Schema markup guide: which structured data a small business needs

What is schema markup?

Schema markup is a layer of labelled facts added to a web page, using a shared vocabulary from schema.org, so that machines can read what the page is about without guessing. Your visible page might say “Open Monday to Saturday, 9 to 6”; the markup states the same thing as opening hours with days and times that software can parse.

The schema.org vocabulary was launched in 2011 by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, with Yandex joining soon after, and is now used by search engines and many other tools. It is made of types (things such as LocalBusiness, Service or Article) and properties that describe them (name, address, telephone, datePublished).

There are three formats for adding it: JSON-LD, Microdata and RDFa. JSON-LD is the one Google recommends. It is a single block of script in the page’s HTML that holds the facts as pairs of property names and values, kept separate from the visible content, which makes it easy to add, read and update without touching the design.

Why does schema markup matter for SEO and AI search?

Schema removes ambiguity. Without it, a search engine has to infer that “Kingdom” is a law firm rather than a hotel, that a string of numbers is a phone number, and that a date at the top of a post is when it was published. With it, those facts are stated outright.

• Rich results. Certain types make a page eligible for enhanced search listings, such as breadcrumb trails, product prices and availability, event dates or article details.
• Entity understanding. Organization and LocalBusiness markup, with links to your official profiles, help search engines connect your website, your Google Business Profile and your social accounts as one business.
• Machine-readable facts for AI tools. AI answer engines read the pages they retrieve. Clearly labelled prices, hours and services are easier to extract accurately than facts buried in paragraphs, although no AI provider promises to use your markup in a particular way.

Be realistic about its limits. Google has said structured data is not a general ranking factor in itself, and eligibility for a rich result is not a promise that one will appear. Schema helps good pages be understood; it does not rescue weak ones.

Which schema types does a small business need?

Most small business websites are well covered by the types below. Add each one to the page templates where it applies:

Which LocalBusiness subtype should you choose?

Choose the most specific schema.org type that is genuinely true of your business. LocalBusiness has many subtypes, and a precise one tells machines more than the generic parent. Common choices include:

• Clinics: MedicalClinic, Dentist or Physician; aesthetic clinics often combine a medical type with a beauty type such as BeautySalon where both are accurate.
• Law firms: LegalService.
• Gyms and studios: ExerciseGym or HealthClub.
• Hospitality: Restaurant, CafeOrCoffeeShop, Hotel or another LodgingBusiness type.
• Spas and salons: DaySpa, BeautySalon or HairSalon.
• Agencies and consultancies: ProfessionalService, or Organization if you have no customer-facing premises.

A page can list more than one type when that is accurate. We have built 10+ clinic websites, and choosing the right medical type is a step we settle early, as our clinic website design guide explains. Match the type to your Google Business Profile category where you can, so the two describe the same business.

What does LocalBusiness JSON-LD contain, in plain words?

A LocalBusiness block is a short list of property names and values. For a fictional dental clinic in Bangkok, it would state the following:

Every value must match what visitors can see on the page and what your other listings say. Markup that describes things not on the page breaks Google’s guidelines and can lead to a manual action.

Which schema markup no longer earns rich results?

Some markup that was once popular no longer produces the rich results it used to, so add it for clarity, not for stars or dropdowns:

• FAQ rich results have been limited since 2023 to well-known, authoritative government and health websites. FAQPage markup is still valid, but most businesses will not see FAQ dropdowns in Google.
• HowTo rich results have been removed from Google Search.
• Self-serving review stars, where a business marks up reviews of itself on its own site with LocalBusiness or Organization, are not eligible for star ratings in Google.
• Retired features. Google has phased out several lesser-used rich result types over time, so check its current documentation before building around any one feature.

How do you add schema markup and test it?

Plan the markup once per page template, then fill it with real facts:

1. List your page templates (home, service, location, article, about) and decide which types each needs, using the table above.
2. Write the JSON-LD for each template, filling properties from the same source as the visible content so they never drift apart.
3. Link the blocks with @id, so an article’s publisher points to your Organization rather than repeating it.
4. Add the block to the page’s HTML, usually in the head.
5. Test every template in Google’s Rich Results Test and in the Schema Markup Validator at schema.org, and fix errors and warnings.
6. Monitor Search Console, where enhancement reports flag problems with eligible types after Google crawls your pages.
7. Update the markup whenever facts change: new hours, a new address, a new service or a price change.

Many website builders add basic markup automatically, but it is often generic or incomplete. At PJW Partners, every site ships with hand-checked structured data matched to the business, as on the search-ready site we built for Kingdom Law Group. Schema pairs naturally with a complete Google Business Profile. If you want yours reviewed, send us your website address.

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