SCHEMA MARKUP SOUNDS TECHNICAL. THE IDEA IS SIMPLE.
Schema markup, also called structured data, is a small block of code on your website that states the facts about your business in a format search engines can read without guessing: your name, address, phone, hours and services. Visitors never see it. It helps machines confirm what the page already says. It does not replace good content or a well-kept Google Business Profile, and it does not guarantee any special result in search.
AT A GLANCE
By Conqueror Capital · Published
The short answer: schema is a machine-readable summary of facts that are already on your page. Keep it accurate, keep it matching what visitors see, and treat it as part of the foundation, not a shortcut.
WHAT SCHEMA ACTUALLY IS
Google describes structured data as a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying the page content.1 In plain terms, your contact page might say "Open Monday to Friday, 8 to 5" in normal text. Schema says the same thing again in a fixed format, so software reads "opening hours: Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00" instead of guessing from the sentence.
The vocabulary comes from Schema.org, a shared dictionary of types such as LocalBusiness, Restaurant or Dentist and properties such as name, address and telephone. Google recommends the JSON-LD format, a script block that sits in the page code separately from the text visitors read.1 Google says it uses structured data it finds on the web to understand the content of the page and to gather information about the web and the world in general.1
WHAT A LOCAL BUSINESS USUALLY MARKS UP
Google's LocalBusiness documentation lists the properties it reads for a business, starting with the required name and address and recommended details such as telephone, URL, opening hours and geographic coordinates.2 For most local businesses that means:
- Who you are: the business name exactly as it appears on your sign and your Google Business Profile.
- Where you are: the street address, or the area you serve if customers don't visit you.
- How to reach you: your main phone number and website address.
- When you are open: your real hours, updated when they change.
- What kind of business you are: the most specific Schema.org type that fits.
Our LocalBusiness schema guide has a property table and a copy-paste example with placeholder data.
WHAT IT HELPS WITH, AND WHAT IT DOESN'T
It helps with consistency. When your website, your schema and your Google Business Profile all state the same name, address, phone and hours, there is less room for confusion about who you are. Inconsistent details are a common, fixable problem; our listing clean-up guide covers the rest of the web.
It does not guarantee anything. Google says it does not guarantee that structured data will show up in search results, even when the markup is correct.3
It must match the page. Google's guidelines say not to mark up content that is not visible to readers of the page, and not to mark up irrelevant or misleading content.3 Schema that claims services, reviews or hours the page doesn't show is a problem, not an advantage.
FAQ markup no longer produces FAQ results in Google. Google's documentation changelog says FAQ rich results stopped appearing from May 7, 2026, and the documentation was removed on June 15, 2026.5 A clear FAQ section is still useful content for people. We cover what to do with existing markup in our FAQ rich results post.
WHAT ABOUT AI SEARCH?
Some vendors sell special markup "for AI". Google's page on AI features says you don't need to create new machine-readable files or markup to appear in those features, and that there is no special schema.org structured data you need to add.4 The same page lists making sure your structured data matches the visible text on the page, and keeping your Business Profile information up to date, among its general recommendations.4 In other words: accurate, ordinary structured data, same as before.
HOW TO CHECK YOUR OWN SITE
- Open Google's Rich Results Test and enter your home page or contact page address.1
- Look for a LocalBusiness or Organization item, or a more specific type such as Restaurant.
- Compare every value against your Google Business Profile: name, address, phone, hours. They should match character for character.
- If nothing is detected, ask whoever manages your website whether markup was ever added. Many templates add none, or add only generic site information.
- Repeat whenever your hours, phone or address change. Out-of-date schema is easy to forget because nobody sees it.
MULTI-LOCATION AND ENTERPRISE
With several branches, each location page should carry its own markup for that branch: its own address, phone, hours and page URL, rather than one block copied across every page. A few habits keep it accurate:
- Generate it from one central record. The same list of approved names, addresses, phones and hours should feed your location pages, your schema and your Business Profiles, so a change is made once.
- Connect branches to the parent brand. Organization markup on the main site and LocalBusiness markup on each location page describe how the brand and its branches relate.
- Test after every template change. A site redesign or CMS update can silently remove markup from hundreds of pages at once.
Our mid-size and enterprise page explains how we run this for larger teams.
FAQ
What is schema markup in simple terms?
A small block of code that states the facts already on your page, such as your business name, address, phone and hours, in a format search engines read without guessing. Visitors don't see it.
Does schema markup improve my rankings?
Google does not promise any special result from structured data, even when it is correct. Treat it as part of a solid foundation alongside useful content and an accurate Google Business Profile.
Do I need special schema for AI search?
Google says there is no special schema.org markup you need to add to appear in its AI features. Accurate standard markup that matches your page is enough.
Should I still add FAQ schema?
Google stopped showing FAQ rich results in May 2026. A clear FAQ section is still useful for people; any markup on it must match the visible questions and answers.
How do I know if my site has schema?
Run your home page or contact page through Google's Rich Results Test and check that the business details it finds match your Google Business Profile exactly.
SOURCES
- Google Search Central, Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search.
- Google Search Central, Local business (LocalBusiness) structured data.
- Google Search Central, General structured data guidelines.
- Google Search Central, AI features and your website.
- Google Search Central, Latest documentation updates (FAQ rich result entries dated May 8 and June 15, 2026).
Platforms change often. Check the sources for the current version before acting.
KEEP READING
BOOK A STRATEGY CALL
Not sure whether your site has schema, or whether it matches your Google profile? Book a 15-minute call and we will check it with you.