Schema Markup: A Beginner’s Guide to Structured Data

by
Schema Markup: A Beginner’s Guide to Structured Data – SEOTT guide

Schema markup is code that labels the content on a page in a standard vocabulary (schema.org) so search engines understand exactly what it is: a product with a price, a recipe with a cooking time, a business with opening hours, an article with an author. It is a technical SEO tool, covered in our technical SEO guide, that can earn rich results such as review stars and product details.

What does schema look like?

Google recommends JSON-LD, a block of script placed in the page:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
 "@context": "https://schema.org",
 "@type": "LocalBusiness",
 "name": "Smith & Sons Plumbing",
 "telephone": "+44 113 496 0000",
 "address": {"@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Leeds"}
}
</script>

It does not change what visitors see. It simply describes the page for machines.

Does schema improve rankings?

Not directly. Schema is not a ranking factor in itself, but rich results can raise click-through rates, and clearer understanding helps Google and AI systems match your page to the right queries. That is why it features in generative engine optimisation advice.

The most useful schema types

  • Organization and LocalBusiness: name, logo, address, phone, opening hours, social profiles.
  • Article and BlogPosting: headline, author, publish and update dates.
  • Product and Offer: price, availability, reviews. Essential for ecommerce SEO.
  • Review and AggregateRating: star ratings, within Google’s rules.
  • BreadcrumbList: shows the page path in results.
  • Event, Recipe, Course, JobPosting, VideoObject: for those content types.
  • FAQPage: still valid markup, though Google now shows FAQ rich results only for a few authoritative health and government sites.

How to add schema in WordPress

Rank Math, Yoast and similar plugins add Organization, Article and Breadcrumb markup automatically, with options per post. WooCommerce adds Product schema. For custom types, plugins like Schema Pro help, or a developer can add JSON-LD to templates.

How to test schema

  1. Run the URL through Google’s Rich Results Test to see which rich results it qualifies for.
  2. Use the Schema Markup Validator for general schema.org errors.
  3. Check the Enhancements reports in Search Console for site-wide issues.

Rules to follow

  • Mark up only content visible on the page.
  • Do not add review stars for reviews you wrote about yourself.
  • Keep prices and availability accurate.
  • Misleading markup can lead to a manual action that removes rich results.

Frequently asked questions

JSON-LD, Microdata or RDFa?

Use JSON-LD. It is easiest to maintain and Google’s preferred format.

How long until rich results appear?

Once the page is recrawled, usually days to weeks. They are never guaranteed.

Related terms

See featured snippets, local SEO and the SEO encyclopedia.

Mr. SEO is the webmaster at SEO TT - SEO tips and tricks, a publication about all things SEO related.