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Schema.org structured data: which type to use where

Structured data lets you tell a search engine what your page is, instead of making it guess.

Structured data is you repeating the information on your page in a form machines can parse. It is the standard way to say "this is a product, it costs this much, it is in stock". In return you earn rich results: star ratings, prices, stock status, expandable FAQs.

Format: use JSON-LD

There are three formats (JSON-LD, Microdata, RDFa) but Google recommends JSON-LD and it is the easiest in practice. You add a <script type="application/ld+json"> block without touching your HTML. Because it lives separately, redesigns do not break it.

The types that pay off most

Organization

Belongs on the homepage. Brand name, logo, contact details, social profiles. It is the primary source for a knowledge panel.

Article / BlogPosting

For blog posts. Fill in headline, datePublished, dateModified, author and image. Linking the author as a Person matters for E-E-A-T.

Product and Offer

The highest-return markup for e-commerce. Price, currency, availability, and stars via AggregateRating. It is a prerequisite for shopping results.

FAQPage

For questions and answers that genuinely appear on the page. Marking up content the user cannot see is a policy violation.

BreadcrumbList

Shows a site path instead of a raw URL in results. Easy to implement, with a real effect on click-through.

LocalBusiness

For businesses with a physical location. Address, opening hours, phone, coordinates.

Five common mistakes

  1. Marking up information not on the page. Marking invisible content can trigger a manual action.
  2. Wrong price or availability. If the markup price differs from the page, you lose the rich result.
  3. Rating your own product. AggregateRating must be based on genuine user reviews.
  4. Leaving required fields empty. A missing required property can invalidate the whole block.
  5. Shipping without testing. The Rich Results Test and Schema Markup Validator take seconds.

What to expect, and what not to

Structured data is not a direct ranking factor. It will not move you up. What it does is make your result visually richer, which raises click-through — more visitors from the same position.

Its value for generative engines is also rising: structured data lets a model know what your page covers without inferring it, which improves your odds of being selected as a source for the right questions.