Schema Markup Guide with 13 Types + Visual Examples

Q: How do you add Schema Markup to every page of your website?

By adding your markup to the section of your website, this will appear in the code for every page on your website.

Q: How can I test my Schema Markup?

You can test your code directly with Google’s Rich Results Test tool. It will show if your code is valid or if there are any errors.

Q: An error has come up on my code, but I can’t find it?

Some errors do not always show up in testing tools. Sometimes this is because there is nothing in a section, or a comma is out of place. Double check through your code, and if you still can’t find it, search your code for items like commas, or empty spaces with ‘ctrl f’.

Q: Can I add FAQ Schema to a none-FAQ page?

Yes you can. Google’s guidelines say that the page in question must provide relevant questions and answers to what is on the page. So if you have a service page with FAQs, you can add FAQ Page Schema Markup to that page.

Q: Does Schema Markup help my SEO rankings?

Unfortunately, there is no suggested evidence that supports the notion that schema helps to booster your organic rankings. However, schema markup can essentially help your listing within the SERPs to take up more real estate and have rich snippets shown in the SERPs.

Schema markup helps to optimise your website and content for search engines. Put simply, schema is a code you can create to tell search engines what your website, or page is about.

You can use schema markup for many different types of content on your website. In this guide we go through 13 of the most popular types of schema markup, why it is important, what you can add with each different type, and how it can help to influence the search results.

Thank you to guest contributor, Marcus Langmaid, who has provided his technical expertise when it comes explaining schema markup, and how it can benefit your website.

Why is Schema Markup important?

Since schema was developed by leading search engines back in 2011, structured data has been an important SEO strategy for digital marketing professionals depending on a website’s digital marketing goals.

Therefore, many SEOs view schema markup important to their SEO successes.

So what exactly makes schema markup important?

Firstly, the utilisation of schema has increased in importance during the lifecycle of Hummingbird and RankBrain. On the basis of how search engines interpret the circumstances of a search query will determine where a website will rank in the SERPs as a result.

In some instances, schema can provide context to an otherwise ambiguous website.

Enhance your digital brand presence by optimising your knowledge graph

Schema markup possesses the ability to really expand your brand awareness by pulling through your data into a Knowledge Graph.

As can be seen above, a knowledge graph is compiled by Google for branded search queries that gives the searcher vital information about your business.

Your knowledge graph can provide searchers with your business phone number, social media accounts, reviews from Google or third-party websites

Provide your SERP listing with additional real estate & information that aids the consumer decision-making process

If you have an e-commerce website, product schema would be very beneficial to entice increased clicks to your website. As you can have the availability, reviews & price present within your listing.

From a neuromarketing perspective, this ready-to-use information aids the human’s ‘old brain’ in making decisions. Ergo, you’ll more than likely gain a click from the searcher and then hopefully going on to convert them. Considering your website has undergone conversion rate optimisation (CRO) processes.

Schema Markup Generator by Merkel

One of the best free tools out there is the Schema Markup Generator (JSON-LD) by Merkel.

With this tool you add can pick from several popular schema markup types, input your details for each section, and the code is generated and ready to test.

Learn more about the tool and see my review here.

If you choose to use the generator above, or write your own code, always remember to test before setting it live on your website. Use Google Rich Results Test tool. Google is replacing the current Structured Data Testing tool, take a look my comparison of both tools.

What does Schema Markup look like?

The markup is actually a snippet of code. Take for example my resource guide on Google’s Core Web Vitals, this is the Article Schema Markup I created for it:

This code is in the section, on the post page.

Visual Examples Context

Included in this guide are several examples of featured snippets. Not all schema markup can be attributed to a featured snippet, so some types don’t have an example. It is important to note that schema markup does not automatically give you a featured snippet.

Technically, you can’t attribute a featured snippet directly to schema markup – but it is obvious from Google that certain items in schema code show in these featured snippets.

The schema code you add acts as structured data for search engines.

Google uses structured data that it finds on the web to understand the content of the page, as well as to gather information about the web and the world in general – Google

Google takes into account many ranking factors for featured snippets – it is argued that schema code is one of the most influential.

Examples are from Desktop devices – this is due to Google constantly changing the format and visual layout of their Mobile search results.

Article Schema

Article schema markup is used for news posts, blog posts and articles on websites. With this fairly simple code, you can add the title of your post, a description and images. This tells search engines exactly what the post is about.

You can also add a ‘Date updated’ item to put when the post was last updated.

You can add the following details;

Article type (article, news item, blog post)
URL
Headline
Images
Description
Author type (person, organisation)
Author name
Publisher name
Publisher logo URL
Date published
Date updated

Why use Article Schema?

If you have article schema markup on your post page, it will be more likely to show in the featured snippets in the Google Search results page. With an article you can get the title, website link, image and part of the text highlighted at the top of Google.

Back to Schema Types List ⬆

Have you seen a website on a Google search page with extra links in the URL? These are called ‘Breadcrumbs’ – and they can be physical items on a website to tell you where you are.

You can add;

The page’s name
The page’s URL (that make part of the link)

(this can be in a string of pages, for example Home, News, Category, Post)

With breadcrumb schema markup you can tell search engines the path to a specific page. However, most websites have this built in, so doing it manually is not needed for most websites. The Yoast SEO plug-in for WordPress can add breadcrumbs to your website automatically.

With breadcrumbs, it makes it easier for people using your website to see where they are – this is also relevant for search engines. With breadcrumbs, links to your website won’t show the full URL path, rather the page names.

Back to Schema Types List ⬆

Event Schema

If you have an event, you can add event schema markup to your website, or page advertising the event. This again tells search engines about your event, and can help your website or page rank for related search terms around or during a certain date.

You can add several details about your event, including;

Event name
An Image
A Description
Start date
Start time
End date
End time
Event status (scheduled, postponed, cancelled, moved online)
Attendance (online, offline, mixed)

If you add ‘Attendance: Online’ you can also include;

Stream URL
Timezone

If you add ‘Attendance: Offline or Mixed’ you can also include;

Venue Name
Venue Address
Organiser Name
Organiser URL
Performer type (person, group, music group, dance group, theater group)
Performer/s name/s
Ticket type
Ticket currency
Ticket name
Ticket price
Ticket available from
URL
Availability (in stock, out of stock, pre-order)

Why use Event Schema?

There are 2 advantages to event schema markup, as your event can appear in 2 places on Google. By your website link, and on Google’s ‘Events’ page on Google Search. Adding this code will help increase the chances your event will appear on Google.

As links on a result:

Events in Google’s Event Section:

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FAQ Page Schema

Lots of website’s have an FAQ’s page, and with FAQ page schema markup you can tell search engines exactly what questions and answers your page provides. This can help your page in the search results, as your link can show these questions and answers. It is very simple to create FAQ schema markup, all you need is the question and the answer.

Why use FAQ Schema?

I find faq schema to be the most useful and effective. It helps to directly bring the questions and answers to your website link in Google Search.

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How-to Schema

How-to schema is used across many websites in the ‘DIY’ industry. You can add details such as what tools you need, if you will need any supplies, and how long the task will take.

You can add data that includes;

Name
Description
Estimated Time
Price
Currency
Main Image URL
Multiple ‘Supply’ (supplies)
Multiple ‘Tool’ (tools)
Step Name
Step Instructions
Step Image
Step URL

Why use How-to Schema?

How-to schema can help your website get a featured snippet with a link to your website, images and some of the steps you write about. These are some of the biggest featured snippets on Google, so it is always best to optimise for them.

Back to Schema Types List ⬆

Job Posting Schema

If you have a job listing on your website, job posting schema markup can help show your listing in the search results. With this code, you can add all the details you would usually find in a job description listing.

This includes;

Job title
Identifier (job listing code or reference)
Job description (in HTML)
Company
Company URL
Company Industry
Employment type
Work hours
Date posted
Expire date
Remote job (new option to check if remote working available)
Address of company / job
Minimum salary
Maximum salary
Salary currency
Salary frequency
Responsibilities
Skills
Qualifications
Education requirements
Experience requirements

Why use Job Posting Schema?

With this job posting schema markup, you can increase your chances of appearing in Google’s Jobs Section in Google Search. It will also help show the details you have added for the job vacancy.

Back to Schema Types List ⬆

Local Business Schema

Local business schema is one of the most useful and popular schema markups. You can add your main contact information, such as; your business name, email, phone number and address. This type of code helps search engines link your website to other online profiles, and can particularly help with your Google My Business profile.

You can many details about your business, including;

Business Type (predefined list)
Business Name
Image URL
Website URL
Phone Number
Price Range (can be text)
Full Address
Geo Coordinates
Opening Hours
Social Profiles
Areas Coverage
Related Websites (review sites, accreditations)

Why use Local Business Schema?

Local business schema markup can help Google directly link your website to your Google My Business profile, and other directory websites you have online. Search engines can see the data about your business in your code, and they use this to help them show related results.

Back to Schema Types List ⬆

Organisation Schema

Organisation schema markup is a bit different to local business schema markup, they might sound the same, but are quite different. With this you can add details about your organisation – this is not the same as your business. With this schema markup, you don’t add a business address. You can add profiles of people or departments within your organisation.

You can add the following details;

Organisation Type
Name
Alternative Name
Website URL
Logo URL
Social Profiles
Contacts
Type (Customer service, Technical support, Billing support, Bill payment, Sales, Reservations, Credit card support, Emergency, Baggage tracking, Roadside assistance, Package tracking)
Phone
Areas Served (locations)
Language
Call Options (Toll free, hearing impaired)

Why use Organisation Schema?

Similar to local business schema, organisation schema can help search engines identify your businesses contact details online. For larger organisations, having clear details for different departments is extremely important. Using organisation schema can help search engines show the most relevant results for department-related searches.

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Personal Schema

Mostly used for personal blog websites, CV websites and portfolios – personal schema markup includes social media links and job information.

Name
URL
Picture URL
Job
Company
Social Profiles

Why use Personal Schema?

If you don’t have a business, or are just starting out with your own website – personal schema markup can help your website link to your social media accounts. It can also help show your website in the search results for your name and job title / area of specialism.

The main example of this shown in the search results in for high-profile individuals and celebrities.

Recently Google have introduced ‘Google People Cards’ – very similar to the above the personal profile, these virtual business cards are for everyone. Google India have released this for Indian users. Learn more about Google People Cards in my news post.

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Product Schema

Product schema markup is one of the most beneficial, as you can add lots of details about your product, like review ratings and if you have an offer on. You can also add identification codes and what brand the product is part of.

You can add the following details about your product/s;

Product Name
Image URL
Brand
Product Description
Identification Properties (sku, gtin8, gtin13, gitn14, mpa)
Offer Type (Offer, Aggregate Offer, None)
Aggregate Review Value
Number of Ratings
Lowest Value Allowed
Highest Value Allowed
Add Review

You can manually add several reviews for a product, details include;

Reviewer’s Name
Review Body
Rating
Date
Author
Publisher

Options for ‘Offer Type: Offer’ include;

Offer URL
Currency
Price
Price Valid Until
Availability (In stock, Out of stock, Online only, In store only, Pre-order, Pre-sale, Limited availability, Sold out, Discontinued, Not specified)
Item condition (New, Used, Refurbished, Damaged, Not specified)

Options for ‘Offer Type: Aggregate Offer’ include;

Offer URL
Currency
Low Price
High Price
Number of offers

Why use Product Schema?

Using product schema markup can increase your chances that your link will be clicked from the search results. For many websites that have reviews on products, this help Google show the amount of reviews and prices for products.

A note on reviews for product schema – you don’t always have to add these in manually. Most review platforms pull through the required code automatically, so you don’t have to add it manually. If you have the option to leave a review for a product on your website, check with your web designer, or reviews platform about how you can utilise product schema markup.

Back to Schema Types List ⬆

Recipe Schema

The recipe schema markup has become more popular with food websites and blogs, as recently Google have made recipes very prominent in the search results.

You can add all the details for your recipe, including;

Recipe Name
Recipe Description
Keywords
Multiple Image URLs
Video Content URL (default link, or link to page of website that shows video)
Video Embed URL (specifically to embed link)
Creator
Date Published
Preparation Time
Cooking Time
Category (Appetiser, Entree, Desert, Not specified)
Cuisine
Servings
Nutrition: Serving Size
Nutrition: Calories
Nutrition: Fat (in grams)
Ingredient/s
Instruction Steps
Aggregate Review Value
Number of Ratings
Lowest Value Allowed
Highest Value Allowed
Add Review

You can manually add several reviews for a recipe, details include;

Reviewer’s Name
Review Body
Rating
Date
Author
Publisher

Why use Recipe Schema?

If you have a food or recipe blog, it is certainly worth adding recipe schema markup to your website. Google have recently updated how they show recipes in Google Search, and now you could get a featured snippet at the top of the results – with many details of the recipe.

Back to Schema Types List ⬆

Video Schema

If you have a video on your website, video schema markup can help it show in the search results. The best practice for getting a video to show in the search results is to upload it to YouTube first. However you can still add this code for a video on your website, even if it is on YouTube.

You can add the following details for your video;

Video’s Name
Video’s Description
Upload Date
Minutes (total time)
Seconds (total time)
Multiple Thumbnail URLs
Content URL (default link, or link to page of website that shows video)
Embed URL (specifically to embed link)
Publisher
Publisher Logo URL
Publish Logo width
Publisher Logo height

Why use Video Schema?

If you have a YouTube video embedded on your website, video schema markup will help it show in the video clips in Google search results. In most occasions, several videos can appear, but specific videos can take the spotlight.

Multiple Videos in the search results:

Single Video at the top of the search results:

A note on video schema – it is suggested that you add your website’s video to your YouTube channel, along side adding the video schema to your website. As YouTube is owned by Google, they will always show related results from YouTube first. This has become more so in the year. If you have a video on your website, either embed it directly from YouTube, or at least have a copy uploaded YouTube.

Back to Schema Types List ⬆

This schema markup is for a website that uses a search box, this can be part of the full site, or part of the blog. If you have a results page on your website for searches, you can add this code to your website.

You can add;

Website’s Name
URL
Internal Site Search URL
Optional: String in the search URL after query

It is very rare that small or medium websites will have their search box showing in the search engine results. However, if you have a search bar that is used often on your website, this schema markup has the potential to get your search box on Google for people to use, that will take them to your website’s results page.

Back to Schema Types List ⬆

Schema Markup Guide

Jump to section:

Why is Schema Markup important?

Schema Markup Generator by Merkel

What does Schema Markup look like?

Most Popular Types of Schema Markup

Visual Examples Context

Article Schema

Why use Article Schema?

Breadcrumb Schema

Why use Breadcrumb Schema?

Event Schema

Why use Event Schema?

FAQ Page Schema

Why use FAQ Schema?

How-to Schema

Why use How-to Schema?

Job Posting Schema

Why use Job Posting Schema?

Local Business Schema

Why use Local Business Schema?

Organisation Schema

Why use Organisation Schema?

Personal Schema

Why use Personal Schema?

Product Schema

Why use Product Schema?

Recipe Schema

Why use Recipe Schema?

Video Schema

Why use Video Schema?

Website – Sitelinks Searchbox Schema

Why use Website – Searchlinks Searchbox Schema?

Schema Markup FAQs

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