Structured data is code added to a page that explicitly describes its content to search engines in a standardized format. The most widely used format is JSON-LD, which uses schema.org vocabulary to label page elements: an article’s author, a product’s price, a business’s address, or a FAQ’s questions and answers.
Google uses structured data to generate rich results in search, including star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, breadcrumbs, event dates, and product availability. These enhanced listings typically generate higher click-through rates than standard blue-link results.
For B2B service sites, the most relevant schema types are Organization (business identity and contact information), LocalBusiness (physical location and service area), FAQPage (frequently asked questions), BreadcrumbList (site navigation), and Person (for consultant and author pages). Structured data does not directly improve rankings for most query types, but it improves how your listing appears in results, which affects click-through rate. Validate all structured data using Google’s Rich Results Test before deploying it.
