When it comes to creating a site that ranks in search, words and images just aren‘t enough. Behind every apparent word and image there’s an underlying structure that communicates relevance, trustworthiness, and intent to search engines. That’s where schema markup enters the picture in a meaningful way.
Schema is structured data that gives meaning to your pages. Done correctly, it can enhance how your pages appear in search results, enhance click-through rates, and build authority.
If you’re just getting started with schema, the easiest way to implement it is with a plugin or app, no coding required.
For WordPress, the top two schema tools are:
Rank Math – Offers built-in schema templates and support for all major schema types.
Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP – Highly customizable with support for 35+ schema types.
For Shopify, consider:
Smart SEO – Automates structured data and supports multilingual schema.
JSON‑LD for SEO – A robust solution trusted by thousands of stores for comprehensive schema coverage.
Below is a primer of the most valuable schema types to include in a sound strategy, and why they‘re essential.
1. LocalBusiness
This schema is necessary for any business with a physical location or service area. It allows search engines to display your address, hours, and contact information in local search results and map results.
Best Practice: Add this to pages containing your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) and ensure it remains consistent across the web.
2. Organization
Use this schema to set up your brand‘s basic identity: name, logo, contact information, and social media handles. It allows for the creation of knowledge panels and increases trust in your brand.
Best Practice: Place this on your About or homepage to create basic credibility.
3. Article
Best suited for learning content such as guides, case studies, and whitepapers. This schema is beneficial in classifying content for better indexing and can improve the possibility of rich listings.
Best Practice: Include a byline, publication date, and headline to increase the schema‘s strength.
4. BlogPosting
Designed specifically for blog content, this schema allows visibility with additional metadata such as author name and publication date.
Best Practice: Use consistent author information and update existing posts to keep metadata.
5. FAQPage
This schema enables question-and-answer content to be displayed right in search results as expandable dropdowns. It‘s very helpful in addressing user intent early on.
Best Practice: Each question and answer must be added manually on-page in order to qualify for FAQ rich results.
6. Service
Highlight the individual services your business offers using this schema. It facilitates more accurate matching of search queries with your services.
Best Practice: Include a description, known price information, and define each service on its own page.
7. Product
Use this if your business offers products or groups of services with known prices. Product schema allows pricing, availability, and review details to be displayed in search.
Best Practice: Make all schema content consistent with on-page visible information to ensure correctness and trust.
8. Review / AggregateRating
Displaying star ratings can significantly improve click-throughs by conveying credibility. This schema is employed both for products and services.
Best Practice: Mark up reviews visible to the user only. Avoid fake or gated review schemes.
9. Event
For businesses that are conducting webinars, workshops, or live talks, this schema helps highlight event details in connected searches.
Best Practice: Name the event, start and end date, venue, and a functional URL.
10. HowTo
Best suited for tutorials or instructional content, this schema deconstructs each step in a concise way so that users can follow with ease.
Best Practice: Get the steps sequential and readable on the page.
11. JobPosting
This schema allows job posts to be crawled by Google Jobs to attract more applicants.
Best Practice: Provide complete details like job title, job description, location, and date posted.
12. VideoObject
Apply this schema to any video content embedded. It brings in more visibility as:
* Previews of videos and metadata are shown in search results.
Best Practice: Include thumbnail URL, length, upload date, and description of the video.
13. BreadcrumbList
Breadcrumbs improve navigation and your URLs show in search results. They provide users with a straightforward path back to earlier pages.
Best Practice: Use breadcrumb schema only when there are visible breadcrumbs on the page.
14. WebSite
This allows for a sitelinks search box on search results and aids in specifying your site‘s structure.
Best Practice: Use on the homepage and make sure your site features an internal search functionality.
15. Person
Use this to identify staff bios, author profiles, or leadership pages. It assists in reinforcing credibility and authority.
Best Practice: Include job titles, bios, photos, and links to supporting content.
16. Page / Post
The bare minimum schema, yet still required. It allows search engines to interpret general content properly and needs to be on each page.
