Schema Markup Services: Structured Data That Tells Google and AI Exactly Who You Are
Search engines and AI tools read your pages, but they still have to guess what the words mean. Schema markup removes the guessing: it labels your business, services, products, people and FAQs in a format machines read directly. 1307 Digital builds, validates and maintains it.
What is schema markup?
Schema markup is a block of structured data, most often JSON-LD, placed in a page's code. It spells out for search engines and AI systems who the business is, what it offers, which people and reviews belong to it, and how those pieces connect.
Schema.org is the shared vocabulary that Google, Bing and other search engines support.
Why schema markup matters for SEO and AI search
The payoff from schema markup is threefold: search engines read your pages with less guesswork, some pages become eligible for rich results, and AI tools get your business facts in a clean format. None of that guarantees a ranking or a citation.
| Schema can | Schema cannot |
|---|---|
| Make pages eligible for rich results | Guarantee a rich result will appear |
| Clarify who your business is and what it offers | Replace good content or rankings |
| Connect your business to your profiles and locations | Fix facts that are wrong elsewhere on the web |
| Give AI tools unambiguous facts | Make up for blocked or unindexed pages |
In a 2026 survey of search experts, structured data was rated as helpful for AI citations, but far less important than crawl access and clear answers. So we build it as groundwork, never as a quick fix for rankings.
Schema types we implement for SEO
| Type | Used for |
|---|---|
| Organization / LocalBusiness | Who you are, contact details, locations, profiles |
| Service | What you offer, where, and to whom |
| Product and Offer | Product details, price and availability |
| Article / BlogPosting | Authors, dates and topics of articles |
| FAQPage | Questions and answers on the page |
| BreadcrumbList | Where the page sits in your site |
| VideoObject | Videos hosted on your site |
| Person | Founders, experts and authors |
| Event | Events, webinars and conferences |
Google stopped showing FAQ rich results in May 2026, but FAQPage markup still describes the questions on a page clearly for machines.
How we implement schema markup: our process
- Entity map. List your business, locations, services, people and profiles, and how they connect.
- Page mapping. Decide which schema types belong on which pages.
- Build. Write JSON-LD that matches the visible page content exactly.
- Validate. Test with Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema.org validator.
- Deploy and monitor. Check Search Console for errors after launch and when pages change.
How schema markup works
Schema markup works by adding a block of code to your web pages that labels each fact using the Schema.org vocabulary. A search engine reads that block alongside the visible page, so it does not have to guess what a number, name or date means.
There are three formats for structured data markup:
| Format | How it works | Our view |
|---|---|---|
| JSON-LD | A separate script block in the page | Google's recommended format, and the one we use |
| Microdata | Attributes added to HTML elements | Works, but harder to maintain |
| RDFa | Attributes added to HTML elements | Rarely needed for business sites |
JSON-LD markup is easier to add, update and validate, because it does not change how the page is built.
A simple schema markup example
Here is organization schema markup for a business, in JSON-LD:
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"Example Ltd","url":"https://example.com","logo":"https://example.com/logo.png","sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/company/example"]}Benefits of using schema markup
The benefits of using schema markup fall into three groups.
- Rich results in Google search results. Product markup, review, event, recipe and video markup can make pages eligible for rich results (also called rich snippets) with stars, prices or dates, which can improve click-through rate.
- Clearer understanding. Schema helps search engines understand the meaning of a page: which business it belongs to, what service it describes and where.
- Clean facts for AI. Schema markup gives AI systems unambiguous facts, which supports accurate answers in AI Overviews and other AI tools.
Different types of schema markup and when to use them
Choosing the appropriate schema type for each page is half the work. Using the wrong markup type, or marking up content that is not on the page, can make Google ignore the markup.
| Page | Specific schema to use |
|---|---|
| Home and About | Organization schema (or LocalBusiness), with logo, contact and sameAs links |
| Location pages | Local business markup with address, hours and geo coordinates |
| Service pages | Service, linked to your Organization |
| Product pages | Product schema with Offer, price, availability and review markup where genuine |
| Blog posts | Article markup with author and dates |
| Video pages | VideoObject |
| Events | Event, with dates, place and offers |
Plugins, generators or hand-written JSON-LD: choosing your schema method
There are three common ways to get schema onto your pages; which type of markup you use depends on the page.
- A CMS plugin. WordPress plugins such as Yoast or Rank Math add basic schema automatically. They are a good start but often need extending or correcting.
- A schema markup generator. Online generators produce JSON-LD for common types, which you then add to the page.
- Writing schema markup manually. The most flexible option, and the one we use for most clients, because it lets us connect entities across the whole site.
Whichever method you use, implementing schema should follow the same rule: the markup describes only what the page visibly shows.
Schema validation and testing tools
Every block of schema should be tested before and after launch.
| Testing tool | What it checks |
|---|---|
| Rich Results Test | Whether a page is eligible for Google rich results, and any errors |
| Schema Markup Validator | Whether the markup is valid Schema.org, for every type |
| Google Search Console | Enhancement reports for schema markup issues across the whole site |
Google's old Structured Data Testing Tool was retired; the Rich Results Test tool and the Schema Markup Validator replaced it. After adding schema, keep using Google Search Console to catch errors as pages change. For location pages, our local business schema service goes into more detail.
Why schema markup is important for AI search
Schema markup is important for AI search because it removes ambiguity. AI Overviews and assistants build answers from many sources; clear, consistent structured data across your site makes it easier for them to connect your business, services and people correctly. No markup can promise a citation, but it makes a mix-up with a similarly named business far less likely.
Common schema markup issues and mistakes
- Markup that does not match what the page shows
- Fake or self-written review stars on your own business
- Several conflicting Organization blocks across the site
- Missing required properties, so the markup is ignored
- Copy-paste schema from a plugin that describes the wrong business type
How much do schema markup services cost?
Schema work is usually priced as part of technical SEO or as a one-time project. A one-time technical audit with fixes in Canada typically costs about $1,000 to $5,000+, depending on site size; schema for a small site sits at the lower end.
Schema markup FAQs
What is schema markup?
Schema markup is structured data, usually in JSON-LD format, added to a page's code so search engines and AI systems understand exactly what the page describes: the business, services, products, people and FAQs.
Does schema markup help SEO?
Yes. Search engines read it to understand what a page covers, and it can qualify pages for a rich snippet in the search result. It guarantees neither rankings nor rich results, and it does most for pages that already rank and answer the question well.
Does AI use schema markup?
AI systems can use structured data as a clean source of facts about a business. Experts rate it as helpful but less important than crawler access and clear, quotable answers on the page.
Is FAQ schema still relevant?
Since May 2026, Google no longer displays FAQ rich results, so FAQ markup adds nothing visible to your listing. It still describes on-page questions clearly for machines and does no harm when accurate.
How do I check if my website has schema markup?
Run a page through Google's Rich Results Test or the Schema.org validator. Both show the structured data found on the page and any errors.
How do I add schema markup to my website?
Write JSON-LD that matches your page content, add it to the page's HTML, often in the head, then validate it. Many CMS plugins add basic schema, but it usually needs checking and extending.
How many types of schema markup are there?
Schema.org defines hundreds of types. Most businesses need a handful: Organization or LocalBusiness, Service or Product, Article, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList and, where relevant, VideoObject, Person and Event.
Tell Google and AI exactly who you are
Start with a schema review of your key pages.