Published: October 28, 2026
Last Updated: October 28, 2026
Schema markup is code that tells search engines what a page is about in a format machines read easily. It does not raise rankings by itself. It helps Google understand your business, products, and articles, and it makes pages eligible for rich results. That clarity also helps AI search tools that build on a search index.
This guide explains what schema does today, which types are worth adding, and where the limits are. Google has retired a few popular rich results, so plenty of advice online is out of date. Everything below is checked against Google Search Central and schema.org as of October 2026.
Schema markup is structured data added to a page using the schema.org vocabulary. It labels the things on the page, such as a business name, an address, a product price, or an article author, so search engines do not have to guess what each piece of text means.
Schema.org is a shared vocabulary that Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex created together. Its list of schemas covers hundreds of types, from LocalBusiness to Recipe. You add the labels to your page in one of three formats, and Google’s introduction to structured data recommends JSON-LD because it sits in its own script block and is the easiest to maintain.
Think of it as a fact sheet stapled to the page. Visitors never see it. Search engines read it next to the visible content and use it to confirm what the page is about. The fact sheet has to agree with the page, though. Google’s rules say you should never mark up information that visitors cannot see.
It helps Google understand your pages and makes them eligible for rich results. Google has said structured data is not a generic ranking factor. The benefit comes from clearer understanding and from richer listings, such as product prices or breadcrumbs, that can earn more attention in search.
Google answered this question directly in a Search Central post on rich results. Structured data by itself is not a generic ranking factor, but it can help Google understand what a page is about and make it eligible for additional search experiences. That is the honest version of the pitch, and it is still a good reason to do the work.
Google’s introduction to structured data also says it uses structured data to learn about the people, companies, and products named in the markup. For a business, that means your name, logo, office address, and phone number can be stated once, plainly, in a form machines trust.
Schema works best as part of a sound technical setup. Our SEO services treat it as one layer of a site that loads fast, links clearly, and answers real questions.
Use the most specific type that matches the main purpose of each page. Most business sites need Organization or LocalBusiness, BreadcrumbList, and Article or BlogPosting. Add Product, Service, Review, or Event markup only on pages that really show those things.
Google’s search gallery lists the types that can change how a result looks. Schema.org defines many more. The table below covers the types we see most often on business sites and notes where Google support stands today.
| Type | Use it on | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Organization | Home page or about page | Names your company, logo, and contact details. Google can use it in knowledge panels |
| LocalBusiness | Home or contact page of a business with a physical office or service area | Gives your office address, hours, and phone. Pick a specific subtype, such as Dentist or Plumber, when one fits |
| Article or BlogPosting | Blog posts and news articles | Identifies the headline, author, and dates. Many WordPress themes and SEO plugins add it for you |
| BreadcrumbList | Every page below the home page | Shows the page’s place in your site structure and can replace the URL in results |
| Product | Pages that sell one product | Adds price, availability, and ratings. Eligible for product rich results |
| Service | Service pages | Describes what you offer and where. Valid schema.org, but it does not trigger a Google rich result |
| Review and AggregateRating | Pages that show real reviews of a product or other eligible item | Can show star ratings. Google excludes reviews a business writes or hosts about itself |
| FAQPage | A page of questions and answers your business wrote | Still valid schema.org. Google stopped showing FAQ rich results on May 7, 2026 |
| HowTo | Step by step instructions | Still valid schema.org. Google deprecated HowTo rich results in September 2023 |
| Event | Pages for a dated event people can attend | Eligible for event rich results in Google |
| Person or ProfilePage | Author bios and team pages | Connects content to a real author and supports trust signals |
If customers visit your office or you serve set towns, LocalBusiness markup is usually the first thing to add. The details must match your Google Business Profile and the address shown on the page. Our guide on how to improve your local SEO covers the rest of that work, and our dynamic local SEO pages handle markup across many locations.
Google’s review snippet guidelines say pages about a LocalBusiness or Organization are not eligible for star ratings when the business is reviewing itself, including when it collects and shows reviews about itself on its own site. Mark up only what visitors can read on the page, and include every review you show.
Most still work, but FAQ and HowTo rich results are gone. Google stopped showing HowTo rich results in September 2023 and FAQ rich results on May 7, 2026. Article, Breadcrumb, Product, Review snippet, Local business, Event, Organization, and Video features remain in Google’s supported list.
The change came in two steps. Google’s August 2023 announcement limited FAQ rich results to well known government and health sites and limited HowTo to desktop. An update in September 2023 removed HowTo from desktop as well, which ended it. Then Google’s documentation changelog recorded that FAQ rich results would stop appearing on May 7, 2026, and the FAQ documentation was later removed.
None of that means the markup is harmful. Google said in 2023 that structured data it does not use causes no problems for Search. We still publish FAQPage markup on pages with real questions and answers, because it describes the page accurately. We just no longer promise a visual payoff. Our post on optimizing FAQ pages for AEO and featured snippets goes deeper on that change.
It makes your facts clear and consistent, but it is not a shortcut into AI answers. Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode draw on pages in its Search index and that no special schema is needed to appear. Structured data is still a good part of SEO, and SEO is what those AI features rest on.
Google’s guide to optimizing for generative AI search is clear on this point. Its AI features are rooted in core ranking systems, and structured data is not required for them. The same guide calls structured data a good idea as part of overall SEO. Its AI features page adds one firm rule, which is that any markup must match the visible text.
So where does schema fit for AI search? Our view is modest. AI answers pull from pages that rank and that state facts clearly. Schema helps search engines confirm those facts, like who you are, where your office is, and what a page covers. That supports the visibility AI features build on. Google has not said that schema earns citations in AI answers, and other AI companies have not published how, or whether, their models read it. We will not claim more than that.
The work that moves the needle is the same work that helps readers. Answer the question near the top, keep facts consistent across your site and profiles, and add proof only your business can offer. Our answer engine optimization service and our overview of AEO explain the full approach, and our post on how to design a website answer engines can cite covers layout.
It is a short script block that lists the type and its properties. The example below describes a local business office. Place it on the page it describes and make sure every value matches what visitors see there.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"name": "Example Plumbing Co.",
"url": "https://www.example.com/",
"telephone": "+1-555-555-0100",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "123 Main Street",
"addressLocality": "Collegeville",
"addressRegion": "PA",
"postalCode": "19426",
"addressCountry": "US"
},
"openingHours": "Mo-Fr 08:00-17:00",
"sameAs": ["https://www.facebook.com/exampleplumbing"]
}
</script>Each property comes from schema.org, and you can read every option on the LocalBusiness type page. Google’s local business documentation lists which properties it requires and recommends. In WordPress, an SEO plugin or your theme usually outputs Organization and BlogPosting markup already, so check before you add more and avoid duplicates.
Run the page through the Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator, then watch Search Console. The Rich Results Test checks Google features. The Schema Markup Validator checks any schema.org markup. Search Console shows errors across the whole site after launch.
Test again after theme updates, plugin changes, or a redesign. We check markup as part of every web design launch, because a small template change can quietly remove an address or a breadcrumb trail.
Want a second set of eyes? Our content strategy and SEO teams review schema alongside the copy it describes, so the two always tell the same story.
Not directly. Google has said structured data by itself is not a generic ranking factor. It helps Google understand a page and can make the page eligible for rich results, which may change how the listing looks.
Google says no special markup is needed for AI Overviews or AI Mode. Pages are pulled from the Search index, so crawlable, useful content matters most. Accurate schema is still a good part of overall SEO.
Most small businesses should start with Organization or LocalBusiness on the home or contact page, BreadcrumbList across the site, and BlogPosting or Article on posts. Add Product or Service markup where those pages exist.
There is no need if the markup is accurate. Google has said structured data it does not use causes no problems for Search. Fix or remove it only if it no longer matches what visitors see on the page.
The Rich Results Test shows which Google rich results a page may be eligible for and flags errors for those features. The Schema Markup Validator checks any schema.org markup against the full vocabulary, whether Google uses it or not.
Google does not show review stars for LocalBusiness or Organization pages when the business is reviewing itself, including reviews it gathers and posts on its own site. Mark up only real reviews that visitors can see on the page.
