Glossary
structured data
In short: Structured data is machine-readable markup, usually JSON-LD using schema.org vocabulary, that states facts about a page or business explicitly for search engines and AI systems.
Structured data is a block of code, normally JSON-LD inside a <script type="application/ld+json"> tag, that describes the entity on a page using the shared schema.org vocabulary. Instead of hoping a crawler infers that "Open Mon-Fri 8-6" means opening hours, you state openingHoursSpecification explicitly.
The types that matter most for UK businesses are Organization or LocalBusiness (name, address, phone, hours, service area), Service and Product (what you sell, with prices and currency), FAQPage (question and answer pairs) and BreadcrumbList. Each has required properties and a validator will tell you which are missing.
For search, structured data earns rich results. For AI, its value is disambiguation: a model that reads clear, consistent entity data is less likely to confuse you with another business or hedge by leaving you out. The values must match what is visible on the page and what is listed elsewhere; schema that contradicts your Google Business Profile does more harm than good.
Seoptist's audit checks for the presence and validity of JSON-LD on every crawled page, flags missing required fields, and compares the values with your fact card. On the Growth plan and above it also generates schema blocks for your pages that are checked against a validator before you copy them.