In short. Google's Share button creates a browser link to a Rich Results Test result that anyone can view without permissions for approximately 90 days.
Definition: A Rich Results Test share link is a browser URL generated by the Share button for a completed test. Google says anyone can view the result link without permissions, and the link remains valid for approximately 90 days.
Key facts
- Google says the Share button creates a browser link for test results, and permissions are not required to view it. Rich Results Test help
- Google documents an approximate 90-day validity period for test result links. Rich Results Test help
- Search Console saves the code and test state after each run. A bookmarked page URL preserves a version history for approximately 90 days, and anyone can access those bookmarks. Rich Results Test help
- A URL test requires page resources to be accessible to an anonymous user on the internet. Firewall-protected or password-protected resources are unavailable to the test. Rich Results Test help
- The test page describes its purpose as checking a publicly accessible page against the structured data it contains. Rich Results Test
What does the Share button provide?
After a test has run, the Share button provides a browser link to the test result. A client can open that link without a Google account permission grant, according to Google's Rich Results Test help. The link is a view of the result saved by the tool, so it is different from sending the page URL that was tested.
Google describes rich results as experiences on Google surfaces that go beyond a standard blue link. The Rich Results Test page lists carousels, images, and other non-textual elements as examples. The shared result therefore gives a client the tool's findings about structured data and supported result types, rather than a Search result placement.
What access does the tested page need?
For a URL test, Google's help page says that all page resources must be accessible to an anonymous user accessing the code from the internet. A firewall or password can prevent a resource from being available to the test. A page hosted on a local machine can be tested by exposing a tunnel, as the same documentation explains.
The tool also accepts an arbitrary code snippet. Google says to choose Code on the tool landing page, paste the code, and rerun the test after changes. This gives a client a way to review markup before a page is publicly reachable, while a URL test checks the publicly accessible page and its resources.
How long do shared results remain available?
Google documents approximately 90 days for test result links. It separately says that Search Console saves the code and test state after every run, and that bookmarked test history is saved for approximately 90 days. The two retention statements cover the shared result link and the saved version history.
The help page documents the generated browser link and its approximate retention period. It does not give a fixed URL pattern or describe a separate deletion control. A client therefore needs the link supplied from the Share action while it remains valid.
What should a client receive?
A handoff can contain the Share link and the page URL or code that was tested. The page URL identifies the input, while the browser link opens the recorded test result. Google documents JSON-LD, RDFa, and Microdata as supported structured data formats in the Rich Results Test.
Google Search Central describes the test as a tool for validating structured data and, in some cases, previewing a feature in Google Search. Its structured data overview says that markup is placed on the page to which the information applies, and that the markup describes that page's content.
Related terms
FAQ
Can a client view a shared result without a Google account?
Yes. Google says permissions are not required to view a test result link. The link remains valid for approximately 90 days.
Can you share a result for a private staging page?
You can test a code snippet directly. A URL test requires the page resources to be accessible to an anonymous user on the internet, so firewall or password protection can prevent the test from loading those resources.
Is the Share link the same as the tested page URL?
No. The Share action creates a browser link to the test result. The tested page URL is the input that the tool checks.
What happens after approximately 90 days?
Google documents that test result links and bookmarked test history are valid or saved for approximately 90 days. The help page does not document a longer retention period.
Sources
- Google Search Console Help, "Rich Results Test", undated
- Google, "Rich Results Test", undated
- Google Search Central, "Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search", 10 December 2025
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