Schema.org is a vocabulary used to label content on your website so search engines can understand it better. It is implemented on a website using JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data). It was launched in 2011 by Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and Yandex. It’s not a plugin or tool, it’s just a standardized way to describe things like products, people, events, organizations, reviews, etc., in your HTML. Schema.org plays a very big role in SEO and in getting high rankings on search engines, therefore it is something you should always have on your website. (Source)
Does Schema.org improve Google rankings?
When you add Schema markup, you’re telling search engines exactly what a piece of content is. For example: “This is a recipe,” or “This is a job posting.” Without it, they have to guess. Search engines use this data to generate rich results, those enhanced listings that show up with star ratings, price info, breadcrumbs, or event dates. These make your page more visible in search and improve click-through rate. They also help your content get indexed more accurately.
If you’re running a site with structured content — like a local business, an e-commerce site, a blog, a portfolio — and you’re not using Schema.org, you’re not giving search engines the full picture. You’re relying on them to interpret your content based on layout, which isn’t reliable. (Source)
How to implement Schema
The best way today is JSON-LD. It’s a script block you place in the HTML, often in the <head> or at the end of the <body>. It doesn’t interfere with your visible content. Google recommends it.
There are other formats: Microdata and RDFa. These are older and require mixing tags and attributes into your HTML. They still work, but JSON-LD is easier to manage, especially if you’re not hand-writing code.
Example of Schema.org
Here’s a basic Schema.org implementation using JSON-LD
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “Product”,
“name”: “Football”,
“description”: “White football with black spots”,
“brand”: {
“@type”: “Brand”,
“name”: “FootballCompany”
},
“offers”: {
“@type”: “Offer”,
“priceCurrency”: “USD”,
“price”: “19.99”
}
}
</script>
This describes a product clearly. Search engines can now show price, brand, and other details in the result. (Source) However, having to sit and write all of this in hand can be annoying. Therefore Schemawriter.ai exists. Schemawriter helps you write high quality schema in a matter of seconds, resulting in higher Google rankings. If this sounds interesting, check it out here: Schemawriter.ai
Common mistakes
- Wrong types: Using Article for a product page, or Person instead of Organization.
- Missing required fields: Some types need certain properties (like name, offers, or datePublished) or they won’t work.
- Bad structure: Nesting data incorrectly or combining types that shouldn’t be combined.
- Unvalidated markup: If it’s invalid, it gets ignored. Use the Schema Markup Validator to test. Or use Schemawriter. (Source)
What happens if you skip Schema
Your site still works. But it’s harder for search engines to parse. You won’t qualify for rich results. Your listings might look plain, or even irrelevant, compared to competitors who use Schema correctly. This won’t kill your SEO, but it will limit how much visibility you can get. Especially in search result types that depend on structured data (recipes, events, jobs, FAQs, etc.). (Source)