Structured data is code you add to your web pages that explicitly tells search engines what your content means. It’s the difference between Google guessing your page is about a local plumbing company and knowing it — along with your exact name, address, phone number, hours, and services.

After 30 years in SEO, structured data is consistently one of the highest-ROI technical implementations for local business websites. Here’s everything you need to know.

What Structured Data Does

By default, Google reads the text on your page and infers meaning from it. Structured data replaces inference with explicit definition.

Without structured data: Google reads “We’re open Monday through Friday, 8am–5pm” and tries to understand this is business hours.

With structured data:

"openingHoursSpecification": [
  {
    "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
    "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
    "opens": "08:00",
    "closes": "17:00"
  }
]

Google now knows with certainty that those are business hours, for which days, in a machine-readable format. This makes it possible to display your hours in search results, filter by “open now,” and align your website data with your Google Business Profile.

Schema.org: The Vocabulary

Schema.org is a collaborative project created by Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex that provides a standardized vocabulary for structured data. It defines hundreds of entity types (Person, Organization, LocalBusiness, Product, Recipe, Event, etc.) and thousands of properties for each type.

When you write structured data, you’re using Schema.org types and properties to describe your content in a way all major search engines understand.

JSON-LD: The Recommended Format

There are three formats for adding structured data: JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa. Google recommends JSON-LD because it’s the cleanest implementation — it’s added in a <script> tag and doesn’t require modifying your HTML content.

A basic LocalBusiness JSON-LD example:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Collins SEO",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main Street",
    "addressLocality": "Piscataway",
    "addressRegion": "NJ",
    "postalCode": "08854"
  },
  "telephone": "+1-732-555-0100",
  "openingHours": "Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00"
}
</script>

What Structured Data to Implement (Priority Order)

1. LocalBusiness Schema (For All Local Businesses)

The most important schema type for local businesses. Explicitly defines your:

• Business name
• Address (NAP)
• Phone number
• Website
• Hours of operation
• Service area (areaServed)
• Business type (@type — use the most specific subtype, e.g., “Plumber”, “HVACBusiness”, “Dentist”)

This schema aligns your website data with your Google Business Profile and helps Google confirm your local signals are consistent across your digital presence.

2. FAQPage Schema (For Blog and Service Pages)

FAQPage schema generates FAQ dropdowns directly in search results — your result expands to show clickable questions and answers below the title. This increases your SERP real estate significantly.

Every blog article and service page with an FAQ section should include FAQPage schema. The increase in CTR from FAQ dropdowns is measurable and often substantial (20–40% CTR improvement in my NJ client work).

{
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How much does plumbing cost in NJ?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Plumbing costs in NJ vary by job type..."
      }
    }
  ]
}

3. Review/Rating Schema

If your site shows aggregated customer reviews (not Google reviews — those come from GBP), Review schema can display star ratings in search results. This increases CTR and builds trust before the click.

Note: Google has become more strict about review schema — ratings must reflect genuine customer reviews on your website, not reviews from third-party platforms like Google or Yelp.

4. BreadcrumbList Schema

Breadcrumbs replace the URL shown in search results with a cleaner hierarchy (Home > Services > Plumbing). Breadcrumb schema helps Google understand your site structure and displays more readable navigation in SERP.

5. Article/BlogPosting Schema

For blog content and news articles. Includes: headline, author, datePublished, dateModified, and the article image. Helps Google properly categorize content and can improve how articles appear in Google Discover and News.

6. Organization Schema

Defines your business as an entity: name, logo, social profiles, contact info. Important for building entity recognition in Google’s Knowledge Graph and for Knowledge Panel eligibility.

Rich Results That Structured Data Unlocks

Schema Type	Rich Result
FAQPage	Expandable FAQ dropdowns in SERP
Review	Star rating shown in SERP
Recipe	Recipe cards with image, time, rating
Event	Event listing with date and location
Product	Price, availability, rating in SERP
HowTo	Numbered steps in SERP
BreadcrumbList	Breadcrumb navigation in SERP

Testing and Validating Structured Data

Google Rich Results Test

Visit search.google.com/test/rich-results and enter any URL or paste code directly. The tool shows:

• Which schema types are detected
• Whether they’re valid (no errors)
• Which rich result types they’re eligible for

Test every page with structured data after implementation.

Google Search Console

Under Enhancements in GSC, you’ll see reports for each schema type found on your site:

• Valid items (correctly implemented)
• Items with warnings (minor issues)
• Invalid items (errors preventing rich results)

Fix all errors before the implementation can generate rich results.

Common Structured Data Mistakes

Marking up content that isn’t on the page: Schema must describe content visible to users. Adding review schema when there are no reviews visible on the page, or FAQs that don’t appear in the page content, violates Google’s guidelines.

Invalid JSON: Even small syntax errors (missing commas, unclosed brackets) invalidate the entire JSON-LD block. Validate every implementation with the Rich Results Test.

Using the wrong business type: Use the most specific applicable @type. A dental practice should use “Dentist” not generic “LocalBusiness.” A plumber should use “Plumber” not “HomeAndConstructionBusiness.”

Outdated data: Schema markup that conflicts with your current hours, NAP, or services creates trust signals that can work against you. Update schema whenever business information changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is structured data in SEO? Structured data is code added to a web page that explicitly tells search engines what the content means — not just what it says. It uses a standardized vocabulary (Schema.org) to label entities like businesses, products, events, reviews, and FAQs so Google can better understand, classify, and present the content in search results.

What is the difference between structured data and schema markup? Schema markup (Schema.org vocabulary) is the most common type of structured data used for SEO. ‘Structured data’ is the broader concept — code that labels content for machines. Schema.org provides the standardized vocabulary (types, properties) used to write that code. JSON-LD is the format (syntax) most commonly used to add schema markup to pages.

What is JSON-LD and why is it preferred for schema? JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is a script-based method for adding structured data. It’s placed in a <script> tag in the page head or body rather than mixed into the HTML. Google recommends JSON-LD because it’s easier to implement, maintain, and update without modifying the visible content of the page.

What types of structured data should local businesses implement? Local businesses should implement: LocalBusiness schema (name, address, phone, hours, service area), FAQPage schema (generates FAQ dropdowns in SERP), Review/Rating schema (if you have aggregated reviews), BreadcrumbList schema (shows site hierarchy in results), and Article or BlogPosting schema for content pages.

Does structured data directly improve Google rankings? Structured data is not a direct ranking factor — Google has confirmed it doesn’t use schema markup to boost rankings. However, it helps Google understand your content better (which can improve relevance) and unlocks rich results (star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, knowledge panels) that increase click-through rate. More clicks from the same position means more traffic.

How do I test if my structured data is correct? Use Google’s Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results) to test any URL or code snippet. It shows which schema types are detected, whether they’re valid, and which rich result types they’re eligible for. Google Search Console’s Enhancements section also shows structured data errors and warnings for your full site.

What rich results can structured data generate? Structured data can generate: FAQ dropdowns in search results (FAQPage schema), star ratings (Review schema), recipe cards (Recipe schema), event listings (Event schema), product price and availability (Product schema), breadcrumb trails (BreadcrumbList schema), How-to steps (HowTo schema), and local business info panels (LocalBusiness schema).

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Bryan Collins is an SEO consultant based in Piscataway, NJ, with 30+ years of experience helping small businesses grow through content and search. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and the author of Why Your Website Isn’t Ringing.