Schema markup (structured data)

Google defines structured data as "a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying the page content." Most of the structured data Google Search uses follows the vocabulary published at Schema.org, a community project founded by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Yandex. Visitors don't see it. It sits in the page's code and tells machines exactly what the page describes.

How it works

The vocabulary defines types, such as LocalBusiness, Product, Event and Restaurant, and properties for each, such as an address, opening hours or a price. Schema.org says it can be written in several encodings, including JSON-LD, Microdata and RDFa. Google accepts all three and recommends JSON-LD, which keeps the markup in one block instead of mixing it into the visible content.

What it does and doesn't do

Markup can make a page eligible for richer search results. It is not a promise: Google states that it "does not guarantee" your structured data will show up in results. Its guidelines also require markup to be "a true representation of the page content", and say not to mark up content readers can't see. Markup that claims reviews or prices the page doesn't show is a risk, not a shortcut.

For AI answers, Google says no special schema.org markup is needed to appear in its AI Overviews or AI Mode. Treat markup as one more place where your facts are stated clearly and consistently, matching the visible page, your business profiles and your directory listings.

How it relates to Worcia

Every website Worcia builds ships with schema markup that matches its pages. SEO & GEO, Worcia's search and AI-answer optimization service, adds or repairs it on existing sites as part of technical SEO. For how markup fits local SEO, see the local SEO guide.