What is structured data, and what is schema markup?
Structured data is a standardised way of stating facts about a page so a machine can read them without interpreting prose. Schema markup is the vocabulary most commonly used, usually implemented as JSON-LD. It sits in the page's source code rather than in the visible copy.
For a local business the relevant types are Organization or LocalBusiness, plus things like Service, FAQPage and Review where they apply.
What does structured data do, and what does it not do?
Structured data helps an engine read facts reliably and can make a page eligible for richer result formats. Its real value in the AI era is entity clarity: unambiguous, machine-readable statements of who you are, tied to properties you control.
It does not manufacture authority, and adding markup to a thin page does not make it a good page.
| What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|
| Lets an engine read stated facts without interpreting prose | Manufacture authority for the business |
| Can make a page eligible for richer result formats | Turn a thin page into a good page |
| States who you are in machine-readable form, tied to properties you control | Stand in for what the page visibly shows |
Which rule do people break most often with schema markup?
Markup must match what is visible. Marking up reviews you do not display, services you do not offer, or an address you do not operate from is a machine-readable claim that contradicts your own page. That is worse than omitting the markup entirely.
How do you check your own structured data?
Checking structured data takes two passes: what the markup asserts, and whether the visible page shows the same thing. Run your key pages through a structured-data testing tool and read what it reports, rather than only whether it validates, but what facts you are actually asserting.
Then check each asserted fact against the visible page. Anything marked up but not shown is the problem to fix first.
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