Structured data is a fixed-format description of a page’s content, written for search engines and other software. In the code, you state that a number is a price, a name is a brand and a time is an opening hour. Structured data helps Google understand a page and can make it eligible for rich results. It does not guarantee a higher ranking or an extra search feature.
What does structured data look like?
A person looking at a contact page sees the address and opening hours straight away. A search engine reads text and code, and has to work out which line is the address, which number is the phone and which times belong to which day. Structured data removes that doubt.
The most common format is JSON-LD: a separate block in the page code. Here is an example for an invented bike shop:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "BicycleStore",
"name": "Fietsenwinkel De Spaak",
"url": "https://www.example.com",
"telephone": "+31 38 000 0000",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "Voorbeeldstraat 1",
"postalCode": "8000 AA",
"addressLocality": "Zwolle",
"addressCountry": "NL"
},
"openingHoursSpecification": [{
"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
"dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday"],
"opens": "09:00",
"closes": "18:00"
}]
}The same address and hours must also be readable on the page itself. The markup states what that text means; it does not replace the text.
According to Google’s introduction to structured data, Google supports three formats: JSON-LD, Microdata and RDFa. All three work when the markup is valid. Google generally recommends JSON-LD, because you can add and maintain it separately from the page layout.
Three ways to write structured data
| JSON-LD | Microdata | RDFa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | A separate script block in the page | As attributes in the visible HTML | As attributes in the visible HTML |
| Maintenance | Can be changed apart from the layout | Changes along with the layout | Changes along with the layout |
| Google’s preference | Generally recommended | Supported | Supported |
What is schema.org?
The words in the example, such as BicycleStore, PostalAddress and openingHoursSpecification, come from schema.org. It is a joint project that Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Yandex set up to create and maintain a shared vocabulary for structured data, as the schema.org about page explains. Schema.org has far more types than Google uses for visible features in search results.
What does structured data do?
- It pins down meaning. A search engine does not have to guess which number is the price or which address belongs to your branch.
- It makes pages eligible for rich results. For some types, Google shows extra information, such as price and availability for a product, or a breadcrumb trail instead of a bare URL. The list of supported features includes Product, Review snippet, Breadcrumb, Organization, Local business, Video and Image metadata.
waterproof walking boots
- walkingshop.example.com/bootsBuy walking bootsA wide range of walking boots for every terrain.
- example.com › Shoes › Walking boots* Veluwe walking boot, waterproofWaterproof walking boot for heath and woodland. In stock.
- bootguide.example.comComparing waterproof bootsWhat to look for in a waterproof boot.
- It makes business details unambiguous. With Organization markup you pass on your official name, logo and identifiers. That is the subject of the article on business information and Organization schema.
What does structured data not do?
- It does not guarantee a feature. Google writes in its general guidelines that it does not guarantee your structured data will show up in search results, even when everything is correct.
- It does not promise a higher ranking. Google describes structured data as an aid to understanding and display. Nowhere does Google promise a better position.
- It is not a separate route into AI answers. According to Google, AI Overviews and AI Mode need no special schema. Google does list as good practice that structured data matches the visible text (AI features and your website).
- It no longer produces an FAQ result. On 8 May 2026, Google announced in its changelog that the FAQ rich result has not appeared since 7 May 2026. FAQPage still exists as a type on schema.org. An FAQ for visitors remains worthwhile; see writing an FAQ that helps customers, Google and AI assistants.
What rules does Google set?
The main rules from Google’s guidelines, in our own words:
- Only what the visitor sees. Do not mark up information that is not on the page. A rating of 4.8 in the markup must also appear on screen.
- A true representation. The markup describes the content of this page, not of another page or of your whole business.
- No misleading data. Invented reviews, or data that gives visitors the wrong impression, are not allowed.
- Fill in the required fields. Each feature has its own required properties. If they are missing, the page is not eligible.
If you break these rules, Google can apply a manual action. The page then loses its eligibility for rich results.
How do you test structured data?
| Tool | What it checks |
|---|---|
| Rich Results Test | Which Google features the markup on a public page makes possible; also works with pasted code |
| Schema Markup Validator | Whether the markup is valid according to schema.org, including types Google does not use |
| URL Inspection in Search Console | Whether Google found the markup on the published page |
| Per-feature reports in Search Console | Errors and warnings across all pages of one type |
None of these tools checks whether the content is true. A validator accepts a closing time of 18:00 even when the shop has closed at 17:00 since last month. You make that comparison yourself, or have someone make it for you.
Why does structured data need maintenance?
Structured data ages along with your website. A new theme, an updated plugin, a sold-out product or a new return window can change the markup, or leave it unchanged while the page itself changes. Schedule a check after every larger change and look at the Search Console reports regularly. For online shops, the details are in which structured data does an online shop need?
How Outseen approaches this
Atlas, Outseen’s research engine, reads the public HTML of fetched pages and the supported JSON-LD in it, such as product and breadcrumb. Each finding states what was found, in which source, on which URL and when. Atlas does not see markup that only appears after JavaScript. A specialist checks whether the data matches the visible content.
What does this mean for your business?
Start by looking at what your website already outputs. Many systems, such as Shopify, WooCommerce and WordPress with an SEO plugin, add structured data to your pages themselves. Paste a few important pages into the Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator and read what comes back. Often most of the work lies in clearing out duplicate or outdated markup.
How to check the structured data on a page
- Test the public URL in the Rich Results Test and note which types are found.
- Check that the same type does not appear twice with different data.
- Compare name, address, opening hours, price and stock in the markup with the visible text.
- Check that the required fields for that type are filled in.
- Look in Search Console for errors in the reports for each search feature.
- Plan a new check after a theme change, a plugin update or a big change to your range.
Do not expect structured data to bring a higher ranking or a mention in AI answers. It makes clear what is on a page. That only helps if the page itself contains the information customers are looking for.