You will be able to explain what structured data does and add a suitable type to a page.
Search for a popular recipe and some results carry a star rating, a cooking time and a photo under the link. Search for a concert and you may see dates and venues listed under the link. Those extra details did not appear by chance. The pages behind them told Google, in a format it reads easily, exactly what each fact was.
That format is called structured data, and it is the most technical topic in this module. You do not need to write code to use it, but you do need to know what it can and cannot do, because it is often oversold.
A web page is written for people. Google can read it, but it still has to work out which number on a page is the price, which line is the address and which date is the event. Structured data is a block of labelled information added to the page's code that states those facts directly: this is a local business, this is its name, this is its address, these are its opening hours.
The labels come from schema.org, a shared vocabulary that the major search engines support. Google recommends writing structured data in a format called JSON-LD, which sits in its own block in the page's code, separate from the visible content. That makes it easier to add and maintain without touching the design.
For a tuition centre, a short piece of LocalBusiness markup would give the business type, name, address and phone number, plus its opening hours and web address. Each fact matches something a visitor can already see on the page.
Structured data can make a page eligible for rich results: the extra details, such as ratings, prices, dates or images, that appear with some results. Google uses it to understand the page more precisely, too.
Google is clear about the limits. Eligibility does not guarantee that a rich result will appear. Google decides when to show one based on the search, the device and other factors. And structured data is not a shortcut to ranking higher. A page with perfect markup and weak content stays a weak page.
Only some types produce rich results, and Google changes the list. Some rich result types have been retired over the years, and others now appear only for certain kinds of site. Before you spend time on a type, check Google's search gallery on Search Central, which lists the structured data features Google currently supports and the properties each one needs.
For many small businesses, a handful of types are relevant. LocalBusiness, or a more specific subtype, describes a business with a physical location: name, address, phone, hours. Product describes something you sell, with details such as price and availability. Article suits blog posts and news, and can state the author and publication date. Event suits workshops, classes or performances on a set date.
Priya chose LocalBusiness for her homepage, because that page describes the centre as a whole. Mei Ling might use Product for her most popular cakes if her site sells them with prices. A financial adviser running a public talk might use Event on the registration page.
Choose the type that matches what the page actually is. A blog post marked up as a product, or a homepage marked up as an event, breaks the guidelines and helps nobody.
Google's structured data guidelines set out general rules that apply to every type. Small businesses most often break the one about visibility: the markup should only describe content a visitor can see on the page. If the markup says the business has a 4.9 rating from 300 reviews, or that a cake costs S$45, a visitor should be able to see those same facts on the page. Markup that describes hidden content, or content that is misleading, can lead to a manual action that removes rich results from your site.
The markup must also be accurate and current. If your hours change for Hari Raya or Chinese New Year, update the page, and the markup with it, or keep your markup limited to the regular hours you display.
You have three ways to add structured data. Many website builders and plugins add basic LocalBusiness or Article markup for you once you fill in your business details, so check that first. You can use a free structured data generator, fill in a form and paste the resulting JSON-LD into the page's code. Or you can write it by hand by copying an example from Google's documentation for your chosen type and changing the details.
Whichever route you take, test it. Google's Rich Results Test takes a page address or a block of code and reports whether the markup is valid and which rich results the page may be eligible for. It lists errors, which must be fixed, and warnings, which point to optional properties you could add. Fix the errors and recheck before you move on.
Pick one priority page from your keyword map and one type that honestly describes it. The activity below takes you through writing the markup and running it through the Rich Results Test.
Choose one structured data type for one priority page, write the markup with a generator or by hand, and test it in Google's Rich Results Test.
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