Invalid object type for field parent_node: fix

Google's help doesn't explain <parent_node>. Reports from site owners point to one pattern: the wrong type is on the object the markup hangs from, not on a named field. Test the live page first, then check the types below.

Google's error list says Invalid object type for field means the object's type is wrong for the property. Search Console fills in <parent_node> where a property name would go. Site owners report it on pages with breadcrumbs and on pages with star ratings, and Search Console marks those items invalid.

Step 1: test the live page

Paste the address from the report into the Rich Results Test. If the live page shows no error, Search Console is reporting an older copy. In one WordPress case, the live test passed and the advice was to clear the host's cache. Clear your site and CDN cache, then click Validate fix.

Step 2: in the Review snippets report

The rating is attached to an item whose type Google doesn't support for stars. XenForo, for example, puts ratings on a CreativeWork, and its resource pages with ratings have shown this error. Move the rating to a supported type, such as Product or SoftwareApplication, or remove it.

Before: a rating on a CreativeWork

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "CreativeWork",
  "name": "Night Mode Theme Pack",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": 4.8,
    "ratingCount": 112
  }
}

After: the same rating on a supported type

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Night Mode Theme Pack",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": 4.8,
    "ratingCount": 112
  }
}

Step 3: in the Breadcrumbs report

Check each object in the list against Google's breadcrumb rules. The BreadcrumbList holds itemListElement. Each entry is a ListItem with position and name. Its item is a URL, or an object with an @id. A crumb with another type, or an item that is an object with no address, is the first thing to fix.

A breadcrumb list Google accepts

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Bags",
      "item": "https://example.com/bags"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Travel",
      "item": {
        "@id": "https://example.com/bags/travel"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 3,
      "name": "Canvas Weekender Bag"
    }
  ]
}

Also look for two breadcrumb sources on one page, such as the theme and an SEO plugin. Keep one.

Questions

What is "parent_node" in Search Console?

Google doesn't document it. It appears where Search Console would normally name the field with the wrong type, which points to the object that holds the markup.

The Rich Results Test shows no error. Why does Search Console still report it?

Search Console reports the version Google crawled. If the live page passes, a cache may have served Google an old copy. Clear it and click Validate fix.

Sources

Checked on October 8, 2026. Vendors change their tools and docs, so check the source if something looks different.

Invalid object type for field "<parent_node>": what to check