Schema

Data & Tracking

Also: Schema Markup · Structured Data · Schema.org

What it isCode that labels content for search engines

What it earnsRich results, not rankings directly

Standard usedSchema.org vocabulary

Watch forMarkup that doesn't match the visible page

Quick definition

Schema is a standardised code format that tells search engines exactly what's on a page, like marking a paragraph as a recipe, a review, an FAQ or a product listing. It doesn't change what a visitor sees. It changes what Google understands, which can earn richer search results like star ratings or FAQ dropdowns.

How it varies across Australia

Most Australian small business websites carry basic organisation and website schema through their content management system's default settings but skip the higher-value types. FAQ, product and review schema are inconsistently implemented even among sites competing hard on search engine optimisation, which leaves rich result opportunities sitting unused.

See data and tracking scores across Australian industries →

Common schema types

FAQ Schema

Marks question and answer pairs, can produce expandable dropdowns in search results.

Product Schema

Marks price, availability and rating for ecommerce listings.

Review Schema

Marks star ratings and review counts, must match visible reviews on the page.

LocalBusiness Schema

Marks address, hours and contact details for local search results.

What it actually means

Imagine handing someone a filing cabinet with no labels on the drawers versus one where every drawer says exactly what's inside. Search engines read your page either way, but schema is the labelling system that removes the guesswork. Instead of Google's crawler inferring that a block of text is probably a review, schema states it directly using a shared vocabulary called Schema.org.

This matters because search engines increasingly display rich results, meaning search listings with extra visual elements like star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, event dates or recipe cook times. Those rich results are only available to pages carrying the matching schema type. Without it, your page can still rank, but it competes as a plain blue link against competitors showing five-star reviews.

Schema is not a ranking factor in the way a strong backlink profile or solid conversion rate is. It's an eligibility requirement. Having it doesn't guarantee the rich result appears, Google still decides case by case, but not having it guarantees it won't. Most content management systems apply basic schema automatically. The value sits in the types nobody bothers configuring manually: FAQ, HowTo, Product, Review and LocalBusiness.

Schema doesn't tell Google your page is good. It tells Google what your page actually is, which is a different job entirely.

How it shows up

Schema shows up in Google's Rich Results Test as validated or errored markup blocks. It shows up in Search Console under the Enhancements reports, flagging pages with valid, invalid or missing structured data for specific types. Visibly, it shows up in the search results page itself: star ratings under a product listing, an expandable FAQ section under a blog post, a recipe card with cook time and calories. When schema is broken or absent, none of that appears, the listing looks identical to every competitor's plain result.

The Australian context

Australian retailers running product schema need to keep pricing and stock status accurate in real time, because Google's Merchant Center and shopping results cross-check schema against actual page content and will suspend listings that mismatch. Local service businesses benefit most from LocalBusiness and Review schema, since these directly support the local search results Australians use heavily for tradespeople, clinics and hospitality.

Where people get this wrong

Adding review schema for reviews that don't visibly exist on the page.Google's guidelines require structured data to match visible content. Markup describing reviews a visitor can't actually see or verify is treated as manipulative and can trigger a manual penalty.

Assuming schema is a direct ranking signal.Schema affects eligibility for rich results and helps search engines understand content, but it doesn't push a page up the rankings on its own. Sites with excellent schema and weak content still lose to sites with strong content and no schema.

Copying schema templates without updating the actual values.Boilerplate schema pasted across every page with placeholder or outdated data creates a mismatch between what's marked up and what's true. Search engines catch this over time and stop trusting the markup entirely.

Common questions

Does schema markup improve search rankings directly?

No. Schema helps search engines understand content and unlocks eligibility for rich results like star ratings or FAQ dropdowns, but it isn't itself a ranking factor. Content quality, relevance and user experience still decide where a page ranks.

How do I check if my schema is working?

Use Google's Rich Results Test to validate individual pages, and check the Enhancements section of Search Console for site-wide errors. Both tools flag missing fields, invalid syntax and types Google can't process.

Which schema type should I add first?

Start with whichever type matches your most valuable content. Ecommerce sites should prioritise Product schema, service businesses should prioritise LocalBusiness, and content-heavy sites with genuine questions and answers should add FAQ schema.

Can bad schema hurt my website?

Yes. Markup that describes content which isn't actually visible on the page, like fake reviews or inflated ratings, breaches Google's structured data guidelines and can lead to a manual action removing rich results or affecting visibility more broadly.

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About New Rebellion

New Rebellion is a marketing intelligence consultancy. We build tools, score Australian businesses on how their marketing actually performs, and publish Debrief every day. This dictionary is part of how we work in the open.

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