Schema markup and structured data: what they are and whether you need them

🧬 What schema markup is

It is additional code on a page (most often in JSON-LD format) that describes the content in a standard way. People do not see it, but search engines read it. It is like attaching a tidy form to the page: company name, address, service, author, date.

🧰 Types small businesses use

• Organization / LocalBusiness: company data, logo, contact, area of work.
• WebSite and WebPage: description of the site and page.
• BreadcrumbList: the page path (Home / Blog / Article).
• Service: description of a service.
• FAQPage: questions and answers from the page.
• Article / BlogPosting: articles, with author and date.
• Product and Offer: for online stores, with price and availability.

✅ What schema does and does not do

It does not lift rankings by magic. It helps the search engine understand content more reliably, and may enable richer results, but does not guarantee them. It is also useful for AI systems looking for clear, structured facts about a business.

🛡️ Rules you must not break

1. Mark up only what is visible on the page.
2. Data must be accurate and current.
3. Do not invent ratings and reviews.
4. Test after every change.

🧪 How to test

Use Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator, and watch the enhancement reports in Search Console. Errors usually come from missing required fields or mismatch with visible content.

🛠️ How we handle it

On all our sites schema is built into the template and generated automatically from page content. For details of the technical side see SEO optimisation.