.
Google's Official Position
John Mueller (Google Search Advocate) confirmed in December 2020: "The types of rich results that I'm aware of are explicitly not meant for adult content websites." Adult sites won't display rich snippets, period.
What This Means in Practice
Any content filtered by SafeSearch cannot appear as a rich result. If a majority of your domain's content doesn't pass SafeSearch filters, Google applies filtering to the entire domain—even pages that might be safe for all audiences.
However, there's no penalty for using schema markup. Mueller clarified: "I don't think there's any kind of manual action or webspam action that takes place." You won't be punished for implementing it; you just won't see rich results.
Even without rich results, schema helps Google understand your content structure, improves indexing accuracy, prepares your site for AI-driven search features, and provides value if you ever separate non-adult content onto a different subdomain.
Schema Types That Work
While rich results are blocked, certain schema types still provide SEO value for adult sites by helping Google understand your site structure and content organization.
Establishes your brand identity, logo, social profiles, and contact information. Helps build entity recognition in Google's Knowledge Graph.
Declares your site's official URL, name, and search functionality. Essential for establishing your domain as an entity.
Helps Google understand your site hierarchy and category structure. Improves internal link equity distribution.
Provides metadata for videos including duration, upload date, and thumbnail. Aids video indexing even without rich results.
Describes images with metadata like dimensions, caption, and license. Useful for image galleries and thumbnails.
Structures FAQ content for potential featured snippet eligibility on non-explicit questions about your site or industry.
What Gets Blocked
Understanding which schema types are completely blocked helps you avoid wasting development time on features that will never display.
| Schema Type | Rich Result | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Product | ❌ Blocked | No product rich snippets for adult items |
| Review | ❌ Blocked | Star ratings never shown for adult content |
| AggregateRating | ❌ Blocked | Rating aggregations filtered by SafeSearch |
| HowTo | ❌ Blocked | Tutorial snippets blocked for explicit how-tos |
| Recipe | ❌ N/A | Not applicable to adult content |
| Event | ❌ Blocked | Adult events don't show in event carousels |
| LocalBusiness | ⚠️ Limited | May work for legal adult businesses with physical locations |
The Google Discover Factor
Adult content is automatically excluded from Google Discover, regardless of schema implementation. This means you cannot use structured data to get your content into the Discover feed—it's blocked at the content policy level, not the technical level.
Similarly, adult sites cannot appear in Featured Snippets, Knowledge Panels (for explicit content), or AI Overviews in Search Generative Experience (SGE).
Domain-Wide Filtering
If most of your domain is adult content, Google filters the entire domain from rich results—even pages that might be safe. The solution? Host any non-explicit content (blog, about pages, FAQ) on a separate subdomain.
VideoObject Implementation
For tube sites and video platforms, VideoObject schema remains valuable for indexing purposes even without rich result display.
Required Properties
Google requires three properties minimum for VideoObject to be valid: name (video title), thumbnailUrl (preview image), and uploadDate (ISO 8601 format). Without these, your markup is invalid.
// VideoObject Schema for Adult Video Page
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "VideoObject",
"name": "Video Title Here",
"description": "Video description...",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/thumb.jpg",
"uploadDate": "2025-01-10T08:00:00+00:00",
"duration": "PT12M30S",
"contentUrl": "https://example.com/video.mp4",
"embedUrl": "https://example.com/embed/123",
"interactionStatistic": {
"@type": "InteractionCounter",
"interactionType": "https://schema.org/WatchAction",
"userInteractionCount": 50000
},
"isFamilyFriendly": false
}
</script>
| Property | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| name | ✅ Yes | Video title, max 110 characters |
| thumbnailUrl | ✅ Yes | Min 112×112px, high-res preferred |
| uploadDate | ✅ Yes | ISO 8601 format required |
| duration | Recommended | ISO 8601 duration (PT#H#M#S) |
| description | Recommended | Max 5000 characters |
| contentUrl | Recommended | Direct URL to video file |
| isFamilyFriendly | Important | Set to false for adult content |
Adult Meta Tags
Beyond schema.org markup, Google provides specific meta tags to properly classify adult content and help SafeSearch filtering work correctly.
The Rating Meta Tag
Google's strongest signal for adult content classification is the rating meta tag. Adding this to your pages explicitly tells Google the content is adult-only, helping ensure proper SafeSearch filtering.
<!-- Option 1: Standard adult rating -->
<meta name="rating" content="adult">
<!-- Option 2: RTA format (equivalent) -->
<meta name="rating" content="RTA-5042-1996-1400-1577-RTA">
<!-- HTTP Header alternative -->
Rating: adult
Video Sitemap Tags
For video content, use the <video:family_friendly> tag in your video sitemap to explicitly mark videos as adult content.
<!-- Video Sitemap Entry -->
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/video/123</loc>
<video:video>
<video:thumbnail_loc>https://example.com/thumb.jpg</video:thumbnail_loc>
<video:title>Video Title</video:title>
<video:description>Description here</video:description>
<video:family_friendly>no</video:family_friendly>
</video:video>
</url>
Self-labeling your adult content helps Google's SafeSearch work correctly. Without proper labeling, your entire domain might be incorrectly filtered—even non-explicit pages. It also protects users who have SafeSearch enabled from accidentally seeing explicit content.
Complete Implementation
A practical template combining all recommended schema types and meta tags for an adult video page.
Full Page Template
This example shows the recommended schema implementation for an adult tube site video page, combining Organization, WebSite, BreadcrumbList, and VideoObject markup.
<!-- Adult Meta Tag -->
<meta name="rating" content="adult">
<!-- Combined Schema Markup -->
<script type="application/ld+json">
[
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"@id": "https://example.com/#organization",
"name": "Site Name",
"url": "https://example.com",
"logo": "https://example.com/logo.png"
},
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"name": "Home",
"item": "https://example.com"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 2,
"name": "Category",
"item": "https://example.com/category/"
}
]
},
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "VideoObject",
"name": "Video Title",
"description": "Description",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/thumb.jpg",
"uploadDate": "2025-01-10",
"duration": "PT10M30S",
"isFamilyFriendly": false
}
]
</script>
Best Practices
Maximize the SEO value of your schema implementation while avoiding common mistakes that adult webmasters make.
- Always use JSON-LD format: Google recommends JSON-LD over Microdata or RDFa. It's easier to implement, maintain, and doesn't interfere with your HTML structure.
- Set isFamilyFriendly to false: For any VideoObject or WebPage schema on adult content, explicitly set this property to false. Don't leave it undefined.
- Separate domains for mixed content: If you have both adult and non-adult content, host non-explicit content on a separate subdomain to preserve rich result eligibility for that content.
- Validate with Rich Results Test: Even though you won't get rich results, the tool confirms your markup is syntactically correct and can be parsed by Google.
- Don't fake schema data: Never include misleading information in schema (fake view counts, incorrect dates). Google can detect discrepancies and may distrust your markup entirely.
Site Structure Recommendations
Google's June 2025 update emphasized the importance of site structure for SafeSearch filtering. If your site has any non-explicit content (blog posts, about pages, age verification information), consider hosting it on a separate subdomain.
This separation allows Google to apply SafeSearch filtering granularly rather than blanket-filtering your entire domain. For example: main adult content on www.example.com, blog and informational content on info.example.com.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Use JSON-LD format | Mix schema formats on same page |
| Set isFamilyFriendly: false | Leave adult classification undefined |
| Add rating meta tag | Expect rich results to display |
| Validate all markup | Copy schema from non-adult sites |
| Use accurate data | Inflate view counts or metrics |
| Separate non-adult content | Mix explicit/safe on same domain |
Future-Proofing
With AI-driven search features like Google's SGE becoming more prominent, properly structured data positions your site better for potential future changes in how adult content is handled. Schema markup also aids AI systems in understanding your content relationships.
