Schema / Structured Data

Structured data (also called schema markup) is code you add to your website that helps search engines and AI tools understand the meaning of your content — not just the words on the page, but what those words represent.

For example, without structured data, Google sees "£500" on your page as just text. With structured data, you can tell Google that £500 is the price of a specific product, that it's in GBP, and that the product is in stock. This extra context helps search engines display richer, more useful results.

How it works

Structured data uses a vocabulary called Schema.org (maintained by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex). You add it to your page as JSON-LD — a small block of code in your page's HTML that describes your content in a machine-readable format.

Common types of structured data

• LocalBusiness: Your business name, address, phone number, opening hours.
• FAQ: Questions and answers — can appear as expandable results in Google.
• Article/BlogPosting: Author, publication date, headline — helps Google understand your blog content.
• Product: Price, availability, reviews — enables rich product results.
• BreadcrumbList: The navigation path to the current page.
• HowTo: Step-by-step instructions.
• Event: Date, location, ticket information.

Why structured data matters

• Rich results: Pages with structured data can get enhanced search listings (star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, price information, images). These stand out and get more clicks.
• AI search: Structured data helps AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews understand and cite your content.
• Voice search: Structured data helps voice assistants provide accurate answers from your website.
• Knowledge Graph: Structured data can contribute to Google's Knowledge Graph, increasing your visibility.

Getting started

If you're working with a developer, adding structured data is straightforward. The key types to implement first are:

1. LocalBusiness (if you serve a specific area).
2. FAQ (on any page with questions and answers).
3. Article (on your blog posts).
4. BreadcrumbList (on all pages with hierarchical navigation).

You can test your structured data using Google's Rich Results Test tool to ensure it's valid and eligible for enhanced search results.