Structured data
Structured data is structured code on your website, usually following Schema.org, that tells search engines and AI systems exactly what's on a page, such as your business details, services, reviews or frequently asked questions.
- 3 min read
What is structured data?
Structured data, also known as schema markup, is extra code on your website that isn't visible to visitors. It's a kind of label for machines. A person reads an address on your contact page. With structured data, a search engine is told explicitly: this is this business's address, this is the phone number, these are the opening hours.
The most widely used vocabulary is Schema.org, a joint standard from the big search engines. There are types for almost everything: LocalBusiness for a local business, Service for a service, FAQPage for frequently asked questions, Review for ratings and Article for an article. The code is usually added in the JSON-LD format, a small block in the page's source code.
Why it matters for your business
Search engines are good at reading text, but they still have to guess. Is this number a price, a year or a phone number? Structured data takes away that guesswork. The better Google understands what you offer and where, the better it can show you for the right searches.
Structured data can also lead to richer search results, such as stars with reviews or a breadcrumb trail. Google decides for itself when to show them, but without the right markup you don't qualify.
For AI search, it's becoming more and more important. Systems such as Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT combine information from many sources. A page with clear, structured data is easier to process and cite. That's a fixed part of GEO.
How structured data works
You place a block of JSON-LD in the code of a page. In it, you describe the main facts of that page according to the types and properties of Schema.org. Search engines read that block when crawling and link it to the visible content.
What matters is that the code matches what visitors see. Structured data is a description of the page, not a place to hide extra information.
An example. Say a roofer has a website with a homepage, pages for roof renovation, gutters and leaks, and a contact page with frequently asked questions. Without structured data, Google has to work out from the text where the business is and what it does. With structured data, the homepage gets a LocalBusiness block with the business name, address, phone number, service area and opening hours, exactly the same as the Google Business Profile. Every service page gets a Service block with the name of the service and the area. The frequently asked questions get a FAQPage block. That way, it's clear to search engines what the business does, where and for whom.
You check whether the code is correct with Google's rich results test and the Schema.org schema validator.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is structured data that doesn't match the page. Reviews in the code that aren't visible anywhere, or an address that differs from the contact page. Google can ignore such markup and, in serious cases, impose a manual action.
A second mistake is duplicate or contradictory markup. A theme automatically adds an Organization, a plugin adds another LocalBusiness with different details. Then a search engine doesn't know which one is right.
Also often seen: adding markup only to the homepage. Your service pages and articles in particular benefit from a description of their own.
Finally, many businesses forget to update the code. A new phone number or new opening hours changed on the site, but not in the structured data. You then get the same confusion as with differing NAP details.
How to approach it
Start with your business details. Put a LocalBusiness or Organization block on your site with your official name, address, phone number, website, service area and links to your social media. Make sure everything is exactly the same as your Business Profile.
Then add markup per type of page. Service for service pages, FAQPage for frequently asked questions, Article for the knowledge base and blog, BreadcrumbList for the breadcrumb trail. Stick to what's really on the page.
Test every page after publishing and check in Google Search Console whether any errors are reported. Update the markup when your details change.
If you use WordPress, an SEO plugin can handle part of this automatically. Do check that the result is right and that nothing appears twice. We include structured data in technical SEO, so your site is as clear to search engines and AI as it is to your visitors.
Frequently asked questions
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Does structured data directly lead to higher rankings?
Structured data is not a direct ranking factor, but it helps search engines understand your content better. As a result, you can be matched better with relevant searches and qualify for richer results. So the effect lies mainly in understanding and presentation.
What is JSON-LD?
JSON-LD is the format in which structured data is usually added. It's a separate block of code in the page, kept apart from the visible text, which makes it easy to place and maintain. Google recommends this format.
What structured data does a trade business need?
For a trade business, LocalBusiness or Organization on the homepage matters most, with name, address, phone number and service area. In addition, Service on service pages and FAQPage for frequently asked questions help. Only add markup for what's really on the page.
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