If you’ve ever added a schema, hit “validate”, and then wondered why nothing changed… you’re not alone. The truth is, structured data only pays off when it’s tied to real SERP features and real business outcomes (usually in clicks, leads, and revenue in £). Totally Digital SEO Agency usually treats schema like a performance lever: implement the bits that unlock visibility you can measure, and skip the stuff that’s just “nice to have”. And if you’re doing any technical changes alongside schema (templates, CMS tweaks, URL structure, navigation), it’s worth skimming SEO migration failures because schema is one of those things that can quietly break during launches.
And because Google still dominates UK search (about 92.28% market share in December 2025, and 97.53% on mobile), it’s worth getting this right.
What Schema is (and What It Isn’t)
Schema markup (structured data) is a way of labelling your content so search engines can interpret it more reliably. In practice, that means you can become eligible for rich results (stars, prices, availability, breadcrumbs, FAQs in limited cases, event listings, etc.). Google is very clear: valid structured data helps with eligibility for rich results, and Search Console even reports on rich result validity.
What it isn’t: a magic “ranking boost”. Google reps have repeatedly pushed back on the idea that adding schema alone makes you rank better — it’s more like meeting the requirements to be considered for certain enhanced displays.
So where’s the measurable value? Usually in:
- Higher click-through rate (CTR) because your listing looks better and answers intent faster.
- Cleaner crawling and understanding, especially on large sites with repeated templates.
- More qualified traffic, because people can see pricing/availability/reviews before they click.
- Better reporting and debugging, because Search Console will tell you what’s valid and what’s broken.
Where Schema Makes a Measurable Difference (the “Yes” List)
1) Ecommerce: Product + Offer + Aggregate Rating (when it’s legit)
If you sell products, this is the classic win. Done properly, product markup can help unlock price, availability, and review information in search features where you’re eligible.
A practical tip: Google explicitly mentions that combining structured data on the page with a Merchant Center feed can maximise eligibility and help Google verify your data. If you’re serious about ecommerce SEO, that pairing matters.
Measure it: Compare CTR and revenue (£) from organic product pages before/after, and track the “Product snippets” rich result report in Search Console.
2) Local/Service Businesses: Local Business + Organisation + sameAs
For service brands, the measurable lift usually isn’t “stars everywhere”. It’s consistent: your brand details, service area signals, and entity connections (social profiles, official references) are clearer.
This is especially useful when you’re trying to show up for local intent and branded searches (which, in lead gen, are often your highest conversion queries).
Measure it: Branded CTR, impressions for local intent queries, and lead quality (form fills / calls) from organic.
3) Content Publishers: Article + Author + Organisation (to reduce ambiguity)
If you publish advice content, schema won’t suddenly rank you — but it can reduce confusion about:
- What the page is (an article vs a product vs a category)
- Who wrote it
- Which brand it belongs to
That’s not fluffy “E-E-A-T theatre” — it’s a practical way to make your content more machine-readable and consistent.
Measure it: Indexation stability, crawl patterns, and (if you’re active in GEO) whether your pages are being used as sources.
4) BreadcrumbList (the underrated CTR helper)
Breadcrumb schema is boring, and that’s exactly why it works. It can improve how your URL path appears in the snippet, especially on messy ecommerce/category structures.
Measure it: CTR on category pages and reduced “ugly URL” appearances.
5) FAQs and HowTo: Only where Google still supports the display
This is a big one people get wrong: Google scaled back How-to rich results (now deprecated on desktop) and changed how these appear. If you’re still adding this everywhere expecting big SERP gains, you’re likely wasting time.
That doesn’t mean FAQ content is useless — it just means you should treat schema like an “eligibility tool”, not a guarantee.
Measure it: Not “did we add schema?”, but “did we actually earn a visible enhancement and did CTR change?”
Where Schema Rarely Makes a Measurable Difference (the “No” List)
1) Marking up everything “because best practice”
If your team is adding schema to every template without a clear outcome (rich result eligibility, debugging, or entity clarity), you’ll spend dev time with nothing to show.
Given that UK paid search alone hit £14.7bn in 2023, and is projected to reach approximately £18.2bn by 2026, schema work should justify its effort like any other marketing investment: time spent should have a plausible return of £.
2) Fake or risky markup (that gets ignored or causes manual actions)
Common mistakes:
- Marking up reviews that aren’t genuine or aren’t visible on the page.
- Using Product schema on service pages.
- Stuffing “sameAs” with irrelevant profiles.
- Creating structured data that doesn’t match the visible content.
Google’s structured data guidelines make it clear that violating policies can remove your eligibility for rich results.
3) Schema that’s correct but disconnected from intent
Even perfect markup won’t help if the page doesn’t deserve the click. If you’re not matching search intent, you’re polishing the wrong thing.
A Practical Way to Decide What to Implement First
Here’s a simple prioritisation you can use without overthinking it:
- Start with pages that already get impressions (Search Console)
- Ask: is there a rich result type we’re eligible for here? (Products, breadcrumbs, local, article, etc.)
- Implement on a small set (top categories/products/service pages), not the whole site
- Validate with Rich Results Test and monitor Search Console rich result reports
- Measure impact on:
- CTR
- conversions/leads
- revenue in £ (for ecommerce)
- error rate / validity over time
What “Good” Schema Looks Like in the Real World
- It matches the page content exactly (no surprises)
- It’s maintained (prices/availability don’t drift)
- It’s implemented via templates properly (so it scales cleanly)
- It’s tied to reporting (so you can prove whether it worked)
And importantly: it’s not a one-off “SEO task”. Schema breaks during redesigns, CMS updates, feed changes, and plugin swaps. If you’re not monitoring it, it’s quietly decaying.
Next Steps
If you want schema that actually earns its place on your roadmap with a clear measurement plan and outcomes you can report in £ — Totally Digital SEO Agency can audit what you’ve got, identify the highest-impact schema opportunities, and work with your dev team to implement it safely (and keep it working). Drop them a message and they’ll help you prioritise the few changes that make a real difference.