Schema markup helps search engines understand the information on a website by identifying what that information represents in a language designed for machines to interpret.
This Field Note looks at how schema markup works, what it can identify, and why that additional layer of information is important.
A new name doesn't erase the history of the business behind it.
Schema markup is structured data added to the code of a webpage that uses a standardized vocabulary to identify what the information on the page represents.
Schema markup doesn't identify this information on its own.
You or your web designer add the details that describe the information on the page and how it should be identified.
For example, if an article includes the author's name, the schema markup can be built to identify that person specifically as the author of the article.
If the page represents a business, the schema markup can identify its name, website, and other relevant business information.
The more accurately the schema markup reflects what is actually on the page, the clearer that information becomes for search engines and other systems interpreting it.
Schema markup can describe many different kinds of content, including articles, events, products, services, reviews, frequently asked questions, recipes, people, organizations, and instructions.
You can explore the types and properties available in the Schema.org's list of schemas.
The structure used depends on the kind of information being identified and the details that describe it.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "What Is Schema Markup and Why Is It Important?",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Rebecca Camille"
}
}
</script>
You don't need to know how to write this code to understand what it is doing.
The markup identifies the page as an Article, identifies its headline, and identifies Rebecca Camille as the person who wrote it.
In schema markup, a type identifies what something is, while properties provide information that describes it.
Those labels and details give search engines a structured description of the content.
The schema you use should be based on what is actually on the page, not on what you would like the page to represent.
When Google evaluates information about a business, your Google Business Profile does not exist in isolation.
Your website is another source of information about the business, including the services and products it offers.
If your Google Business Profile says you provide a particular service, information about that service on your website can help support a consistent picture of what your business offers.
Schema markup can also identify that service more explicitly. For example, an electrician with a page describing electrical panel upgrades could include markup like this:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Service",
"name": "Electrical Panel Upgrades",
"provider": {
"@type": "Electrician",
"name": "Example Electric" },
"areaServed": {
"@type": "City",
"name":
"San Jose"
}
}
</script>
In this example, the markup identifies Electrical Panel Upgrades as a Service, identifies Example Electric as the business providing it, and identifies San Jose as an area the service is provided in.
The schema does not create the service or make the business relevant for it simply because those words were added to the code.
The service should also be genuinely offered by the business and supported by the visible content on the website.
The clearer and more consistent that information is, the easier it is to connect the pieces.
Schema markup adds another layer of clarity by identifying information on the website in a standardized way.
Schema works on a similar principle, but it can describe much more than your basic business information.
It can help identify the business, its services, its products, the people connected to it, articles it publishes, and other information that gives context to what the business does.
Your Google Business Profile tells Google about your business.
Your website supports that picture.
Schema markup helps make the information on your website clearer.
Before adding schema markup, check what structured data is already on the page.
Some website platforms generate schema markup automatically, which means you may already have structured data on your website even if you have never added it yourself.
When that automatically generated markup does not identify important information or relationships on a particular page, custom schema markup can be added to describe them more specifically.
For example, a platform may already identify the business as a LocalBusiness, but a service page may contain individual services that the automatically generated schema markup does not identify.
Custom schema markup can be added to identify those services and their relationship to the business.
Knowing what is already there also helps you avoid unnecessarily duplicating information or adding markup that conflicts with the information already being identified.
Adding more schema markup does not necessarily make the information clearer.
Where custom schema markup is added depends on the platform your website is built on.
Some platforms provide a place to add structured data to an individual page, while others require a custom-code area, plugin, or another method.
The goal is to have schema that accurately describes what is on the page.
You may not be able to see schema markup when you're working on a page in your website platform.
That doesn't mean it isn't there.
You can use several tools to find the schema markup on a webpage and see what information it identifies.
Google's Rich Results Test shows the structured data Google detects on a page that relates to the rich result features it supports.
Enter the URL of the page you want to test, and the results will show the structured data Google found and any errors or warnings associated with it.
The results apply to the page you tested, not your entire website.
The results may say “No items detected."
For example, when I tested the About page of this website, Google's Rich Results Test returned “No items detected” and “No rich results detected in this URL.”
A different page can produce a very different result.
When I tested a service page for another business, Google detected structured data for a LocalBusiness and an Organization.
Opening the LocalBusiness result showed the information Google associated with that item, including the business name, address, image, and opening hours.
Google also reported that the optional telephone field was missing.
But the telephone number wasn't actually missing from the page's schema markup.
It appeared in a separate Organization block:
"@type": "Organization"
"legalName": "Polish & Glo"
"telephone": "510.123.4567"
The LocalBusiness markup identified other information about the same business:
"@type": "LocalBusiness"
"name": "Polish & Glo"
"address": ..."openingHours": ...
Both pieces of schema markup describe Polish & Glo, but they identify it as two different types of entities.
The telephone number is included as information about the Organization, but it is not included as information about the LocalBusiness.
Schema markup doesn't just identify the information itself. It also identifies what that information belongs to.
The same service page also visibly listed individual services with their names, descriptions, appointment lengths, and prices.
For example, Luxe Brow Lamination appeared on the webpage with a description, an appointment length of 30 minutes, and a price of $150.
But when the schema markup was inspected, those individual services were not identified as a Service, Product, or Offer.
The services weren't missing from the webpage. What was missing was the additional identification of that information in the schema markup.
Another tool you can use is the Schema Markup Validator, provided by Schema.org.
Unlike Google's Rich Results Test, which focuses on structured data Google supports for rich results, the Schema Markup Validator provides a broader view of the schema markup it finds on the page.
Enter the URL of the page you want to check and select Run Test.
The results show the types of schema markup found on the page and the information identified within each one.
The Validator divides the results into two sides.
The left side shows the schema markup found in the page's code, while the right side organizes that same information by the types and properties it identifies.
Think of the left side as the machine-oriented language and the right side as the human-readable view of what that language is identifying.
If you're trying to understand what schema markup is on your page rather than inspect the code itself, the right side is usually easier to read.
When I tested the About page of this website with Google's Rich Results Test, it returned “No items detected” and “No rich results detected in this URL.”
When I tested the same page with the Schema Markup Validator, it found AboutPage schema markup with 0 errors and 0 warnings.
Why did the two tools give different results? They are designed to look for different things.
The Schema Markup Validator looks broadly at Schema.org markup on a page.
Google's Rich Results Test focuses on structured data that Google supports for rich results.
A rich result is a Google search result that can display additional information or features beyond a standard search listing.
Depending on the type of content, that might include information such as a product's price and availability, a recipe's rating, or an event's date and location.
“No items detected” in Google's Rich Results Test does not necessarily mean there is no schema markup on the page.
In the case of this website's About page, the AboutPage schema markup was there and the Schema Markup Validator found it.
AboutPage is not a type that Google's Rich Results Test reports for one of Google's supported rich results.
Google maintains a Search Gallery that lists the structured data it currently supports for rich results.
The gallery lets you explore the different types and links to Google's documentation for each one, including the requirements and guidelines that apply.
Look for the types that relate to the content on your own website rather than adding schema markup simply because a rich result is available.
Using supported structured data can make a page eligible for a rich result, but it does not guarantee that Google will display one.
The Schema Markup Validator can also help you see how the information on a page has been structured.
When I tested the same service page used in the earlier example, the Schema Markup Validator found three types of schema markup:
WebSiteOrganizationLocalBusinessAll three returned 0 errors and 0 warnings.
This may seem surprising because Google's Rich Results Test reported warnings for the LocalBusiness on the same page.
The difference again comes down to what each tool is checking.
The Schema Markup Validator checks whether the markup follows the Schema.org vocabulary.
Google's Rich Results Test evaluates structured data according to Google's requirements and recommendations for the rich results it supports.
Schema markup can be valid according to Schema.org without meeting all of Google's recommendations for a particular rich result.
Schema markup is one layer of the information that helps describe your business online.
Looking at it can reveal how information on your website is being identified, but it can also raise questions about how that information connects with the rest of your online presence.
A Clarify Assessment looks beyond one page or one piece of markup to examine the larger picture of your business, including the assets and information that may be influencing where it is today.
If you're trying to understand what's standing between your business and where you want it to be, start with the Clarify Assessment Roadmap.
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