Structured data
Definition
Structured data is a set of invisible labels added to a page's code to describe its content to search engines: your company, your articles, your questions and answers. It is most often written in the schema.org format.Search engines read the text of your pages, but they guess the context. Structured data states it explicitly: "this is a company, here is its address and phone number", "this is an article, published on this date", "this is an FAQ". The standard vocabulary is called schema.org, and the format recommended by Google is JSON-LD, a small block of code invisible to your visitors.
In practice it serves two purposes. First, rich results: the expandable questions, breadcrumbs or company details that make a result take up more space and attract more clicks. Second, understanding by generative engines: properly described content is easier to cite for the assistants that now answer instead of results pages.
For an SME, the useful types are quickly listed: the company (Organization or LocalBusiness), the services, the articles and the FAQs. The rest is case by case.
The exact promise: structured data makes your content readable and citable, it guarantees no ranking. It is a foundation of technical SEO, built in from the start in our website builds, not an option bolted on afterwards.
Test any page of your site with Google's rich results test (search.google.com/test/rich-results): in thirty seconds you know whether your pages describe something to search engines, or nothing.
Frequently asked questions
No: it lives in the code, invisible to visitors. Its effects show in the search results: breadcrumbs, expanded questions, enriched company information.
No: structured data describes what exists. Marking up an absent FAQ or non-existent reviews goes against the engines' rules and exposes you to penalties. Honest structured data labels real content.