Schema Markup Explained: Structured Data for Business Websites

When Google shows a search result with star ratings, prices, stock availability or breadcrumbs, it’s often because the website has added structured data — code that describes the page’s content in a standard format search engines can read reliably.

This code is usually called schema markup, after Schema.org, the shared vocabulary used by Google, Bing and others. It doesn’t change how your page looks to visitors. It helps search engines understand what the page is about: a business, a product, an article, an event, a job.

This guide explains which types of schema matter for business websites, what they can and can’t do, and how to add and test them without creating problems.

What structured data does — and doesn’t do

Structured data helps in three ways:

• Eligibility for rich results: enhanced search listings such as product prices, review stars, breadcrumbs, event dates and job postings.
• Clearer understanding: it confirms facts such as your business name, address, opening hours, logo and social profiles.
• Consistency across search features: the same information can feed knowledge panels, merchant listings and other search features.

What it doesn’t do is guarantee rich results or directly boost rankings. Google decides whether to show enhanced results, and the markup must accurately reflect content visible on the page.

JSON-LD: the recommended format

Structured data can be written in several formats, but Google recommends JSON-LD: a block of code placed in the page’s HTML, separate from the visible content. It’s easier to add, maintain and check than formats mixed into the page’s HTML.

Most CMS platforms and SEO plugins generate basic JSON-LD automatically. Custom websites can generate it from the same data used to build the pages, which keeps the two in sync.

Organization and LocalBusiness

Every business website should describe the business itself. Use Organization for companies without a public location, and LocalBusiness — or a more specific type such as Dentist, Restaurant or AutoRepair — for businesses customers visit or that serve a local area. Include:

• Official business name, logo and website URL
• Address, phone number and email
• Opening hours
• Geographic coordinates, if you have them
• Links to your official social profiles
• Price range or area served, where relevant

The details must match your Google Business Profile and the information on your contact page exactly.

Product markup for online stores

For e-commerce, Product markup is the most valuable type. It can make products eligible for rich results showing price, availability, shipping and ratings, and supports Google’s merchant listings. Include:

• Product name, image, description, brand and SKU or GTIN where available
• An Offer with price, currency (INR) and availability
• Shipping and return details, where supported
• Genuine aggregate rating and reviews, if customers can review products on your site

Keep prices and availability in the markup synchronised with the page. Mismatches are a common reason products are disapproved or rich results disappear.

Articles and breadcrumbs

• Article markup on blog posts describes the headline, author, publisher, publication date and image. It helps search engines understand your content and its freshness.
• BreadcrumbList shows where a page sits in your site’s structure, and Google may display the breadcrumb trail in results instead of a raw URL.

Other useful types

• Event: workshops, webinars, exhibitions and classes with dates and locations
• JobPosting: vacancies on your careers page, which can appear in Google’s job search experience
• Service: describes services you offer, helpful for understanding even without a specific rich result
• VideoObject: details of videos hosted on your pages

Rich results Google has scaled back

Search features change, and some once-popular rich results have been reduced:

• FAQ rich results are now shown mainly for well-known, authoritative government and health websites. Most business sites no longer get the expandable FAQ display, though FAQ content itself remains useful for visitors.
• How-to rich results have been removed from Google Search.
• Review stars for your own business — reviews you collect about yourself and mark up on your own website as an Organization or LocalBusiness — aren’t eligible for star ratings in results. Product reviews from customers are different.

Before investing in a particular markup type, check Google’s current Search Central documentation to see whether it still produces a rich result.

Rules to follow

• Only mark up what’s visible. Don’t add ratings, prices or FAQs to markup that visitors can’t see on the page.
• Be accurate. Fake reviews or misleading information in structured data can lead to a manual action from Google.
• Use the most specific type that fits.
• Keep it updated when hours, prices or details change.

How to test structured data

1. Use Google’s Rich Results Test to see which rich results a page is eligible for and any errors.
2. Use the Schema Markup Validator for general Schema.org checks beyond Google’s features.
3. Check Search Console’s Enhancements reports, which list valid items, warnings and errors across your whole site.

Fix errors first; warnings about optional fields are less urgent but worth addressing for important pages.

An example in plain words

Imagine a dental clinic’s contact page. Visitors see the clinic name, address, phone number, opening hours and a map. Structured data on the same page repeats those facts in a machine-readable block that says, in effect:

• This is a business of type Dentist
• Its name is “Sharma Dental Clinic”
• Its address is this street, this town, this pin code, in India
• It’s open Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 7 PM
• Its phone number, website and logo are these
• Its official Facebook and Instagram profiles are these links

Nothing new is claimed; the markup simply removes any ambiguity about facts already on the page. That’s the right way to think about structured data: a precise summary of what visitors can already see.

How to add structured data

• WordPress: SEO plugins such as Yoast or Rank Math add Organization, breadcrumb and article markup automatically, and WooCommerce adds basic Product markup. Check the settings carefully, as defaults may be incomplete or wrong.
• Shopify: most themes include Product markup; apps can extend it.
• Custom websites: developers generate JSON-LD from the same data that builds each page, so prices, hours and details always match.
• Google Tag Manager: possible, but less reliable than adding markup directly to the page, because it depends on JavaScript running.

Avoid installing several plugins that each add their own markup. Duplicate, conflicting structured data is a common problem on WordPress sites.

Common structured data mistakes

• Business details in markup that don’t match the visible page or Google Business Profile
• Markup copied from another page or template, still containing someone else’s details
• Prices or availability in Product markup that are out of date
• Self-written review stars added to every page
• Markup for content that isn’t on the page at all
• Forgetting to update the logo, address or phone number in markup after rebranding or moving

A quick test of your homepage, one service page, one article and one product page usually reveals most of these problems.

Structured data and AI search

As search engines add AI-generated answers, clear, consistent information about your business becomes more valuable. Structured data is one of several signals — alongside well-organised content and consistent listings across the web — that help systems understand who you are and what you offer. Our article on AI search and SEO covers this in more detail.

Getting started

Start with LocalBusiness or Organization on your homepage and contact page, breadcrumbs across the site, Article markup on your blog and Product markup on your store. Test, fix errors, and review every few months.

We add structured data to every website we build and include it in our technical SEO audits. If you’d like your existing markup checked, get in touch.