Check your structured data markup

SiteCurl looks for JSON-LD structured data on every page in your scan. It checks whether schema.org markup is present and whether the JSON is valid. Structured data tells search engines what your page is about in a format they can parse directly.

Pages with no structured data force search engines to guess your content type. Pages with valid markup qualify for rich results: star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, product prices, event dates, and recipe cards. These enhanced listings stand out in search results and pull more clicks.

SiteCurl reports which pages have structured data and which do not, so you can see coverage gaps across your entire site.

Structured data is a bridge between your page and search engines. Your HTML is built for people: headings, text, images, links. Structured data is built for machines: clear fields like 'this is the author,' 'this is the publish date,' 'this is the price.'

Without it, Google guesses from your page layout. It is good at guessing, but it gets things wrong. It may pick the wrong date, the wrong author, or miss that your page is a product listing. With structured data, you remove the guesswork.

The payoff is rich results. A search listing for a recipe page with markup shows the star rating, cook time, and a photo. A listing without it shows just the title and blurb. The rich result takes up more space and gets more clicks. Google says rich results can raise click rates by 20 to 30 percent.

AI search tools add to this. When ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews build an answer, they pull from pages they can read fast. Markup makes your page easy to read. It does not promise a citation, but it puts your page in the pool of sources these tools draw from.

The most common types are Organization (who you are), WebPage (what this page is), Article (blog posts), FAQPage (Q&A sections), Product (items for sale), and BreadcrumbList (nav path). Each one can unlock a different look in search results.

Rich results stand out in search. Pages with star ratings, FAQ sections, or prices in the listing get more clicks than plain blue links. Structured data is what unlocks those extra details.

AI search tools use structured data too. When ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews build answers, they look at your markup to understand your content. Clear structured data makes your pages more likely to be cited as sources.

There is also a competitive angle. If your competitor has FAQ rich results and you do not, their listing is physically larger in search results. They occupy more screen space and draw more attention, even if you rank in the same position.

E-commerce sites benefit the most. Product schema can show prices, availability, and star ratings directly in search results. A product listing that shows '$49 - In Stock - 4.5 stars' gets more clicks than one with just a title and description.

Content sites and blogs get value from Article schema. It qualifies your posts for the 'Top stories' section in search results and can show the author, publish date, and featured image in the listing.

Local businesses need LocalBusiness or Organization schema. It feeds information to Google's Knowledge Panel: your address, phone number, hours, and reviews. Without it, Google guesses from your page content and often gets details wrong.

SaaS companies benefit from SoftwareApplication schema and FAQPage schema. The first can show pricing and ratings. The second turns your FAQ section into expandable dropdowns right in the search listing.

Step 1: Add Organization schema to your home page. Include your company name, URL, logo, and social profiles. This helps Google build a Knowledge Panel for your brand. Add it as a JSON-LD script tag in the head of your page.

Step 2: Add Article schema to blog posts. Include the headline, author, datePublished, dateModified, and image. This qualifies your posts for rich results and helps Google understand when content was updated.

Step 3: Add FAQPage schema to FAQ sections. Wrap your question-and-answer pairs in FAQPage markup. Google may show these as expandable dropdowns in search results, which significantly increases the size of your listing.

Step 4: Add BreadcrumbList to every page. This shows the navigation path (Home > Blog > Post Title) in search results instead of the raw URL. It helps searchers understand where they will land and improves click-through rates.

Step 5: Add Product schema to product pages. Include the name, price, currency, availability, and aggregate rating. This puts pricing and stock information directly in search results.

Step 6: Test with Google's Rich Results Test. Paste your URL and check for errors or warnings. Fix any required fields that are missing. Then run a SiteCurl scan to confirm coverage across all your pages.

Markup that does not match the page. If your JSON-LD says the product costs $29 but the page shows $39, Google may drop the markup. The data must match what visitors see.

Using Microdata instead of JSON-LD. Microdata (itemprop tags in HTML) still works but is harder to manage. Google suggests JSON-LD because it lives in a script tag, apart from your HTML. It is easier to add and easier to update.

Adding FAQ schema to non-FAQ pages. Google may skip FAQ markup if the page does not show real questions and answers. The schema must match what visitors see. Do not hide FAQ content that only lives in the code.

Leaving out required fields. Each schema type has fields you must fill in. An Article without a publish date, or a Product without a price, will fail Google's check. Look up required fields on schema.org before you publish.

After adding markup, paste your URL into Google's Rich Results Test. It shows which schema types were found, whether they pass validation, and which rich result features they qualify for. Fix any errors before moving to the next page.

Run a SiteCurl scan to check coverage across your site. The scan shows which pages have structured data and which do not. Compare the coverage before and after your changes.

To check the raw JSON-LD on any page, open the page source (Ctrl+U or Cmd+Option+U) and search for application/ld+json. The script tag contents show exactly what search engines will read.

Structured data helps search engines and AI tools read your pages. Start with Organization on your home page and Article on blog posts. Add FAQPage if you have a FAQ section. Each type can unlock rich results that stand out in search. Test with Google's Rich Results Test, then scan with SiteCurl to check all your pages at once.