Schema markup: structured data that search engines and AI understand

Schema markup is a layer of information in your website's code that tells search engines and AI systems exactly what is on a page. A person sees an article, a service or an address. A machine sees text and has to guess. Schema markup removes that guesswork. It helps your visibility in Google and is becoming more important now that AI assistants compose answers from information they need to be able to read quickly and reliably. In this article we explain how it works, which types matter and how to set it up.

What is schema markup?

Schema markup is structured data according to the schema.org standard, usually added as a JSON-LD block in a page's code. It describes objects and their properties in a fixed vocabulary that all major search engines understand.

An example: your contact page shows your address. Without schema markup, that is a line of text. With schema markup, the code states explicitly that this is the organisation DeDigitaal, with this address, this phone number, these opening hours and these profiles on other platforms. There is nothing left to interpret.

Why is schema markup important for SEO?

Schema markup is important for SEO because it helps search engines understand your content correctly and because it enables richer displays in the search results. Think of stars for reviews, prices and stock for products, dates for events and expandable questions below a result.

Schema markup is not a direct ranking factor. A page does not rise because it contains structured data. But a page that is better understood is shown more often for the right searches, and a richer result attracts more clicks.

What does schema markup have to do with AI visibility?

Schema markup makes your content easier for AI systems to process, because facts about your organisation, services and answers are stated unambiguously in the code. An assistant that reads a handful of pages in a few seconds benefits from information that is already structured.

It is no guarantee of being mentioned, but it removes a barrier. Together with clear content and mentions elsewhere, it is one of the building blocks of AI visibility.

Which types of schema markup matter?

The types that matter depend on what kind of site you have, but for most business websites these are the most important.

Organization or LocalBusiness

Describes your organisation: name, logo, address, contact details, year founded and links to your profiles elsewhere. This usually sits on the homepage or on every page. It is the foundation other types refer to.

Service

Describes a service you offer, with name, description, provider and the area where you operate. Useful on service pages, especially if you have many different services.

Article or BlogPosting

For articles and knowledge bases. Records title, author, publication date and topic. Helps search engines date content and link it to an organisation.

FAQPage

For pages with questions and answers. Google no longer shows these as expandable questions for every site, but the structure remains valuable because question and answer are explicitly linked.

Product and Offer

For webshops and product catalogues: name, image, specifications, availability. For manufacturers with a large catalogue, this is often the type with the most impact.

BreadcrumbList

Describes where a page sits in the structure of your site. Small, but it helps search engines understand how your site fits together.

How do you set up schema markup in a CMS?

In a CMS you set up schema markup as a template that pulls its values from the fields of each item, so you do not have to write it by hand for each page. An article, service or product then automatically gets the right structured data as soon as it is created.

In Webflow we do that with custom code in the head of a collection template, in which we use the CMS fields. For static pages such as the homepage and contact page, we write the markup once. The result is that editors do not have to think about it: whoever adds a new article gets the schema markup for free.

Which mistakes do we often see?

The most common mistakes are markup that does not match the visible content, outdated data and duplicate or conflicting blocks.

• Invisible claims. Reviews or questions in the markup that are not on the page itself. Search engines see that as misleading.
• Outdated data. An old address or phone number in the homepage markup, while the contact page has already been updated.
• Duplicate blocks. A plugin, a theme and manual code that each add their own Organization block, with slightly different data.
• Never tested. Markup with syntax errors is ignored. Test every change with Google's Rich Results Test and the schema.org validator.

Where do you start with schema markup?

Start with an Organization block that is correct, then add markup to your most important templates and test everything. For most sites, a few days of work delivers a complete, maintenance-free foundation.

We include schema markup as standard in Webflow development and in optimisation projects for AI visibility. Want to know how your site is doing? Get in touch.