Schema markup is JSON-LD or microdata code embedded in your pages that tells Google, Bing, and other engines exactly what your content represents—whether it's a product, recipe, event, FAQ, or business listing. The most common format today is JSON-LD in a script tag, usually placed in the head or body of your HTML. A practical example: if you run a restaurant in Montreal, you'd add Organization or LocalBusiness schema with your name, address, phone, opening hours, and price range. Google can then show your hours directly in search results or populate your Knowledge Panel. For an e-commerce site selling winter jackets, Product schema includes price, availability, SKU, brand, and aggregate ratings—data that powers rich snippets with star ratings and pricing in SERPs. Another high-value use case is FAQ schema. When you mark up question-and-answer pairs, Google often displays them as expandable dropdowns right on the search page, capturing SERP real estate above organic listings. We see this win clicks for service pages and guides across our portfolio. Article schema signals publish date, author, and featured image, which helps Google surface your content in Top Stories or with article-rich results. Breadcrumb schema displays your site hierarchy in search snippets—"Home > Services > Technical SEO"—which improves click-through by showing users exactly where they'll land. Event schema pulls start times, ticket links, and venue details into a calendar-style widget. Review and AggregateRating schemas display star counts, though Google tightened eligibility rules in recent years to prevent abuse. At Ottawa SEO, we validate every schema implementation with Google's Rich Results Test and monitor Search Console for errors. Mistakes like mismatched data types or missing required fields prevent rich results from appearing. Schema won't directly boost rankings, but it increases visibility, click-through rate, and relevance signals—all of which compound into better organic performance over time. The key is choosing schemas that match your actual content and keeping the data accurate and current.