Structured data is code that tells search engines what the information on a page represents (a business, a product, an article, or an event) using a shared vocabulary and a machine-readable format; schema markup is this code written using the schema.org vocabulary. In practice, Google uses this markup to understand page content and, for supported types, may make the page eligible for rich results displaying additional information such as star ratings, prices, or breadcrumbs. Eligibility does not mean a rich result will necessarily appear or rankings will improve.
This guide explains how markup works, which format to choose, which types Google supports, and changes to frequently asked question results in recent years, based on Google Search Central documentation. It then covers how to add schema markup step by step, considerations for WordPress websites, validation tools, and the most common mistakes. Google’s Turkish documentation refers to this concept as “yapılandırılmış veri”; the two Turkish expressions used in the article have the same meaning.
What is structured data, and how does it work?
The simplest answer to what structured data is: an additional layer that labels the meaning of a page’s content without changing its visible content. This layer provides information such as “this text is a business name, this number is a price, and this date is a publication date” using standard field names. Google’s document explaining how structured data worksstates that it uses this markup both to understand page content and to gather information about entities mentioned in the markup, such as people, companies, or books.
Most of the vocabulary comes from schema.org, an open list of types and properties jointly developed by search engines. However, Google recommends consulting Search Central documentation rather than schema.org documentation to understand its own Search behavior. Schema.org contains thousands of types and properties, while Google uses only some of them for rich results and separately defines which properties are required and which are recommended for each type.
The fundamental rule is that markup must describe content actually visible on the page. The same document explicitly requires that empty pages not be created solely to contain markup, and that markup not be added for content users cannot see, even when the information is accurate.
Does schema markup improve rankings?
Google’s documentation describes schema markup as a tool that helps understand content and establish eligibility for rich results, rather than as a ranking advantage; no official document states that adding markup improves rankings. Setting expectations within this framework prevents disappointment.
Google’s general structured data guidelines make two important points on this subject. First, even if a page appears correctly marked up in the Rich Results Test, Google does not guarantee that the marked information will appear in search results; depending on variables such as search history, location, and device, the algorithm may sometimes consider a plain text result more appropriate. Second, when a structured data manual action is applied, the page loses eligibility for a rich result appearance, but its web search ranking is not affected by that action.
These two points show that schema markup is treated as an appearance layer separate from the ranking system. Its value lies in making results more informative for eligible types and making content clearer to machines; rankings are determined by content quality, alignment with intent, and the website’s overall condition.
JSON-LD, microdata, and RDFa: which format should you choose?
Google supports all three formats but recommends JSON-LD in most cases because it is the easiest to implement and maintain. All three formats have the same value to Google when implemented correctly; the difference is how code is placed on the page and how easy it is to maintain.
| Format | How is it added to the page? | Strength | Point to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| JSON-LD (Google’s recommendation) | As a separate script block inside head or body | Managed without touching visible HTML; nested information is easy to express | Information in the block must continually match the page text |
| Microdata | Added as properties to visible HTML tags | Markup sits directly on the visible text | Markup can easily break as the design changes |
| RDFa | Added as properties to HTML5 tags | Compatible with linked data projects | Maintenance burden is high for small and medium-sized websites |
Google’s document also states that it can read JSON-LD dynamically added to a page through JavaScript or content management system components. This allows markup generated by plugins in systems such as WordPress to be used.
Page contents
Which structured data types does Google support?
Google lists supported types on the search gallery page in Search Central, and this list changes over time; support for a type today does not mean it will be supported in the future. The most commonly used types for corporate websites and e-commerce are as follows:
- Organization: Defines organizational information such as logo, official name, address, and contact details; it may be used in knowledge panels.
- LocalBusiness: Describes physical business details such as opening hours, address, and directions. The main factor in map visibility, however, is Google Business Profile; this topic is also covered in the Google Business Profile guide .
- Article: Defines the headline, author, publication date, and images of blog and news content.
- BreadcrumbList: Shows the page’s position in the website hierarchy; it can help display the category path instead of the URL in a search result.
- Product: Communicates information such as price, availability, and review rating; it is the fundamental markup for product pages on store websites.
- Specialized types such as Event, JobPosting, and Recipe: Provide separate rich result formats for websites publishing events, job postings, and recipes.
A concrete example of the list’s variability is Google’s discontinuation of support for types such as course information, estimated salary, learning videos, special announcements, and vehicle listings as part of its 2025 work to simplify search results pages. Before investing in a schema type, therefore, check whether it appears in the current gallery; how product markup is handled alongside other store requirements in e-commerce is explained in the e-commerce SEO checklist .
What changed for FAQ and how-to results?
Frequently asked question and how-to rich results were among the first examples that came to mind when discussing structured data; however, neither is now displayed in Google Search for ordinary websites. The change took place in two stages, both announced through Google’s official channels.
According to the announcement dated August 8, 2023 on the Google Search Central Blog, FAQ rich results began appearing only for well-known, authoritative government and health websites after that date; how-to results were first removed on mobile, then stopped appearing on desktop with the September 14, 2023 update, and this result type was deprecated. The same announcement also states that unused markup causes no problems for Search and does not need to be proactively removed.
The second stage came in 2026. Google’s Search documentation updates pageannounced that the FAQ rich result was removed from Google Search as of May 7, 2026, after which documentation for this feature was removed. This does not mean frequently asked question sections on pages have no value; an FAQ section that quickly answers a reader’s question remains useful content, but it no longer provides an expandable question-and-answer appearance in search results.
Let’s review your website’s markup together
When the website address is shared through WhatsApp, existing page markup, incorrect or no-longer-supported types, and missing fundamental types are reviewed together in a free preliminary assessment. No rich results are guaranteed; what needs correction and the scope of work are shared openly.
How do you add schema markup? Step-by-step implementation
Schema markup is implemented by first selecting the appropriate markup for the page type according to Google’s documentation, then adding JSON-LD code that exactly matches visible information on the page, and testing it before and after publication. The sequence is as follows:
- Identify the page type: Choose the appropriate type for each template, such as organization for the home page, article for a blog post, and product for a product page; do not copy the same markup onto every page.
- Read Google’s documentation: Check required and recommended properties on the selected type’s Search Central page; items missing a required field are not considered eligible for rich results.
- Prepare the code: Write the JSON-LD block or complete the relevant settings in the SEO plugin; every value must match the information visible on the page.
- Run the Rich Results Test: Submit the code or page address to the tool; fix critical errors and evaluate warnings.
- Perform a general check with Schema Markup Validator: Use this tool to validate the syntax of all schema.org markup, including types Google does not use for rich results.
- Use URL Inspection after publication: Verify through the Search Console tool that Google finds the markup on the live page.
- Monitor reports: Regularly check rich result status reports in Search Console to catch errors that may arise after theme or plugin updates.
A simple organization markup example in JSON-LD is shown below. The code is added to the page’s head section inside a script block; the names and addresses in the example are illustrative:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Örnek Mobilya Atölyesi",
"url": "https://www.example.com/",
"logo": "https://www.example.com/logo.png"
}
How do you add structured data in WordPress?
On WordPress websites, structured data is mostly added through an SEO plugin; the plugin automatically generates organization information for the entire website, article markup for posts, and breadcrumb markup for pages, and allows types to be selected individually for each page. Google’s document also states that people using a content management system can use a plugin or search engine settings page instead of editing HTML directly.
The most common problem with plugins is duplicate markup. The theme, page builder, e-commerce plugin, and SEO plugin may each generate separate markup for the same page; the result is two product blocks on a product page that repeat or contradict each other. After setup, run several sample pages through the Rich Results Test, identify which sources generate markup, and reduce them to a single source.
For types the plugin does not cover, JSON-LD is added to the relevant template through a child theme or a code snippet management plugin. With this approach, keeping the code up to date with page content requires separate monitoring; a service whose price has changed but whose markup retains the old price creates an inconsistency that violates quality guidelines. Setting this infrastructure up correctly from the beginning on newly built websites is part of the WordPress website development process.
The difference between Rich Results Test and Schema Markup Validator
The Rich Results Test shows whether markup is eligible for the rich results Google supports; Schema Markup Validator checks whether schema.org markup is generally valid without applying Google-specific rules. The tools do not replace each other; they answer different questions.
According to Google’s guidelines, the Rich Results Test and URL Inspection tool catch most technical errors, but quality guidelines cannot easily be tested with automated tools. In other words, seeing a green result in a testing tool does not prove that markup matches page content or is not misleading; a person needs to perform that check.
Schema Markup Validator is a tool provided by the schema.org community and also validates types Google does not use for rich results. It is useful for checking the syntax of general markup such as organization and person, or properties added for other search engines and services.
Common mistakes and Google’s quality rules
Most structured data errors concern content rather than technology: when markup says something different from the page, rich results are lost, and serious cases may lead to manual action. In light of Google’s general guidelines, the most common mistakes are as follows:
- Marking up invisible content: Providing a rating, price, or question only in code when it does not appear on the page violates the guidelines.
- Marking up a business’s reviews of itself as stars: According to Google’s review snippet documentation, review markup for local business and organization types is appropriate only for websites collecting reviews about other businesses; separate rules apply to businesses processing reviews about themselves.
- Choosing the wrong type: As in the guideline examples, marking up instructional content as a recipe or a live stream as a local event is considered irrelevant data.
- Leaving required fields empty: A missing required property completely eliminates the markup’s eligibility for a rich result.
- Failing to update outdated information: An expired event or changed price can cause Google not to display rich results for time-sensitive content.
- Blocking the marked-up page from crawling: Blocking pages containing markup with robots.txt or noindex causes the markup not to be read at all.
Reviewing markup as part of a technical audit, removing incorrect types, and completing missing information are performed within the technical SEO service .
How do you measure the impact of structured data?
Whether structured data is working is measured by comparing the before-and-after performance of pages where markup was added; Google also recommends this method. Since a single page’s traffic can fluctuate for many reasons, the comparison is set up carefully.
In Google’s recommended approach, select pages that have several months of Search Console data, are not heavily affected by seasonality, and receive sufficient traffic. Add markup to these pages, verify through URL Inspection that Google finds it, and monitor clicks and click-through rate over the following few months by filtering the performance report by URL. This comparison provides a firmer basis than guesswork for deciding whether to expand a markup project.
Let’s build a structured data plan by page type
For people new to the subject, the type list and implementation steps in this guide provide a solid starting point. When there is uncertainty about whether existing markup is correct, a brief check can be performed on a few sample pages; for websites ready to implement it, type selection, setup, and testing steps are listed page by page, and the price quote is prepared from that list.
Frequently asked questions
What is structured data?
Structured data is markup that tells search engines what information on a page represents using a shared vocabulary such as schema.org and a machine-readable format. Google can use this information to understand content and display rich results for supported types.
Does schema markup improve rankings?
Google’s documentation describes schema markup as a tool for rich result eligibility and understanding content rather than as a ranking advantage. Displaying a rich result is not guaranteed even for a correctly marked-up page.
Which structured data format does Google recommend?
Google supports JSON-LD, microdata, and RDFa but recommends JSON-LD in most cases because it is the easiest to implement and maintain. All three formats have the same value to Google when implemented correctly.
Does FAQ schema still work?
FAQ rich results had been shown only for well-known government and health websites since 2023; according to Google’s announcement, they were completely removed from search results as of May 7, 2026. A page’s question-and-answer section remains useful to readers, but it does not provide an expandable appearance in search results.
How is structured data tested?
Use the Rich Results Test for Google’s rich result eligibility and Schema Markup Validator for general schema.org validity. After publication, check the live page with URL Inspection and regularly monitor rich result status reports.
Do you need coding knowledge for schema markup in WordPress?
Not for fundamental types; SEO plugins can automatically generate organization, article, and breadcrumb markup. For specialized types not covered by the plugin, JSON-LD code is added through a child theme or code snippet plugin.
Can incorrect structured data lead to a penalty?
Pages marking up misleading or invisible content may receive a structured data manual action and lose their rich result appearance. According to Google, this type of action does not affect the page’s ranking in web search.
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