Schema markup is a standard vocabulary you add to a page's code so a search engine can understand more precisely what the content is. It is usually written in the JSON-LD format.
A concrete example#
A page contains "4.6" and "120". A human understands these are a rating and a review count, but a bot doesn't. With "Review" schema you state it explicitly: a rating of 4.6 from 120 reviews. It is like labeling boxes in a warehouse.
What types are common?#
- Article for an article
- Product for a product
- FAQ for questions and answers
- LocalBusiness for a local business
- Organization, Breadcrumb, and Video
A simple sample#
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "What is schema markup?"
}What is it good for?#
Your result may appear in search with more information (stars, price, availability). However, this "rich appearance" is not guaranteed and depends on Google's policies. Schema doesn't directly raise ranking, but it makes understanding the content easier.
How do we add it?#
On WordPress, SEO plugins generate many schema types automatically. Then check it with Google's Rich Results Test.
A common mistake#
Including information that isn't visible on the page or isn't true. Schema must describe exactly the page's real content, or it may be ignored or penalized.
A note#
For AI answer engines too, structured data can make understanding content a little easier.