Schema markup is structured data, usually JSON-LD, that labels facts on your pages such as business name, address, phone, hours, services and products. It helps Google understand your business and can make pages eligible for some rich results. It does not directly raise rankings, and FAQ rich results no longer appear in Google Search.
What structured data does and does not do
Structured data is a standard vocabulary, from schema.org, for describing things on a page: a business, a service, a product, a review. Google reads it to understand the page and to decide whether the page is eligible for certain enhanced results.
Eligibility is not a promise. Google's LocalBusiness documentation says markup may help details display, but Google decides what to show. Structured data also does not unlock AI Overviews: Google states there are no special schema requirements for its AI features, only that structured data should match the visible text. We sell schema as clarity and eligibility, never as a ranking shortcut.
Why JSON-LD
JSON-LD is a block of code placed in a script tag with the type application/ld+json, separate from your visible HTML. Google's examples use it, and it is easier to maintain than markup woven through the page template. On WordPress we generate it from the same fields that fill the page, so a phone number change updates both at once. That pairs well with our SEO-ready WordPress development.
LocalBusiness: what Google requires and recommends
For local businesses, Google's documentation separates required from recommended properties. Using the most specific subtype, such as Dentist or Plumber, gives Google a clearer signal than the generic type.
| Property | Status | Google's rule or our note |
|---|---|---|
| name | Required | Match the Business Profile name exactly |
| address | Required | Full postal address, same format as citations |
| geo | Recommended | Latitude and longitude with at least 5 decimal places |
| telephone | Recommended | Include country and area code |
| url | Recommended | The location's own page |
| openingHoursSpecification | Recommended | Use validFrom and validThrough for seasonal closures |
| priceRange | Recommended | Under 100 characters |
The seasonal hours property matters in Naples. A business that closes for part of summer can mark those dates in markup, matching what it sets on its Business Profile.
Organization, Service, Product and breadcrumbs
- Organization: on the homepage or about page, naming the business, logo, contact points and
sameAslinks to official profiles. This ties your site to the same entity across the web. - Service: on each service page, describing the service, the provider and the area served. It does not produce a special result on its own, but it makes the relationship between business, service and place explicit.
- Product: for items you actually sell with a visible price and availability. Product markup must describe the product on that page, not a category of products.
- BreadcrumbList: mirrors the site's visible breadcrumb trail so Google understands where each page sits in the site structure.
Review markup rules and FAQ reality
Review and rating markup is where many sites get into trouble. Google's LocalBusiness documentation says aggregateRating and review markup belong on sites that review other businesses. Marking up praise of your own business on your own site, or ratings copied from Google or Yelp, does not qualify for review stars.
FAQ markup is the other common mistake. Google limited FAQ rich results to well-known government and health sites in August 2023, and the feature stopped appearing in Google Search entirely from May 7, 2026. Existing FAQ markup does no harm, but it no longer produces a rich result. Visible FAQs on the page are still worth writing, because they answer real questions for visitors and give AI tools clear text to quote.
Entity clarity and validation
Search engines and AI tools build a picture of your business from many sources. When your markup, Business Profile, citations and page text all state the same name, address, phone, services and area, that picture is clear. When they disagree, it blurs. Our AI search and entity SEO work builds on this, and citation cleanup fixes the off-site half.
Every block is checked twice before launch: in Google's Rich Results Test, which shows what Google can use for its features, and in the Schema Markup Validator, which checks the full schema.org vocabulary. After launch we watch Search Console for structured data errors.