Schema (structured data)
Standardised markup that clarifies entities for search engines.
What schema markup does
Schema, or structured data, is code added to a page that describes its content in a standard vocabulary from schema.org. It can tell search engines that a page is about a local business with certain opening hours, a product with a price or an article by a named author. Google's introduction to structured data lists the types it supports.
Is it worth adding?
Structured data can make pages eligible for richer results, such as product prices or review stars where allowed, and helps Google understand your business clearly. It isn't a ranking shortcut. Google also retires features: FAQ, HowTo and several other rich result types are no longer shown, so check current documentation before investing time.
An example in practice
An online cheese shop adds Product structured data to each product page with name, price, availability and shipping details matching what's visible on the page. Its listings become eligible to show price and stock information in search, which helps shoppers decide before they click.
How to test schema markup
Paste a page URL into Google's Rich Results Test to see which structured data it finds and whether there are errors. Search Console also has enhancement reports for supported types. The Schema Markup Validator checks general schema.org validity even for types Google doesn't use for rich results.
Errors to watch for
- Marking up content that isn't visible on the page.
- Adding review stars to your own business's pages with self-written reviews, which Google doesn't allow.
- Copying markup from another site without changing the details.
- Expecting rich results to be guaranteed. Valid markup makes a page eligible, nothing more.
Related markup terms
- JSON-LD: A common format for embedding schema.org structured data.
- FAQ schema: FAQPage structured data for question-and-answer content. Google stopped showing FAQ rich results in 2026.
- Breadcrumb schema: Structured data describing the page's position in the site hierarchy.
- Knowledge panel: Entity information panel for some brands and topics.
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