What is schema markup?
Schema markup uses a shared vocabulary from schema.org. Most sites add it as a JSON-LD script in the page head. A visitor never sees it, but a crawler reads it as labelled facts: this page is an article, this business has this phone number, this question has this answer.
Markup must describe what is visibly on the page. Marking up content people cannot see, or claims that are not true, can lead to penalties and loses trust.
Which types does a small business need?
| Type | Use it on | What it tells machines |
|---|---|---|
| Organization or LocalBusiness | Home and contact pages | Your name, logo, address, phone, area served and social profiles |
| Service | Each service page | What you offer, where, and who provides it |
| Article or BlogPosting | Blog posts | Headline, author, publish and update dates |
| FAQPage | Pages with a visible FAQ | Question and answer pairs |
| BreadcrumbList | Every inner page | Where the page sits in your site |
| Product and Offer | Store product pages | Price, availability and product details |
| Review or AggregateRating | Only genuine reviews shown on the page | Ratings. Do not mark up reviews you wrote about yourself |
A simple example
This is a minimal FAQ block. The question and answer must also appear on the page as text.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage",
"mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question",
"name":"Do you work outside Delhi?",
"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer",
"text":"Yes. We work in person across Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon, and online across India."}}]}
</script>An honest note on rich results
Google has limited FAQ rich results to a small set of sites, and it has dropped how-to rich results. That does not make the markup useless. It still gives machines clean, labelled facts, and it keeps your pages consistent. Just do not add it expecting stars or dropdowns in the results.
How to add and test it
- Pick the type from the table that matches the page.
- Write the JSON-LD, or use a trusted plugin if your site runs on WordPress.
- Place it in the page head or body, then publish.
- Test with Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator.
- Re-check after any redesign, and update dates when you update content.
How schema helps with AI answers
AI tools mostly read page text, and nobody outside the companies can say exactly how structured data is used. What we can say is that unambiguous labels are less likely to be misread, and they keep your name, address and services consistent. Pair markup with answer-first writing, as covered in SEO vs AEO vs GEO vs AIO.
Schema markup guide for small businesses: questions answered
Does schema markup improve rankings?
Not directly. It helps search engines understand a page and can enable some rich results, but it is not a ranking shortcut.
Do I need a developer to add schema?
Not always. Many website builders and WordPress plugins can add basic markup. Custom sites usually need a developer or an agency for accurate, page-specific markup.
Which format should I use?
JSON-LD. Google recommends it, and it keeps the markup separate from your visible design.
Can I mark up my own reviews?
No. Do not mark up reviews you wrote about your own business. Use only genuine reviews that appear on the page, and follow the search engine's review guidelines.
Can schema break my site?
Invalid markup will not break how the page looks, but it can be ignored or flagged. Test before publishing.