In short: Schema markup tells search engines and AI in machine-readable form who you are, what you offer and where you are. The 2026 minimum for a company website: Organization or LocalBusiness (name, registry code, VAT number, address, phone, logo, sameAs links), WebSite, Service or Product with Offer, Article with author and dates, and BreadcrumbList. FAQPage is still useful, even though Google only shows FAQ rich results for government and health sites. The markup must match the visible content and must be tested.
When an AI assistant answers a question about your business, it has to work out whether “Näidis” is a builder in Tallinn or a bakery in Tartu. Most of the time it can tell from the text, but Schema markup removes the guesswork: it is a shared vocabulary (Schema.org) that tells machines directly what your name, address, service, price and author are. This guide covers what to add to a company website, how to test it and which mistakes to avoid. If the technical basics are not in place yet, start with our AI visibility checklist.
Why does Schema markup matter for AI visibility?
Google says the same principles apply to appearing in AI Overviews and AI Mode as in regular search, and that structured data helps it understand a page. Other AI search tools rely heavily on search engine indexes and the same signals. Schema markup gives you three advantages:
- A clear entity: company name, registry code and address in one place, with no interpretation needed.
- Linked profiles: sameAs links show that your LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Business Profile belong to the same company.
- Facts: prices, opening hours, author and dates that AI can use in an answer.
Which Schema markup does a company website need?
| Type | Where | Key properties |
|---|---|---|
| Organization / LocalBusiness | Home page (or every page) | name, legalName, identifier, vatID, address, geo, telephone, openingHours, logo, sameAs |
| WebSite | Home page | name, url, inLanguage, publisher |
| Service | Service pages | name, description, provider, areaServed, offers or priceRange |
| Product + Offer | Product pages | name, image, sku, offers (price, priceCurrency, availability), aggregateRating |
| Article + Person | Blog posts | headline, author, datePublished, dateModified, image |
| FAQPage | FAQ blocks | mainEntity: Question and acceptedAnswer |
| BreadcrumbList | All inner pages | itemListElement |
How do you set up Organization and LocalBusiness?
This is the most important block. If you have an office, shop or service area open to customers, use LocalBusiness or a more specific subtype. Otherwise, Organization is fine. For an Estonian company, always add the registry code (identifier) and VAT number (vatID) – they are facts anyone can verify. An example for a fictional company:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"@id": "https://example.ee/#organization",
"name": "Näidis",
"legalName": "Näidis OÜ",
"identifier": "12345678",
"vatID": "EE123456789",
"url": "https://example.ee/",
"logo": "https://example.ee/logo.png",
"telephone": "+372 5555 0000",
"email": "info@example.ee",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "Näidise tn 1",
"postalCode": "10111",
"addressLocality": "Tallinn",
"addressCountry": "EE"
},
"geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": 59.437, "longitude": 24.745 },
"openingHours": "Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00",
"areaServed": "EE",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/naidis",
"https://www.facebook.com/naidis"
]
}
</script>Important: the @id must be the same on every page that refers to the company. That way your Service, Article and Product markup all point to the same company instead of creating new ones.
What should you add to service and product pages?
Service markup describes what you offer, to whom and where: name, description, provider (a reference to your Organization @id), areaServed and offers or priceRange. If the price is visible on the page, put it in the markup too – AI likes to answer price questions with a concrete number. See also how to build pricing, comparison and FAQ pages that AI cites.
In an online store, Product with Offer matters most: price, currency, availability and SKU. Add AggregateRating only if the reviews are real and visible on the page. WooCommerce and popular SEO plugins generate Product markup automatically, but it is worth checking that price and stock are correct.
Are FAQPage and HowTo still worth it?
In August 2023, Google limited FAQ rich results mainly to government and health sites and removed HowTo rich results. So for most businesses FAQPage no longer brings an expanded search result. The markup is still valid, though, and helps machines recognise question-and-answer pairs. Add FAQPage only when the questions and answers are visible on the page. HowTo markup is no longer worth the time.
How should you mark up blog posts?
Every article needs Article (or BlogPosting) markup: headline, image, datePublished, dateModified and an author as a Person with a name, job title and link to an author page. AI values fresh content with an identifiable author, so update dateModified whenever you make a substantial change. For how to rework older posts, read updating old articles for AI search.
How do you test Schema markup?
- Google Rich Results Test – shows whether Google reads your markup and whether the page is eligible for rich results.
- Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org) – checks the full Schema.org vocabulary, including types Google does not use for rich results.
- Google Search Console – the “Enhancements” section shows errors across the whole site.
How do you add Schema markup in WordPress?
Yoast SEO and Rank Math generate base markup automatically: Organization, WebSite, WebPage, Article and BreadcrumbList. Fill in your company details and social profiles in the plugin. What plugins often leave out: the registry code, VAT number, a specific LocalBusiness type, opening hours and Service markup. A developer adds these with a small code snippet that extends the plugin’s markup rather than creating a second, parallel Organization.
Which mistakes should you avoid?
- Markup that does not match the visible content – a price, address or FAQ that exists only in the code, not on the page.
- Fake or self-written reviews in AggregateRating – this breaks Google’s guidelines.
- Several conflicting Organization nodes – the theme, a plugin and hand-added code each create their own company with different details.
- Outdated data – an old address or phone in the markup, a new one on the site.
- Mixed languages – on a multilingual site, each language version’s markup should be in that language.
Frequently asked questions
Does Schema markup improve rankings?
Not directly. It helps search engines and AI understand your content correctly and can earn rich results that increase clicks.
Is FAQ markup still worth adding?
Yes, if the questions are visible on the page. Google only shows FAQ rich results for government and health sites, but the markup helps machines recognise question-and-answer pairs.
Is Yoast or Rank Math enough?
As a base, yes. The registry code, VAT number, a specific LocalBusiness type, opening hours and Service markup usually have to be added separately.
How do I check that the markup works?
Test your pages in Google’s Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator, and watch for errors in the Search Console “Enhancements” section.
Want us to review the Schema markup on your site? Run the free website audit, see our AI search visibility and SEO services, or contact us.
Sources
- Google Search Central – Introduction to structured data markup
- Google Search Central – Organization structured data
- Google Search Central – Local business structured data
- Google Search Central – Article structured data
- Google Search Central – Changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results (August 2023)
- Google Search Central – AI features and your website
- Schema.org – Organization
- Schema Markup Validator
