Schema markup

What it does

HTML tells a browser how to display text. Schema markup tells a machine what the text is: this is a product, this is its price, this is the organisation behind it, this is a list of ten items, this is a question and its answer. Search engines use it for rich results such as review stars, breadcrumbs and FAQ answers, and to connect entities in their knowledge graph.

Structured data is also easy for AI systems to read, which makes facts on your page easier to extract and cite accurately.

Common types for startups

Organization for your company, with logo and social profiles. SoftwareApplication or Product for your app, with category, operating system and price. WebSite for the site itself. BreadcrumbList for navigation. FAQPage for real questions and answers. Article or BlogPosting for posts. ItemList and CollectionPage for listings and hubs.

Rules to follow

Mark up only what is visible on the page. Never invent ratings or reviews. Use one consistent @id per entity so separate blocks describe the same thing. Validate with Google's Rich Results Test and the schema.org validator, then watch the Enhancements reports in Search Console.

Connecting entities with @id

Give each entity a stable @id, such as https://example.com/#organization for your company and https://example.com/#website for the site, then refer to those ids from other blocks. A product page's SoftwareApplication can name its publisher by @id instead of repeating the whole organisation. Search engines then see one company behind every page, which helps build a consistent picture of your brand.

Example

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"SoftwareApplication","name":"Acme","applicationCategory":"BusinessApplication","operatingSystem":"Web","offers":{"@type":"Offer","price":0,"priceCurrency":"USD"}}

Questions people ask

Does schema markup improve rankings?

Not directly. It makes pages eligible for rich results and easier to understand, which can raise click through rate and help AI systems cite the right facts.