TL;DR
- Structured data describes a page’s content in a standard vocabulary, schema.org, that search engines understand.
- Google recommends the JSON-LD format, placed in the page’s HTML.
- Since 2023, FAQ rich results appear only for well-known government and health sites, and HowTo rich results are no longer shown.
- Markup must match what’s visible on the page; misleading markup can lead to a manual action.
Structured data is code that labels information on a page: this is a business, here’s its address, these are its opening hours, this is the price of that product. It uses the shared schema.org vocabulary.
The format to use
Google supports several formats but recommends JSON-LD, a block of script in the page’s HTML that doesn’t affect what visitors see:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"name": "Example Plumbing",
"telephone": "+1-555-0100",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "100 Main St",
"addressLocality": "Springfield",
"addressRegion": "IL",
"postalCode": "62701"
}
}
</script>
Types worth considering
| Type | Good for |
|---|---|
| Organization or LocalBusiness | Your business name, logo, address, phone and hours |
| Product and Offer | Online stores with prices and availability |
| Review snippets | Reviews of products or services, under Google’s rules on self-serving reviews |
| Article | Blog posts and news |
| BreadcrumbList | Showing your site’s structure in results |
| Event | Classes, workshops and performances |
What changed in 2023
In August 2023, Google limited FAQ rich results to well-known, authoritative government and health websites, and stopped showing HowTo rich results on mobile. In September 2023 it removed HowTo rich results on desktop as well. Most small business sites will no longer see those expanded displays, whatever markup they add.
Common mistake: Only mark up content that’s visible on the page and accurate. Marking up fake reviews, hidden text or misleading details violates Google’s structured data policies and can make the whole site lose rich result eligibility.
Testing
- Rich Results Test shows which rich results a page is eligible for and flags errors.
- Schema Markup Validator checks the markup against schema.org more generally.
- Search Console enhancement reports track errors across the site over time.
Markup can’t help a page Google hasn’t indexed, so confirm the page itself is indexed in the page indexing report. The markup also has to be present on the mobile version of the page; see mobile-first indexing.
FAQ
Does structured data improve rankings?
Google says it isn’t a general ranking boost. It helps Google understand the page and can make the result eligible for richer displays, which may improve clicks.
Should I keep FAQ markup now that the rich result is limited?
It does no harm if it’s accurate, and other search engines or tools may use it. Just don’t expect the expanded FAQ display in Google for most sites.
My plugin adds schema automatically. Is that enough?
Often it covers the basics. Check the output with the Rich Results Test and make sure details like your business hours and address are correct.
Search engines update their systems and documentation often. This guide reflects Google’s published guidance at the time of writing; check Google Search Central for current details, and test changes on a staging copy of your site before making them live.