Search systems do not just read words. They try to work out who and what a page is about: which business, which service, which location. Structured data, usually called schema markup, is one way to state those facts in a form software can read directly.
Used well, schema supports clarity. Used carelessly, it creates risk. Here is which types matter for a typical business site, how to implement them, and the one rule that matters most: your markup must match what visitors can actually see.
What schema markup does and does not do
Schema is a vocabulary, maintained at schema.org, that labels the content of a page. It is usually added as a block of JSON-LD in the page's code. It tells a machine that this string is a phone number, that one is a business name, and this block is a list of questions and answers.
What it does not do is guarantee rankings, rich results or citations in AI answers. Google has said structured data can help it understand content and make pages eligible for certain features, but eligibility is not a promise. Think of schema as clear labeling, not a lever.
Entity clarity: the idea behind it
An entity is a distinct thing, such as your company, a person or a place. Systems build confidence in an entity when the same details appear consistently across many sources. If your site calls you Smith Heating and Air, your directory listing says Smith HVAC LLC, and your social profile uses a third name, you make that job harder.
- Use one official business name everywhere.
- Keep address, phone and hours identical on your site, Google Business Profile and major directories.
- Link to your official social profiles from your site.
- Maintain a clear About page that states who you are, where you operate and what you do.
The types worth using
Organization describes your company: name, logo, website address and links to official profiles. Place it on the home page. LocalBusiness, or a more specific subtype such as Plumber or Dentist, adds address, phone, opening hours and service area for businesses that serve a physical location.
Service describes a specific offering, such as water heater installation, and can point back to the provider. Article or BlogPosting suits editorial pages, naming the headline, author and dates. FAQPage marks up a genuine list of questions and answers that appears on the page.
Keep it honest and matching
Google's guidelines require structured data to represent content that users can see on the page. Marking up reviews you do not display, prices you do not charge, or FAQs that are not on the page can lead to manual actions and lost eligibility for enhanced results. It also erodes trust in the very data you wanted systems to rely on.
Be aware that Google has narrowed which sites see FAQ rich results in recent years, so do not add FAQ markup expecting a visual boost. Add it only because the questions genuinely belong on the page, and treat any benefit as a bonus.
The same caution applies to review and rating markup. If star ratings are not genuinely collected and displayed on that page, leave the markup out.
Which page gets which markup
Matching the type to the page keeps things tidy. Imagine a small accounting firm with a home page, three service pages, an About page, a contact page and a blog.
- Home page: Organization, plus LocalBusiness if the firm serves clients from one office.
- Each service page: Service markup naming the provider, along with FAQPage only if real questions appear on that page.
- About page: details that reinforce who the people and the company are, using the same names shown on the page.
- Contact page: the same address, phone and hours already used in the LocalBusiness data.
- Blog posts: Article markup with headline, author and dates.
Resist the urge to add every property the vocabulary offers. A short, correct block beats a long one with guesses in it.
How to implement and check it
On WordPress, reputable SEO plugins can output Organization, LocalBusiness and Article data from your settings. On hand-built sites, JSON-LD can be pasted into the page head. Avoid duplicating the same markup from both a plugin and a theme, which causes conflicts.
- Decide which page represents each entity, such as the home page for Organization.
- Generate or write the JSON-LD using only information visible on that page.
- Test it with Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator.
- Publish, then monitor the enhancements and any errors in Search Console.
- Revisit the markup whenever hours, services or contact details change.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Copying another company's markup without changing the details.
- Adding aggregate rating markup with no genuine reviews shown on the page.
- Leaving old phone numbers or addresses in markup after a move.
- Using the wrong type, for example marking a blog post as a Product.
If your tracking and site code are already tangled, tidy them first. A clean Tag Manager setup and a documented site build make ongoing markup changes far easier to maintain.
Key takeaways
- Schema labels your content for machines but does not guarantee rankings or citations.
- Start with Organization and LocalBusiness, then add Service, Article and FAQPage where they fit.
- Markup must match visible page content, always.
- Consistent business details across the web build entity clarity.