Schema markup explained: what structured data actually does
Schema markup, also called structured data, is a small block of code that visitors never see and that tells search engines, in a fixed format, what a page contains: this is a business at this address, this is an article by this person, this product costs this much and is in stock. On a new site it belongs in the page templates, so it is agreed at scoping and set out in the quote for your step, from a single-page landing at EUR 600 to 900 to a business website at EUR 1.500 to 3.500.
What it does, in plain terms
A page is written for people. Someone reading "Open Monday to Friday, 9 till 6" understands it at once. Software has to guess whether those are opening hours, delivery times or the hours of a class. Structured data removes the guess by writing the same facts a second time, in a shared vocabulary called schema.org that the major search engines started together.
The format Google recommends is JSON-LD: a list of labels and values in the page's code that changes nothing about how the page looks.
That second copy of the facts does two useful things. It can make a page eligible for a richer search result, such as a product listing that shows price and stock, or an event that shows its date. And it helps search engines connect the pieces of your business: your name, logo and address, and which social profiles are really yours.
What it does not do
- It does not raise rankings on its own. Google has said structured data is not a general ranking factor. A richer result can make a listing clearer, but it will not lift a weak page.
- It does not guarantee a rich result. Correct markup makes a page eligible. Google decides whether to show the richer version, and for which searches.
- It cannot describe what the page does not show. Marking up reviews, prices or text that visitors cannot see breaks Google's guidelines and can lead to a manual action that removes rich results for the site.
- It does not stay still. Google adds and retires rich result types. FAQ results are now limited to well-known government and health sites, How-to results are no longer shown, and a business cannot earn review stars for itself from reviews it hosts on its own site.
The types worth knowing
| Type | Use it on | What it can do | Worth adding? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organization or LocalBusiness | Home or contact page | States your name, logo, address, hours and profiles in one place | Yes, on every site. Your Google Maps listing comes from your Google Business Profile, not this markup. |
| BreadcrumbList | Sites where pages sit inside sections | Describes where a page sits in the site, which Google can show in results | Yes, once the site has sections |
| Article or BlogPosting | Blog posts and guides | States headline, author, dates and image | Yes, if you publish |
| Product with an offer | Shop product pages | Price, availability and, with genuine customer reviews, rating stars in results | Yes for a shop. A shop with checkout is step 04, at EUR 3.500 to 7.500. |
| Event | Dated events, classes or workshops | Date, time and place in Google's event results | Yes, if you run public events |
| JobPosting | Vacancy pages | Can place a vacancy in Google's job search results | Yes, when you are hiring |
| FAQPage | FAQ sections | Rich results now limited to government and health sites | No rich result for a business site. The questions still help readers. |
| HowTo | Instruction guides | No longer shown as a rich result | No |
How it goes into a build
- At scoping, the types are matched to the pages you actually have. A single-page landing needs business details and little else. A business website of 4 to 7 pages might add breadcrumbs and articles. Products sold through a checkout belong to step 04.
- During the build, the markup is generated from the same content as the visible page, so a price or opening hour edited once changes in both places. Hand-typed markup is how the two drift apart.
- Before launch, each template is checked with Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema.org validator.
- After launch, Search Console reports structured data errors, which are worth reading after any template change.
Structured data does not need its own line in the timeline. It sits inside the week range for each step: 1 to 2 weeks for a single-page landing, 2 to 3 weeks for a mini-site, 3 to 6 weeks for a business website, and 6 to 12 weeks for an advanced site or web app. The part that waits on you is the facts: your exact business name, address, phone number, opening hours and the profile links that are genuinely yours. The markup lives in the templates, and you own the code, the repository and the database. Compare what each step includes, or see how design and engineering fit together.
Adding it to a site you already have
If your site runs on WordPress, SEO plugins such as Yoast and Rank Math add the common types, and Shopify themes can include product markup. Run your home page and one product or article page through the Rich Results Test before paying anyone: the markup may already be there.
On a coded site where pages come from templates, markup is written once per template and every page of that type gets it. Adding new types is scoped and quoted like any other change. Once it is in place, fixing an error that Search Console flags is the kind of small fix Care covers, at EUR 100 to 300 a month alongside updates, monitoring and backups.
When to spend less
A small business site does not need every schema type there is. Business details on the home or contact page, breadcrumbs if pages sit in sections, and article markup if you publish cover the common ground. Anything beyond that needs a reason on the page itself, such as products, events or vacancies.
Do not pay for FAQ or How-to markup in the hope of bigger results, and do not pay for review stars built from testimonials on your own site. None of the three produces a rich result for an ordinary business site. If your platform already adds the basics and the Rich Results Test comes back clean, there is nothing to buy. And if your site is not properly indexed yet, structured data is the wrong place to start: indexation, titles and internal links come first, and those sit in the SEO foundation, a one-off EUR 450 to 750.
Questions buyers ask
Will structured data get my business into AI answers?
Google says its AI features need no special structured data: a page has to be indexed and readable. Markup that matches the page does no harm and helps search engines read your business details correctly. The words on the page are still what an answer quotes.
Can a mistake in the markup hurt my site?
A broken block of markup is ignored, and Search Console reports the error. The real risk is markup that misrepresents the page, such as ratings no visitor can see, which can bring a manual action that removes rich results. Generating the markup from the page's own content keeps it honest.
Do I need a developer to add it?
Not on WordPress with an SEO plugin, or on a platform that adds it already. On a coded site, yes, because it belongs in the templates, and adding it there once is cleaner than pasting blocks into individual pages.
Should I use Organization or LocalBusiness?
LocalBusiness, or one of its more specific types, if customers come to your premises: a studio, a clinic, a restaurant, a salon. Organization if you work with clients remotely and your address is not where they meet you. Accurate details that match your Google Business Profile matter more than which of the two you pick.
If you want structured data built into a new site from the start, tell us what the site needs to do.
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