Schema Markup: How to Add Structured Data for Rich Results

Schema markup is structured data that you add to your website's HTML to help search engines understand the content and context of your pages. When Google understands your content more precisely, it can present it in richer ways in search results - star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, event details, recipe information and more.

What is schema markup?

Schema markup uses vocabulary from Schema.org - a standardised framework developed by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Yandex - to label your content in a machine-readable way. By adding schema to your HTML (in JSON-LD format, which Google recommends), you give search engines explicit information rather than requiring them to infer it. This increases the likelihood of rich results, improves click-through rates and can positively influence rankings by confirming relevance.

The most valuable schema types

FAQ schema: adds expandable question-answer pairs directly in search results, increasing real estate and CTR. Article schema: confirms authorship and publication date, reinforcing E-E-A-T signals. LocalBusiness schema: provides structured address, opening hours, phone and geographic data for local SEO. Review/AggregateRating schema: displays star ratings in search results for products, services and organisations. BreadcrumbList schema: shows your URL structure as navigable breadcrumbs in search results. VideoObject schema: makes videos eligible for Video Featured Snippets and rich video carousels.

How to implement schema

JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is the format Google recommends. Place the JSON-LD script in the head or body of your HTML. For WordPress, use Rank Math or Yoast SEO (both generate schema automatically for articles, breadcrumbs and local business data) or add custom schema via a function in functions.php. For custom sites, generate your JSON-LD manually and add it to the page template.

Testing and validating

Use Google's Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results) to validate your schema and preview how it may appear in search results. Use Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org) for comprehensive validation against Schema.org standards. After implementation, monitor the Enhancements section in Google Search Console - it shows detected schema types and any errors or warnings that prevent rich results from appearing.

Common mistakes

Marking up content that is not visible on the page (Google requires markup to match visible content). Using incorrect or mismatched schema types. Adding fake reviews or fabricated ratings. Applying schema to pages where it is irrelevant (FAQ schema on a product page with no questions). Not validating after implementation.