What is structured data (and why your website needs it)
Colin Shove
Published
What is structured data (and why your website needs it)
Structured data is a small piece of code added to your website that spells out, in a language search engines understand, exactly what each page is about. This is a service. This is a review. These are your opening hours. It does not change how your page looks to a visitor, but it changes how clearly Google and AI tools can read it.
In plain English: structured data is a set of labels for the facts on your page, so a search engine never has to guess what it is looking at.
Why structured data matters
Google reads your website as code, not the way a person reads it. Left to work it out on its own, it has to interpret what a heading or a number means. Structured data removes that guesswork by naming things directly, and that has two real benefits.
First, it earns you rich results. Those are the extras you see attached to some Google listings: star ratings, prices, opening hours, frequently asked questions. They make your result bigger and more useful, so it wins more clicks than a plain blue link next to it.
Second, it feeds AI answers. Tools like Google's AI Overviews and ChatGPT lean on clearly labelled information when they decide which business to name. If your facts are spelled out in structured data, you are far easier to quote.
Key point: you never see structured data on the page, but it is often the difference between a plain link and a result with stars, prices and answers attached.
What it looks like on a local business website
A few types do the bulk of the work for a local business. LocalBusiness covers your name, address, phone number and hours. Service describes each thing you do. Review and AggregateRating handle your ratings. FAQPage marks up your questions and answers. It is usually added in a format called JSON-LD, which sits quietly in the page code.
The important thing is that it should be accurate and match what is visible on the page. Structured data that claims something the page does not actually say can do more harm than good.
Should you add it yourself?
It should be baked in, not bolted on. On a well-built site, every page gets the right structured data automatically, as part of how the page is put together. The trouble with adding it by hand is the same as every other technical rule: it gets missed on the pages nobody remembers to check. This is one item on a longer on-page SEO checklist that all needs to be right on every page, not just the homepage.
Frequently asked questions
Is structured data a ranking factor?
Not a direct one. It does not push you up the results on its own, but it helps Google understand your page and makes you eligible for rich results, which lift your click-through rate, and that supports your ranking over time.
What is JSON-LD?
It is the format Google recommends for structured data. It is a small block of code, separate from your visible content, that lists the facts about the page in a way search engines read easily.
Does structured data guarantee rich results?
No. It makes your page eligible for them, but Google decides when to show them. Accurate, complete structured data gives you the best chance.
Can structured data help with AI search?
Yes. Clearly labelled information is easier for AI tools to read and trust, so it improves your chances of being named when someone asks an AI for a local recommendation. There is more on that in our guide to SEO, AEO, GEO and LLMO.
Ready to check your own site?
You cannot see structured data by looking at your website, which is exactly why it gets neglected. Our free website assessment checks whether your pages have the structured data Google looks for, and tells you plainly what is missing. It is reviewed by a real person, so what you get back is specific to your business.
