Structured data (schema) explained: helping Google understand your business
Structured data is a small, hidden label on your website that tells Google exactly what your business is, where it is and what it offers. Here's what it is, what it can and can't do, and what a small business needs.
When Google reads your website, it sees words and pictures, much like a person does. It's very good at working out what they mean. But it can still be unsure: is “9876543210” a phone number or an order number? Is “Sector 15” an address? Is this page a restaurant, a menu or a blog post?
Structured data removes that guesswork. It's a small set of hidden labels on your pages that tells Google, in a precise format, exactly what's what. This post explains it in plain language.
What structured data is
Structured data is information added to a web page in a standard format that search engines understand. Visitors don't see it; it sits quietly in the page's code. The most widely used vocabulary is called schema.org, which is why people often just call it “schema”.
Think of it like the labels on drawers in a well-organised shop. The contents are the same, but anyone can find what they need immediately.
An example
On your contact page, a visitor sees your shop name, address, phone number and hours. Structured data adds labels that say, in effect:
- This is a business, and specifically a bakery
- Its name is this
- Its address is this, in this city and country
- Its phone number is this
- Its opening hours are these
- Its logo is this image
- Its Instagram and Facebook profiles are these
What it can do
Help Google understand your business
Clear labels help Google connect your website with your Google Business Profile and social profiles, and confirm your details. It supports the same goal as NAP consistency: one clear, consistent picture of your business.
Make you eligible for richer results
Some kinds of structured data can make a page eligible for enhanced search results, sometimes called rich results: for example, breadcrumbs showing where a page sits on your site, or article details for a blog post.
Describe more than the business
Structured data can also describe services, products, people, articles, events and the path to each page, so Google understands how your website fits together.
What it can't do
It's worth being honest about the limits:
- It doesn't guarantee better rankings. It helps Google understand you; it doesn't make Google rank you higher on its own. See can anyone guarantee #1 on Google?
- It doesn't guarantee rich results. Google decides when and whether to show them, and changes its rules over time.
- It must match what's on the page. Structured data that describes things visitors can't see, or that's misleading, goes against Google's guidelines.
What a small business usually needs
For most local businesses, a few types cover the essentials:
- Organization or LocalBusiness: who you are, your logo, contact details, address (or just country, if you don't show an address), hours and social profiles. There are more specific types too, such as Restaurant, Store or MedicalClinic.
- WebSite: basic information about the website itself
- BreadcrumbList: the path to each page, such as Home › Services › SEO
- Service or Product: for your main services or products
- BlogPosting or Article: for blog posts, if you have them
A note on addresses
If customers visit you, your structured data should include your full address, exactly as on your Google listing. If you work online only, or don't want your address public, structured data can describe your business with just the country or the area you serve. Like everything else, it should match what your website and Google profile actually show.
How it's added
Structured data is usually added in a format called JSON-LD, a small block of code in each page. On a well-built website it's generated automatically from your content, so it stays correct when your details change.
On WordPress, plugins can add it. On a custom site, it's built into the pages. Either way, the most important thing is that it's accurate and kept up to date.
Checking yours
Google offers a free Rich Results Test, and schema.org offers a Schema Markup Validator. Paste in a page address and they show what structured data the page has and whether there are errors. If they find nothing, your website probably has no structured data at all.
How we use it
Every website we build includes structured data from day one, generated from the same information as the pages, so it never falls out of step. Our own site describes the business, the team, each service, each blog post and the breadcrumbs on every page. It's one of the standards listed on how we build, alongside page titles, descriptions and sitemaps. See also on-page SEO and technical SEO basics.
In short
- Structured data is a hidden, standard label that tells Google exactly what your business and pages are.
- It helps Google understand you and can make pages eligible for richer results, but it doesn't guarantee rankings.
- Most small businesses need business, website, breadcrumb, service and article types, kept accurate.
