What does Google say about schema and AI Overviews?
Google's AI features page says there is no special schema.org structured data you need to add to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and that you do not need new machine-readable files or markup. Its optimisation guide lists overfocusing on structured data among the things site owners can set aside for generative AI search, while recommending structured data as part of an overall SEO strategy because it helps pages qualify for rich results. The one structured data instruction in Google's AI features best practices is to make sure your markup matches the visible text on the page.
Where does structured data still help?
Structured data describes a page's content in a standard format, and Google uses it to decide whether a page can show a rich result, such as review stars or product details. Google's guidelines list JSON-LD as the recommended format, with Microdata and RDFa also supported. For a service business, Organization or LocalBusiness markup that states your business name, address, phone number and opening hours gives search engines a machine-readable copy of facts that should already be on the page. Google notes that correct markup does not mean a rich result will be shown, because it tailors results to each search.
What do other AI assistants say about schema?
OpenAI's crawler documentation and Perplexity's crawler page explain user agents, robots.txt controls and IP ranges. Neither mentions structured data or schema.org. That does not prove these assistants ignore markup, but it means claims that ChatGPT or Perplexity prefer pages with schema are not supported by the operators' own documentation. If a provider makes that claim, ask for the source. A vendor experiment can be useful evidence, so check how many prompts it tested, how often each was repeated and whether other changes were made to the same pages at the same time.
Which schema mistakes cause problems?
Google's general structured data guidelines set out what not to do, and breaking them can lead to a manual action. Google says a structured data manual action removes a page's eligibility for rich results and does not affect how the page ranks in web search. The rules that matter most for a service business concern relevance and visibility: markup must describe the content of the page it sits on, must describe content readers can see, and must not mislead.
- Do not mark up content that is not visible to readers of the page.
- Do not mark up irrelevant or misleading content, such as fake reviews.
- If you mark up reviews on a page, include all the reviews shown there.
- Keep markup up to date, since outdated details can be treated as no longer relevant.
- Check the Manual Actions report in Search Console if rich results disappear.
What markup does a small business site need?
For most service businesses the useful markup is small: one Organization or LocalBusiness block on the home or contact page with the business name, address, phone number, website and opening hours, plus breadcrumb markup if the theme supports it. Every value should match the visible page and your Google Business Profile. A common problem is duplication, where a theme, an SEO plugin and a booking widget each add their own Organization block with different names or phone numbers. One accurate block serves you better than three that disagree.
How do you check markup before paying for more?
Run your key pages through Google's Rich Results Test, which shows the structured data Google can read and any errors for the types it supports. Then view the page source, or the crawled HTML in the URL Inspection tool, and search for application/ld+json to find every block, including ones added by plugins. Compare each value with the visible page text. If a quote for schema work promises AI citations, ask which document supports that outcome. Google's guidance says structured data is not required for its AI features, so the honest case for the work is accurate labelling and rich result eligibility.