People read a page and understand that “4.8 from 212 reviews” is a rating and “Mon-Fri 7am-6pm” is opening hours. Search engines are good at guessing, but structured data removes the guesswork. It labels each fact in a format machines can parse, using a shared vocabulary (almost always Schema.org) and a syntax such as JSON-LD.
The terms “structured data” and “schema markup” are often used interchangeably. Strictly, structured data is the general idea, and schema markup is the Schema.org vocabulary you use to express it.
Why it matters
Structured data makes a page eligible for rich results, the enhanced listings that show prices, stock status, star ratings, event dates, recipe details and more. For Bean & Barrel Coffee, Product markup can put the price and “In stock” right under a product’s blue link, which helps that result stand out among plain ones.
It also helps search engines and AI systems connect facts. Organization and LocalBusiness markup tells them your official name, logo, address, phone and social profiles, which supports a consistent picture of who you are.
What it can’t do
Structured data isn’t a ranking factor in its own right, and eligibility doesn’t guarantee a rich result. Google decides when to show one. Google has also cut back on several types: since 2023, FAQ rich results only appear for well-known, authoritative government and health sites, and HowTo rich results were removed altogether. Adding FAQ markup to a plumber’s service page in 2026 won’t produce the old expandable questions in search.
Common types
OrganizationandLocalBusinessfor the business itselfProductwithOfferfor ecommerce itemsArticlefor blog posts and newsBreadcrumbListfor the page’s position in the siteEvent,Recipe,VideoObject,JobPostingwhere relevant
Common mistakes
- Marking up content visitors can’t see on the page, such as reviews that don’t appear anywhere. Google’s guidelines forbid this and it can lead to a manual action.
- Self-serving review stars on LocalBusiness or Organization pages. Google doesn’t show these.
- Leaving out required properties, so the markup is valid Schema.org but not eligible for the rich result.
How to check
Test a URL in Google’s Rich Results Test to see which rich results it qualifies for, and in the Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org) for general correctness. To produce clean markup without writing code, the free Schema Generator builds JSON-LD for common types. Search Console’s Enhancements reports then track errors across your whole site, which feed into the SERP features you can win.