Structured Data

How it works

• People read a page. Machines read the structure behind it.
• Structured data spells out facts in fixed fields: business name, address, hours, price, rating.
• On a website, the usual way to add it is Schema Markup, using the Schema.org vocabulary.
• Search engines use it for richer results, and AI tools use it to get your facts right.

How it relates to Schema Markup

Structured data is the goal: facts a machine can read. Schema Markup is the code that delivers it on a web page. FAQ Schema is one kind of Schema Markup.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A hardware store wrote its prices into paragraphs worded differently on every page. Google could not tell which number was the price, so its products showed in search without one, next to competitors that did.

How WILDCARD handles it

Managed Search checks what structured data your site gives search engines and fills the gaps with Schema Markup as part of monthly site optimisation.

• Opening hours Google shows straight from your website.
• A product's price and stock shown in the search result.
• An event date that appears in results for a local search.

A question owners ask

Is structured data the same as a database?

A close cousin. A database stores facts in fixed fields for your own use. Structured data publishes facts on your web pages in fixed fields, so outside software can read them.