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What is Structured data (schema.org)?

Updated on November 6, 2026

Structured data is a block of machine-readable facts added to a page, in the schema.org vocabulary, that tells engines what the page is about: a business, an article, a product, a question and its answer.

The usual form is a JSON-LD script in the page's head. An Organization block gives the company's name, logo and profiles; an Article block gives the headline, author and dates; a FAQPage block lists questions with their answers. Google uses some of these types for rich results, and both search engines and AI assistants use them to attach facts to the right entity.

Structured data has to match what the page shows: a FAQPage whose questions are not visible on the page, or a rating no reader can see, goes against Google's guidelines. The test is to read the block as a stranger and check that the page says the same thing in plain text.

Frequently asked questions

Does structured data improve ranking?

Not directly. It makes a page eligible for rich results and helps engines understand it, which can raise clicks and the odds of being quoted. A page with wrong data gains nothing.

Which structured data should a service business use?

Organization or ProfessionalService with address and contact, BreadcrumbList on every page, Article on guides, FAQPage where questions are really answered on the page. Review ratings only from a verifiable process.

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