Structured data: what does it really do for SEO in 2026?
The short answer
Structured data describes a page's content in a format Google reads without ambiguity, preferably JSON-LD. It makes some rich results possible (logo, breadcrumbs, products) without ever guaranteeing them. It must reflect what the page actually shows. And for its AI features, Google states that no special markup is needed.
What is structured data?
It is a description of the page, added to its code and invisible to visitors, that tells search engines what it contains: a business, an article, a product, a list of questions. Google defines it as a standardised format for providing information about a page and classifying its content, in its introduction to structured data.
The vocabulary used is schema.org. The format Google recommends is JSON-LD, a small block of code kept separate from the rest of the page. For example, for a business:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Your business",
"url": "https://www.yourwebsite.com",
"logo": "https://www.yourwebsite.com/logo.png"
}
Google also accepts two other formats (Microdata and RDFa) and says all three are equally fine, as long as the markup is valid.
What can it change in Google's results?
It can make rich results possible: a breadcrumb trail instead of the raw URL, product information, or the logo shown for your business. For an organisation, Google says some properties can influence the logo shown and the knowledge panel.
The key word is "possible". Google writes it in its guidelines: structured data enables a feature to appear, without guaranteeing that it will.
| Type | Where to put it | What it can bring |
|---|---|---|
| Organization (or LocalBusiness) | Home page | Logo, business details; address and name required for LocalBusiness |
| BreadcrumbList | Every page | The breadcrumb trail in the result, instead of the raw URL |
| Article / BlogPosting | Articles | Title, date and author understood without ambiguity |
| Product | Product pages | Price, availability, reviews in the result |
What has Google removed since 2023?
Two widely used rich results have all but disappeared, announced on the Google Search Central blog on 8 August 2023:
- FAQ rich results now only show for official, well-known health and government websites;
- HowTo results were first removed on mobile, then on desktop from 13 September 2023.
Google specified that this was not a ranking change, and that there was no need to remove FAQ markup. That is what I do on this website: the FAQs on my pages and articles stay marked up, because they faithfully describe the content, even though they no longer get a special display.
Do you need structured data to appear in AI Overviews?
No. On its page about AI features, Google states that no special schema.org structured data is needed to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. What matters is that the page is indexed and can be shown with a snippet.
That doesn't make markup useless: it remains a clear way to say who you are, what you offer and where. But it is no shortcut into AI answers. I go into more detail in the article on how to get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity and AI Overviews.
Which rule must never be broken?
Only mark up what is visible. Google asks that structured data be a true representation of the content, and not to mark up information readers can't see, even if it is accurate. Fake reviews, a price that doesn't appear on the page or an FAQ invented for the markup expose you to a manual action: the page then loses its rich results.
Where should I start on my website?
For a small business, the order is simple:
- Organization or LocalBusiness on the home page, with the name, the address if you receive customers, the logo and links to your profiles.
- BreadcrumbList on every page.
- Article on the blog, Product in a shop.
- Check everything with Google's Rich Results Test.
On the websites I build, this markup is part of the delivery, like the rest of the technical SEO. If your website already exists, it is one of the points I check in an audit, along with indexing and speed.
Frequently asked questions
Does structured data push a website up in Google?
Google doesn't present it as a way to rank higher. It presents it as a way to understand the page better and to make certain rich results possible. Its value lies mainly in how the page is displayed, and in how clear the information is.
Should I remove FAQ markup from my website?
No. Since August 2023, Google only shows FAQ rich results for official, well-known health and government websites, but it states there is no need to remove the markup. Search engines can still read it.
How do I check that my markup is correct?
With two free tools: Google's Rich Results Test, which tells you which rich results the page is eligible for, and the schema.org validator, which checks the syntax of all the markup.
Is a WordPress plugin enough?
For the basics, often yes: common SEO plugins add Organization, Article and breadcrumb markup. Just check that what they declare matches what the page shows, and don't run two plugins that mark up the same thing.
Sources
- Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search · Google Search Central
- General structured data guidelines · Google Search Central
- Changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results (8 August 2023) · Google Search Central Blog
- Organization structured data · Google Search Central
- Local business structured data · Google Search Central
- AI features and your website · Google Search Central