When someone searches for your business, or asks an AI assistant about it, the answer is built from what machines can understand about you. Schema markup is how you hand them that information directly, instead of hoping they work it out from your page design. It doesn't change how your pages look; it adds a structured description behind them.

What schema markup is

Schema markup is structured data, usually written in a format called JSON-LD, that uses the shared vocabulary from Schema.org. Google says it uses structured data to understand page content and to show some pages with richer results. The same structured facts help other search engines and AI systems describe your business accurately.

The markup a service business needs

  • Organization or a LocalBusiness type: your name, logo, website, phone, address and links to your official profiles. ProfessionalService is a LocalBusiness type that suits agencies and consultancies.
  • Service: one per service page, describing what you offer and where.
  • Article or BlogPosting: for guides, with the author, publish date and image.
  • BreadcrumbList: the path from the homepage to the page, which helps search engines understand your site structure.
  • FAQPage: for genuine questions and answers shown on the page.

Keep it consistent everywhere

Structured data works best when it agrees with everything else. Your business name, address and phone number in the markup should match your website footer, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn and review platforms exactly. The sameAs property lists those official profiles so search engines can connect them to the same business.

Rules that keep you safe

  • Only mark up information that is visible on the page.
  • Don't add reviews or ratings you collected yourself about your own business to get stars in search results.
  • Use the most specific type that is true, but don't invent categories.
  • Update the markup when your details change.

Rich results are never guaranteed. Google has narrowed some features over time: since 2023, FAQ rich results appear mainly for well-known government and health websites. FAQ markup still describes your content clearly, but it shouldn't be added only for the extra space in results.

How to check your markup

  1. Run important pages through Google's Rich Results Test.
  2. Check the Enhancements reports in Search Console for errors.
  3. Validate the full structure with the Schema.org validator.
  4. Search for your brand and see whether your details appear correctly.

Why it matters for AEO and GEO

Answer engines and AI assistants need to know which business they are describing. Clear organisation markup, consistent profiles and accurate service descriptions reduce the chance of being confused with another company, and make it easier to be named in an answer.

Start with your Organization markup and your most important service page. Get those right before marking up everything else.