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What is Schema Markup?

Schema markup is code that helps search engines understand your page. Here is what schema markup does and why it helps a small business stand out in results.

Definition

Schema markup is structured data code added to a web page that helps search engines understand exactly what the content is, such as a business, a product, a review or an event, enabling richer search results.

Why it matters for a small business

Schema makes search results richer. It is what lets a listing show star ratings, prices, opening hours or FAQ answers directly in the results, which makes a small business stand out against plain blue links.

It removes guesswork for Google. Instead of inferring that a page is about a dental practice in a particular suburb, schema states it plainly, which helps the page get matched to the right searches.

It is invisible to visitors but visible to search engines. The work happens in the page code, so it is exactly the kind of technical task that gets skipped, even though it directly affects how a listing looks.

Worked example

A restaurant adds local business schema and review schema to its site, declaring its address, opening hours, cuisine and aggregate rating in structured form.

Its search listing can now show the star rating and hours directly, and Google has an unambiguous understanding of what and where the business is.

A competitor with no schema gets a plainer listing and leaves Google to guess at the details, which makes it both less eye-catching and less precisely matched to local searches.

How In-House handles it

In-House adds and maintains schema markup automatically through the SEO and web agents: local business, FAQ, review and other relevant types, kept in sync as the site changes.

Search visibility on In-House

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