What is schema markup?

21 June 2026 · By John Carlsson

Schema markup is structured data code added to a page that tells search engines exactly what the content is, such as a product, a recipe, an event or a review. Search engines read these labelled facts directly instead of guessing, and some types can make a page eligible for rich results such as star ratings or prices in search listings.

Schema markup is structured data added to your website's code to help search engines better understand the content and context of your pages. Rather than leaving a search engine to interpret your content alone, schema provides explicit signals about what a page is about — whether it's a recipe, a product, an event, or a review. This context can improve how pages appear in search results, often enabling rich results like star ratings, which improve click-through rates.

Schema markup in everyday language

Think of schema markup as a form that you fill in about your page's content, using a standardised vocabulary that search engines already know how to read.

Instead of a search engine having to infer from your prose that your page is about a product with a certain price and rating, schema markup tells it directly: this is a Product, the price is £29.99, the rating is 4.5 stars, 87 people have reviewed it. The search engine doesn't have to interpret or guess — the information is handed to it explicitly, in a format it reliably understands.

How schema markup enables rich results

Rich results (sometimes called rich snippets) are the enhanced search listings you sometimes see in Google results — star ratings under a product name, recipe information including cook time and calories, event dates and venues. These are only possible when the page has correctly implemented schema markup for the relevant type. A product page without Product schema will never show star ratings in search results, regardless of how prominent those ratings are in the page's visible content. Schema markup is what unlocks the connection between your content and these enhanced displays.

How schema markup relates to AI search and AEO

Beyond traditional rich results, schema markup has become increasingly important for AI-powered search tools. AI systems parsing many pages simultaneously benefit enormously from explicit structured data — rather than running a language model over each page's prose to infer what it's about, they can read structured fields directly. Structured data gives AI systems labelled facts to read, although Google says no special schema is needed to appear in its own AI features. As AI search grows, schema markup transitions from a 'nice to have for rich results' to a fundamental part of making content readable by the full range of modern search tools.

Key Takeaways

Schema markup tells search engines explicitly what page content means, rather than leaving them to infer.
Correct schema is needed for rich results such as star ratings and product prices in search.
Schema can help AI tools read page facts, but Google says no special schema is needed to appear in its own AI features.

Frequently asked questions

How does schema markup work in simple terms?

Schema markup works like a form you fill in about your page's content, using a standardised vocabulary that search engines already know how to read. Instead of a search engine having to infer from your prose that a page is about a product with a certain price and rating, schema states it directly: this is a Product, this is its price, this is its rating and this is how many people reviewed it. The search engine does not need to interpret or guess, because the information is handed to it explicitly in a format it reliably understands.

Do I need schema markup to get rich results in Google?

Yes. Rich results, sometimes called rich snippets, are the enhanced listings seen in Google, such as star ratings under a product name, recipe details including cook time and calories, and event dates and venues. These are only possible when the page has correctly implemented schema markup for the relevant type. A product page without Product schema will never show star ratings in search results, however prominently those ratings appear in its visible content. Schema markup is what connects your content to these enhanced displays.

Why does schema markup matter for AI search and AEO?

AI systems parsing many pages at once benefit greatly from explicit structured data. Rather than running a language model over each page's prose to work out what it is about, they can read structured fields directly. Structured data gives AI systems labelled facts to read, although Google says no special schema is needed to appear in its own AI features. As AI search grows, schema markup moves from being a nice extra for rich results to a fundamental part of making content readable by the full range of modern search tools.