Schema Markup – Is It Really Optional for Agencies?

I’m going to be blunt: If you’re building websites for clients and NOT including the appropriate schema markup, you’re not delivering the full value that your client is investing in. Schema isn’t just a “nice to have” or a technical extra for – it’s now a core part of building a site that’s fit for purpose. 

When a business hires an agency, they’re not just paying for a website that looks good or works with your favorite tools. They’re investing in their business growth, visibility and future. As agency owners, it’s our responsibility to deliver what’s right for their business, not just what’s easy for us.

What Actually is Schema?

Schema markup (structured data) are elements of code you add to your site’s HTML that helps search engines understand the context of your content – not just the words on the page, but what those words ACTUALLY mean. 

Think of it as giving Google a set of instructions so it can present your client’s business in the best possible light.

Why Does Schema Matter?

Without schema, search engines have to guess at the details. With schema, you’re making it crystal clear:

✅ What your client does → Organization schema (business type, industry category)

✅ Where they’re located → LocalBusiness schema (address, geo-coordinates)

✅ What products or services they offer → Product schema (prices, availability, descriptions)

✅ When they’re open → LocalBusiness schema (opening hours, special hours)

✅ What their customers think → AggregateRating schema (review counts, star ratings)

But there’s more… Depending on your client, you might also want to consider:

• Article/BlogPosting – For news, blogs, or resources
• Person – For personal brands, team pages, or authors
• Event – For workshops, launches, or webinars
• Recipe – For food businesses or bloggers
• Video – For sites with video content
• JobPosting – For recruitment or careers pages
• HowTo – For step-by-step guides or tutorials
• SocialMediaPosting – For content that’s shared or embedded from social platforms

This isn’t just about ticking an SEO box. Schema markup is important because it can:

• Boost your client’s visibility in search results with rich snippets (think star ratings, FAQs, prices, and more).
• Improve local SEO, making it easier for nearby customers to find them.
• Help them stand out in a crowded market by taking up more space in the SERPs.
• Support voice search and mobile search, which are only getting bigger.

Schema & EEAT: The Overlooked Connection

Here’s where it gets really interesting 🤔: Schema isn’t just about SEO “hygiene” – it’s a direct way to help Google recognize your client’s Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EEAT).

• Expertise & Authoritativeness: Use Person, Author, and Organization schema to highlight credentials, awards, and professional associations. This helps Google connect your client (or their team) to authoritative entities and signals expertise in their field.
• Trustworthiness: Review schema showcases real customer feedback, while FAQ and HowTo schema demonstrate transparency and helpfulness – both key trust signals.
• Experience: Marking up case studies, testimonials, and author bios with schema helps Google understand the depth and relevance of your client’s experience.
• Citations & References: Using citation properties in schema can show Google that your content references reputable sources, further boosting trust.

Schema markup is like building your own mini knowledge graph for your client – making it easier for search engines to verify and showcase their credibility, not just their content. 

Side note: This is where we start to tie together some of the other SEO Weekly topics and start making them work together… We’re getting advanced now! 

When Should You Add Schema?

The best time to plan schema is before you redesign a site – ideally as part of your Website Hierarchy / Discovery Process. That way, you can map out the right categories and content types from the start. But if you’ve already launched, don’t panic – adding schema afterwards is still hugely beneficial, and most SEO plugins make it easier – both SEOPress Pro and SlimSEO Pro (or Schema Manager if you have the original deal) can do this easily.

What Types of Schema Should Agencies Use?

To summarise, as a minimum every new client site you deliver should have:

🎯 Organization or Local Business schema (for company details, locations, hours)

🎯 WebPage schema (for different page types: About, Contact, FAQ, etc.)

🎯 Product or Service schema (for e-commerce or service-based businesses)

🎯 Review schema (for testimonials and ratings)

🎯 FAQ schema (for Q&A content)

Is Schema Really Worth the Effort?

Short answer: Yes. Schema markup is a strategic advantage for your clients and a mark of a professional agency build. It’s not about chasing every new SEO fad – it’s about making sure your clients’ sites are properly understood and represented by search engines, so they get the visibility and results they’re paying you for.

If you’re skipping schema because it feels a bit technical or time-consuming, you’re leaving value (and probably rankings) on the table. As agencies, we owe it to our clients to deliver sites that are structured properly for today’s algo, and that means Schema is not negotiable.

How are you handling schema in your builds? Is it baked into your process, or something you’re still figuring out?