Structured Data (schema.org): What It Is and How to Add It

Structured data is information added to a page's code to describe its content explicitly: "this is an article, written by this person, published on this date", or "this is a product, at this price, in stock". The standard vocabulary is schema.org.

What is it for?

• It helps Google understand the nature and elements of a page.
• It can make the page eligible for rich results: review stars, price and availability, breadcrumbs, etc.
• It clarifies information about your organization: name, logo, contact details.

Note: structured data is not a direct ranking factor and doesn't ensure a rich result is displayed. Google decides, based on the page's quality and its compliance with its rules.

The recommended format: JSON-LD

Google recommends the JSON-LD format, placed in a script block in the page, separate from the visible content. Example for an article:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Article title",
  "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "First Last" },
  "datePublished": "2026-10-01",
  "image": "https://www.example.com/image.jpg"
}
</script>

The most useful types

• Organization and LocalBusiness: company identity and contact details.
• Article: editorial content.
• Product and Offer: products, prices, availability.
• BreadcrumbList: breadcrumb trail.
• Event, Recipe, VideoObject, etc. depending on your content.

Google changes the types of rich results it displays: some no longer produce a special display or are limited to certain kinds of sites. Check the official documentation before investing time in a specific type.

Rules to follow

• The markup must match the page's visible content: don't mark up what the user can't see.
• Information must be accurate and up to date (prices, availability, dates).
• Don't use markup to mislead: fake ratings or reviews can lead to a manual action.
• Fill in the required and recommended properties of the chosen type.

How to add and check it

• With your CMS or a plugin: many platforms already generate basic structured data.
• By hand or with a JSON-LD generator for specific needs.
• Test with Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator.
• Follow Search Console: enhancement reports show the errors and warnings detected.

Common mistakes

• Duplicate markup generated by both the theme and a plugin.
• Missing properties or badly formatted values.
• Markup left outdated after a page change.

Start with the types that best match your business (organization, products or articles), validate the result and keep it up to date with the content.