Google’s John Mueller stated only one set of structured data will be used in search results when a page contains multiple types.
This topic was brought up in a recent Google Webmaster Central hangout when a question was asked about using ‘recipe’ and ‘how-to’ structured data on the same page.
In response, Mueller told the webmaster they could use both types. However, only one type of markup will end up being displayed in search results.
Curiously, Mueller didn’t speak to the fact that Google’s own guidelines for using how-to structured data advise against using it for recipes.
Here’s what is written in Google’s guidelines:
“Don’t use HowTo markup for recipes. Recipes should use the Recipe structured data instead.”
So perhaps it’s still best to avoid using how-to markup on actual recipes.
What happens if you use multiple types of structured data on one page?
When multiple types of structured data are included on one page, Google will automatically determine which type of markup is most appropriate for search results.
The decision of which rich result to display in search is based on the searcher’s query.
So, using both sets of structured data won’t make you eligible to appear in two different featured snippets.
You can hear Mueller’s full response below, starting at the 1:04:15 mark:
“I think you can probably do all of that. I don’t think we would show all of these at the same time, but we would probably pick one of those and show it depending on how people search.”
