In short
- Structured data is machine-readable information in the source code, usually in JSON-LD format using the Schema.org vocabulary.
- For businesses, Organization or LocalBusiness matter most, plus BreadcrumbList, Article and, where relevant, Product or FAQPage.
- Google requires the markup to match the visible content. Invented or hidden data can lead to manual actions.
- There is no special markup for AI answers. Structured data helps indirectly, because search systems can identify your business more clearly.
What structured data is
A website is written for people. Whether “Mon to Fri 8 to 5” means opening hours or a delivery time is something a machine has to interpret. Structured data takes that work away: it sits invisibly in the source code and states clearly what is what.
The shared vocabulary for this is called Schema.org. It was launched in 2011 by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Yandex and is still maintained jointly. Google recommends JSON-LD as the format, a small block in the head or body of the page that does not touch the rest of the code.
What it does for AI visibility
In its guidance on AI features, Google says that no special schema markup is needed for AI Overviews and AI Mode. At the same time, Google lists structured data that matches the visible content as part of the proven fundamentals. The honest assessment is therefore: structured data is not a switch for recommendations, but it makes your business unambiguous to search systems.
It helps in three places in particular. First, the sameAs property links your website to your profiles in directories and social networks, making it clear that all these entries refer to the same business. Second, address, service area and opening hours are clearly readable. Third, services and frequent questions can be described in a way that matches specific customer questions.
The most important types for businesses
| Type | Used for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Organization | Name, logo, contact, profiles via sameAs | Once on the home page, applies to the whole business |
| LocalBusiness | Address, opening hours, service area | There are subtypes such as Dentist, LegalService or Electrician |
| BreadcrumbList | Page path | Helps machines understand the site structure |
| Article | Guides and blog posts | State author, date and publisher |
| Product and Offer | Products with price and availability | Only with visible, current prices |
| FAQPage | Frequently asked questions | The questions must be visible on the page |
A note on FAQPage: since August 2023, Google only shows the expandable FAQ results for well-known government and health websites. The markup remains valid and still describes your questions in a machine-readable way, but most businesses should no longer expect a visible effect in the search results.
An example in JSON-LD
This is what the block could look like for an electrical contractor. It sits in the source code inside a script element of type application/ld+json:
{ "@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Electrician",
"name": "Example Electrical Ltd",
"url": "https://www.example-electrical.co.uk/",
"telephone": "+44 113 000 0000",
"address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "1 Example Street", "postalCode": "LS1 1AA", "addressLocality": "Leeds", "addressCountry": "GB" },
"openingHours": "Mo-Fr 07:00-17:00",
"areaServed": ["Leeds", "Wakefield", "Bradford"],
"sameAs": ["https://www.facebook.com/exampleelectrical", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/exampleelectrical"] }
How to add structured data
- Choose the type: Organization for businesses without walk-in customers, LocalBusiness or a suitable subtype for businesses with a location.
- Fill in the essentials: name, address, phone number and website, plus opening hours and service area, exactly as stated on the page.
- Link your profiles: under
sameAs, add the addresses of your main profiles, for example industry directories, LinkedIn or a Wikipedia article if one exists. - Add it to the site: in WordPress and common website builders this works via settings or plugins, otherwise as a JSON-LD block in the page head.
- Test it: check the page with Google’s Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator from Schema.org. Fix errors and warnings.
- Maintain it: if opening hours or your address change, update the data everywhere at once: website, structured data, Google Business Profile, directories.
Common mistakes
- Details that are not on the page: Google requires structured data to reflect the visible content.
- Marking up your own reviews as stars: Google does not show stars for reviews that a business marks up about itself on its own website. Reviews that do not come from real users can lead to manual actions.
- Several conflicting organisations: a theme and a plugin each generate their own data with different names or addresses.
- Forgotten updates: old opening hours in the markup contradict the Google Business Profile.
When help pays off
A simple LocalBusiness block takes a technically confident team about an hour. It gets more involved with several locations, many services, online shops or when a theme and plugins interfere with each other. We review and implement structured data as part of our GEO work from €390 plus VAT, with scope and fixed price agreed in writing beforehand. More on our GEO agency page.
Sources
- Google Search Central: Introduction to structured data
- Google Search Central: General structured data guidelines
- Google Search Central Blog: Changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results, August 2023
- Schema.org: LocalBusiness
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website