> What schema markup is, how it helps search engines and AI answers read a page, the types a business site needs, and how to test that yours is valid. - Canonical: https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/what-is-schema-markup/ --- # What schema markup is, and which types a business needs Schema markup is a block of code that states plainly what a page is about: this is a business, this is its address, this is a product and its price. Search engines and AI answer engines read it to understand a page without guessing, and some of it changes how a result looks. Updated 6 October 2026 ## What it is Schema markup uses a shared vocabulary, published at schema.org, that the major search engines agreed on. A page’s markup names a type, such as `Organization`, `Product` or `Article`, and fills in that type’s properties: a name, an address, a price, a date. The markup is usually written as JSON-LD, a block of code in the page that visitors never see. ## What it changes Markup has two effects. The first is understanding: a search engine or an answer engine reading the page is told what it is looking at, in a form it does not have to interpret. The second is appearance. Some types make a result eligible for a rich result: a product’s price and stock, an article’s date, the trail of pages above a title, a company’s logo beside its name. Eligible does not mean shown. Google decides case by case. ## The types a business site needs A handful of types cover most business websites. - `Organization`, or `LocalBusiness` for a business with premises: the name, logo, address and contact details, stated once. - `WebSite`: the name of the site, which Google uses for the site name in results. - `BreadcrumbList`: where the page sits in the site. - `Product`: name, price and availability, on each product page. - `Article`: headline, date and author, on each article. - `FAQPage`: the questions a page answers and the answers it gives. ## The rules that matter Markup must describe what a visitor can see on the page. Stating a price, a review or a question that the page does not show breaks Google’s guidelines, and can lose a site its rich results altogether. Reviews need particular care. Google does not show star ratings for a business that marks up reviews of itself on its own website. ## How to test yours Two free tools read a page’s markup. - Google’s Rich Results Test shows which rich results a page is eligible for, and any errors in the way. - The Schema Markup Validator, at validator.schema.org, checks the markup against the vocabulary itself. Search Console then reports on the markup across the whole site, one report for each type it finds, with the pages that have errors. ## Where to start Start with `Organization` and `WebSite` on the home page, and `BreadcrumbList` everywhere. Add `Product` or `Article` where those pages exist. Then check a competitor’s page in the same two tools: our guide to [why a competitor outranks you](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/why-a-competitor-outranks-you/) shows where that comparison fits. ## Questions people ask ### Does schema markup improve rankings? Not directly. Google says structured data is not a ranking factor in itself. It helps Google understand a page and can make a result eligible for a richer appearance, which can earn more clicks. ### Which format should schema markup use? JSON-LD. It is a single block of code placed in the page, separate from the visible content, and it is the format Google recommends. ### Why does my FAQ markup not show in Google? Since 2023 Google has shown FAQ rich results only for well-known government and health websites. The markup is still valid and still read, but most sites no longer get the expanded questions under their result. ## Free competitor gap report Markup is one of the quieter gaps between sites. Name up to three competitors and we compare the structured data on your pages with theirs, then send you which types they state and you do not. 1. Speed and technical health, side by side 2. On-page SEO and site structure 3. The content they are found for and you are not 4. Who holds the searches that matter in your market 5. A prioritised list of what to fix first [Request your free report by email](mailto:contact@hadalmedusa.com?subject=Competitor%20gap%20report%3A%20Guide%3A%20What%20schema%20markup%20is%2C%20and%20which%20types%20a%20business%20needs&body=Website%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AWhere%20you%20compete%20(area%2C%20country%20or%20countries)%3A%0D%0A%0D%0ACompetitors%20to%20compare%20against%20(up%20to%20three)%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AAnything%20else%20we%20should%20know%3A%0D%0A%0D%0A) - **Address** — contact@hadalmedusa.com - **Include** — your site; up to three competitors; where you compete ## More guides - [Why a competitor outranks you, and how to check](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/why-a-competitor-outranks-you/) - [What a technical SEO audit covers](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/what-a-technical-seo-audit-covers/) - [A local SEO checklist for UK businesses](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/local-seo-checklist-uk/) - [All guides](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/) - [On-site SEO: what the service includes](https://hadalmedusa.com/services/seo/)