Contents labelJSON-LD
"@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Bakery", "name": "Ringwood Sourdough Co.", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "14 Station St", "addressLocality": "Ringwood", "addressRegion": "VIC", "postalCode": "3134" }, "telephone": "+61 3 9000 0000", "url": "https://example.com/", "openingHours": "Tu-Sa 07:00-15:00"
- @typeWhat the thing is: here, a bakery, a kind of local business
- name, addressThe two properties Google requires for a local business
- telephoneOptional, but should match your listings exactly
- urlThe page this business lives on
- openingHoursOnly if the same hours are shown to visitors on the page
A fictional business with a placeholder number, written for this guide.
Schema markup explained: labels that tell Google what's on the page
Schema markup is a label you stick on a page. People read the page; the label tells search engines, in a fixed format, what it's about: this is a business, here's its address, these are its hours. Google uses those labels to understand content and, for some page types, to show richer results.
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What schema markup is, in plain terms
Structured data is a standard way of describing a page's content in code. Schema markup usually means structured data written with the schema.org vocabulary, a shared dictionary of types (LocalBusiness, Product, Event) and properties (name, price, startDate) that the big search engines agreed on.
Google's introduction to structured data says it uses the markup it finds to understand page content, and that it can use it to show rich results: search results with extra detail such as prices, ratings, event dates or breadcrumbs. Google supports three formats, JSON-LD, Microdata and RDFa, and says all three are equally fine. It recommends JSON-LD in most cases because it's the easiest to add and maintain.
Google's documentation, not schema.org, is the authority on how Google uses it; schema.org lists many types Google ignores. And correct markup makes a page eligible for a feature without guaranteeing it: Google's general guidelines say it doesn't promise your structured data will show up, even if the Rich Results Test says it's valid.
A machine-readable description of what's already visible on the page.
Make a page eligible for a rich result or knowledge panel details.
A ranking trick, a guarantee of anything, or a requirement for Google's AI features.
Google Search Central, "Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search" (updated 10 December 2025) and "General structured data guidelines" (updated 10 July 2026), read 4 October 2026.
The structured data types worth adding for an Australian business
Most Australian businesses need business identity, local business and breadcrumb markup, plus article, product, event, job or recipe types where they fit. Google's search gallery, last updated 15 June 2026, lists every feature it supports.
Business identity
The schema.org type for an organisation: your logo, legal name, contact details and identifiers, which can appear in knowledge panels and other visual elements. Every business site should have it once, usually on the home page.
Local business
Hours, address and other details for a business people visit or call. Google needs at least the name and address. Use the most specific type, such as Dentist or Plumber, where one exists.
Breadcrumb
Shows the page's place in your site's structure. Breadcrumb trails now appear in desktop results only, not on mobile. Cheap to add, and most SEO plugins already output it.
Article
For blog posts and news. It helps Google show the article's title and larger images in article features.
Product
Price, availability and review ratings for things you sell. The main one for online shops, alongside your product feed.
Event
Dates, venue and tickets for events people can attend, such as workshops, open days or classes.
Job posting
Puts your vacancies into Google's job search experience, with your logo and job details.
Recipe
Only if you publish recipes, such as a cafe's recipe blog, which can earn individual or carousel results.
You can't add star ratings from your own customers to your own business page and expect stars in Google. Google's review snippet documentation limits ratings for local businesses and organisations to sites that capture reviews about other businesses, under its rules on self-serving reviews. Product pages are different: ratings for products you sell can still be marked up.
Google Search Central, "Structured data markup that Google Search supports" (updated 15 June 2026), "Local business (LocalBusiness) structured data" (updated 8 September 2026) and "Review snippet (Review, AggregateRating) structured data" (updated 8 September 2026), read 4 October 2026.
Rich results Google has retired, and when
Google has retired HowTo and FAQ rich results, along with several others, though plenty of SEO advice still recommends that markup. This is the record from Google's documentation updates log.
HowTo rich results removed
Google removed the How-to structured data documentation because the rich result was no longer shown on desktop or mobile. FAQ rich results were limited to well-known, authoritative government and health websites at the same time.
Seven features phased out
Google announced it would phase out support for book actions, course info, estimated salary, ClaimReview, learning video, special announcement and vehicle listing. It later removed the deprecation banner from book actions, as one feature still uses it.
Practice problem and dataset leave Search
Google phased out practice problem and dataset results from Search. Dataset markup is now used only by Google Dataset Search.
FAQ rich results end
Google said the FAQ rich result would no longer appear in Search from 7 May 2026, and removed its FAQ structured data documentation in June 2026.
This page's code includes FAQPage schema for the questions that are really on it. It can't produce an FAQ rich result any more, so write an FAQ only when customers ask those questions.
Google Search Central, "Latest Google Search documentation updates" (entries from September 2023 to June 2026), read 4 October 2026.
Writing a LocalBusiness label that matches your listings
Build your LocalBusiness label from the same details as your listings; the bakery label in the hero is a working start.
Start from your master record
Copy your business name, address and phone exactly as they appear on your Business Profile and directories. Our local citations guide explains why the details must match everywhere.
Choose the most specific type
Schema.org has subtypes such as Dentist, Electrician, Plumber, Bakery and AccountingService. If none fits, LocalBusiness itself is fine.
Add what's visible on the page
Opening hours, phone, website address and a photo, but only if the same information appears to visitors. Google's guidelines say not to mark up content that's hidden from users.
Leave out your own star rating
As above, ratings of your own business from your own site aren't eligible, and adding them risks a structured data manual action.
Place it once, on the right page
Usually the home page or contact page, or each location's page if you have several. Don't paste the same business markup into every blog post.
Google's general guidelines say a structured data issue can lead to a manual action. That kind of action removes the page's eligibility for rich results; Google says it doesn't affect how the page ranks in web search. You'd see it in the Manual actions report in Search Console.
How to add schema markup and check it works
Most platforms output markup already or have a plugin that does, so adding schema is mostly checking what's there and fixing what's wrong.
WordPress
The big SEO plugins output schema for you. Yoast's plugin page lists built-in schema and FAQ and HowTo blocks with schema support; Rank Math's lists more than 16 schema types. Check what your plugin already adds before pasting in more, or you'll end up with two conflicting labels.
Shopify, Wix and Squarespace
Hosted platforms and many themes add product and organisation markup automatically. Run a product page through the Rich Results Test to see what's already there before buying an app.
Hand-written JSON-LD
Paste a JSON-LD block into the page's HTML, in the head or the body. Google's docs say both work. Keep it in a file or snippet you can update when your hours or phone change.
- Rich Results TestGoogle's free tool. Shows which rich result types a page is eligible for and any errors in required properties.
- Schema Markup ValidatorRun by schema.org. Checks all schema.org markup, including types Google doesn't use for features.
- Search Console reportsAfter launch, the rich result status reports show valid items and errors across the whole site, which catches template problems.
- URL InspectionShows how Google last crawled a specific page, including the structured data it found.
WordPress.org plugin pages for Yoast SEO and Rank Math, read October 2026. Google Search Central, "Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search", read 4 October 2026.
Wrong hours, a borrowed phone number and a report full of warnings
Once markup is live, owners start asking why Google, or an AI assistant, says something different from the shop door.
Google or an AI answer shows hours or prices you changed months ago
You can't edit an AI answer or a search result directly, but old details often survive in one forgotten place you control: the markup block, a footer, a directory listing or the Business Profile.
CheckPut the page text, the JSON-LD, your Business Profile and your main directory listings side by side and make every one say the same hours, prices and service area. Hand-written markup is the usual culprit; nobody remembers it when the hours change. Use the feedback link on a wrong answer, then look again in a month.
The markup carries a call-tracking number from an old agency
Tracking numbers belong to whoever pays for them. When the contract ends the number can stop working, and a phone number baked into code is easy to forget.
CheckSearch the page source for "telephone". The markup should carry the number customers can always reach you on, the same one in your footer and directory listings. If you track calls, keep the tracking number in your own name so it can't vanish with a supplier.
Search Console lists dozens of structured data issues
Google's help for the rich result reports splits issues in two. Critical issues make an item invalid, so it can't appear as a rich result. Non-critical issues sit in a table called "Improve item appearance": usually a recommended property you haven't filled in, and the item stays valid.
CheckFix anything under "Why items are invalid" first, starting with templates that repeat the error on many pages. Fill in the non-critical properties only when you have the information, such as a price range or a photo. Don't invent values to clear a warning.
Google Search Console Help, "Rich result status reports", read 5 October 2026.
Do you need schema markup for AI Overviews?
No. Google's guide to its generative AI features says structured data isn't required for them and there's no special schema.org markup to add. It still recommends structured data as part of normal SEO because it helps with rich result eligibility.
Be wary of anyone selling "AI schema" packages. The same guide says you don't need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special markup to appear in Google's AI features, because Google Search doesn't use them. Our SEO for AI search article covers what does help.
Schema markup questions, answered
What is schema markup in SEO?
Schema markup is code that describes a page's content in the shared schema.org vocabulary, so search engines can read facts like a business's name, address, prices or event dates without guessing. Google uses it to understand pages and, for supported types, to show rich results.
Does schema markup help SEO?
It helps in a specific way. It can make a page eligible for rich results such as product prices, desktop breadcrumbs or business details. It doesn't fix weak content, and Google doesn't guarantee any rich result even for valid markup.
Is schema markup a ranking factor?
Google's documentation describes structured data as a way to understand content and qualify for rich results, not as a ranking boost. Its guidelines also say a structured data manual action removes rich result eligibility without affecting how the page ranks.
Is schema markup part of technical SEO?
Usually, yes: adding and testing markup is code-level work, though it describes on-page content. Our technical SEO guide covers the related crawling and indexing work.
What is the difference between JSON-LD and microdata?
JSON-LD is a separate block of code describing the page, while microdata adds attributes inside your existing HTML tags. Google says both, plus RDFa, are equally fine when valid, and recommends JSON-LD in most cases because it's easiest to implement and maintain.
How do I add schema markup in WordPress?
Use your SEO plugin first. Yoast and Rank Math both output schema automatically and let you set the organisation or business details. Then test a page in the Rich Results Test, and only add hand-written JSON-LD for types your plugin doesn't cover, so you don't create duplicates.
Can I add review stars to my own business in Google results?
Not through markup on your own site. Google's review snippet rules only allow ratings for local businesses and organisations from sites that collect reviews about other businesses. Your Google reviews already show on your Business Profile; our review management guide covers earning more of them.
Questions drawn from Google autocomplete suggestions for "what is schema markup", "does schema markup", "is schema markup" and "how to add schema", checked from Australia on 4 October 2026.
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