Is this valid Google Review Microformat?

Question

I've applied some HTML around my aggregate review, I just wondered if anyone could tell me if it is valid (even though the Google test tool says it is) and that non of the extra HTML or style affects it being able to be read by Google:

      <div class="hreview-aggregate"> 
        <div class="item"> 
          <h2 class="n"><span class="fn org">Chinese Takeaway</span></h2> 
        </div> 
        <div class="type">Eat &amp; Drink - Chinese Takeaway</div> 
        <div id="rating-container"> 
            <span class="rating"> 
              <img src="/img/star-4.png" /> <span class="average">4</span> 
            </span> 
            based on
            <span class="votes count">1</span> rating.
        </div> 
      </div>

Answer 1

My site had not yet had the rating and reviews index under my links, where other websites have and they use the bare minimum. Also, having the same micro formats on multiple pages affect this too?

Just because you use microformats doesn't mean Google will automatically include rich snippets with your listing. Just like sitelinks they only do it under certain circumstances. The microformats make it possible for them to do it, but it doesn't actually make them do it.

Answer 2

Microformats don't require an exact piece of HTML, they are parsing the overall structure, using the class names.

Hence, you can use <div class="item"> or <span class="item"> or <h2 class="item">, and all will identify the name of the item.

If you have extraneous items around it, as long as they don't conflict with the item names, you are fine. For example, you couldn't do something like

<div class="item">
  <div class="rating">5</div>
</div>

as it wouldn't be clear whether the '5' referred to the item or the rating.

But you could have:

<div class="rating-wrapper">
  <div class="rating">5</div>
</div>

because Google doesn't understand rating-wrapper and so ignores it.

Hence, you will see people mark up their HTML differently, but using the same class names. If Google is telling you it understands your HTML, then it almost certainly is.