How Structured Data SEO (Schema) Boosts Visibility in 2025

Imagine, if you will, a cooking contest, and two chefs are presented with one bowl of tasty, but unknown ingredients, and the other is the makings of a gourmet dish. Still, ingredients are labelled with the purpose of each ingredient and its origins.

If you were Google, your website is the gourmet bowl with all the ingredients. Labelled, making it easier for search engines to trust, and ultimately, showcase your content.

This article explains what structured data (Schema markup; microdata) is, why it's important to use it to improve visibility, and how using structured data gives you a real advantage (skyrocketed click-through rates and increased visibility) over your competitors, and how it is one of the most overlooked, yet super-effective SEO strategies.

With the rise of AI-powered Search Generative Experience (SGE), voice search, and a competitive digital landscape, implementing structured data SEO (aka Schema, or Schema markup) is a core component of any successful SEO strategy. This is the specific standardized code or language you use that allows a 'conversation' with Google's algorithm.

This code acts as a translator, explicitly telling search engines what your content means.

If you don't have this structured data, Google sees only text.

Think of a recipe page:

• Without Schema, Google sees text:

"Ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar... Preheat oven to 350°F..."

• With 'Recipe Schema', Google understands the data:

{"@type": "Recipe", "name": "Apple Pie", "prepTime": "PT30M", "cookTime": "PT60M"...}

This clarity allows Google to confidently display your content in more engaging and interactive ways called rich results (or rich snippets), which we'll go over next.

Despite the clear benefits that Structured Data brings to the table, the implementation still remains low.

A report by SEMrush has stated that only 26% websites currently use structured data as part of their SEO strategy.

This likely has much to do with Schema not being understood very well. On paper, it might be straightforward to explain, but in practice, not so much. It’s complicated.

The Schema.org vocabulary is implemented across 10+ million domains, which leaves so many businesses with a unique opportunity to leverage structured data to get an edge over their competitors online.

Multiple studies conducted by Search Engine Land, Backlinko, Moz, etc. (based on the Milestone Research from 2020 called ‘Impact of Rich Results on CTR’), found that rich snippets can improve click-through rates (CTR) by up to 30%!

Visibility means nothing without engagement.

For example, if you send 100 emails, the click rate represents the percentage of the people who received those emails who actually clicked on and opened the email. This is where structured data directly impacts your bottom line by making your search listing more attractive and informative.

Why does this happen?

That's because rich results:

• Instead of ten blue links, you get 'rich results' like:

SERP (search engine results page), FAQ accordions, recipe carousels, and local business packs. These features capture user attention and increase click-through rates. Only structured data allows access to them.

• If your site isn't marked up, you're missing out on this new AI-driven paradigm.

Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) is the future of AI-powered searches. You no longer get lists of links: It gathers, evaluates, and combines information from multiple sources to create new insights, draw conclusions, and provide comprehensive answers to a question.
So if you have no structured data, you're missing out on enhanced visibility in rich results and AI-driven search features.

• Powering Voice Assistants:

Voice searches from Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are often questions: "Hey Google, what's the best pizza place near me that's open now?". The answer is almost always pulled from a rich result powered by structured data.

Backlinko’s Voice Search Study has found that 70% of Google Assistant answers come from structured data and/or featured snippets.

Three main paths:

1. JSON-LD (Recommended): This is Google's preferred method. It involves adding a simple script in the <head> section of your HTML. It's easy to manage, and it doesn't interfere with your page's visible code – clean. Tools such as Google's Structured Data Markup Helper can generate this code for you.

2. SEO Plugins: For WordPress users, plugins like Rank Math, Yoast SEO, and Schema Pro offer user-friendly interfaces to add Schema markup without touching code. They can automatically generate Article, Organization, and Breadcrumb markup, which is a great start.

Before you dive into that, it’s important to know what you’re doing. That’s why it’s best to hire a professional to do the markup correctly.

3. Hiring Experts: For technically complex implementations (e.g., larger sites), specific Schema types such as Product or SoftwareApplication are the way to go; opting for DIY could lead to multiple errors.

Incorrect markup is worse than no markup at all.

This is where the value of expertise becomes clear. Many businesses find that partnering with a reputable and technical link building services agency that also specializes in on-page SEO ensures their structured data (Schema markup) is implemented flawlessly and works in tandem with a strong off-site authority profile, maximizing the return on their technical investment.

Visibility and engagement through structured data is a fundamental requirement instead of an advanced SEO strategy. The advancement in AI means that Google's increasingly intelligent systems can understand, trust, and help show off your content.

Can Schema be done as a DIY project? Sure. But the more complex the site is, the higher the chance of you encountering errors. That’s why – especially when it comes to bigger projects – hiring a professional company is the best approach.

If you're ready to build the foundation of structured data and then start speaking Google's language, you might be surprised at your success.