(From a San Diego SEO’s Perspective)
TL;DR: Direct Answers for AI Search & SGE
What matters next: Move beyond FAQ/How-To. Prioritize LocalBusiness, Service, Product/Offer, Review/AggregateRating, Organization/Person, Article, VideoObject, BreadcrumbList, and Sitelinks Search Box.
Why: These schemas express your brand’s entities, relationships, services, and proof, which AI search and SGE summarize into quick, trustworthy answers.
How to win: Provide answer-first sections, key facts boxes, clean JSON-LD, and consistent NAP for local signals across San Diego neighborhoods.
My help: I’m Jen Ruhman—your local SEO company San Diego owner and hands-on SEO expert in San Diego. Call/text me: (619) 719-1315.
Why Structured Data Still Matters—Even as Rich Results Shift
I’ve watched Google change rich results rules (remember when FAQ snippets were everywhere?). Even as visibility for some types fluctuates, structured data remains your machine-readable résumé. It tells search engines—and now AI systems—who you are, what you offer, where you serve, and why you’re credible.
In San Diego, that context includes our local flavor: Point Loma, La Jolla, Encinitas, North Park, Hillcrest, and the Gaslamp Quarter. When your schema mirrors reality (address, service area, reviews, events), your brand becomes easier for AI to summarize accurately—especially in AI Overviews/SGE experiences.
Related post: How Google Uses Knowledge Graphs to Rank Businesses
Beyond FAQ and How-To: The Schemas I Recommend Next
LocalBusiness + Service: Your Core “What & Where”
If you’re a service business, LocalBusiness is non-negotiable. Pair it with Service to describe each offering (e.g., “Window Cleaning for La Jolla Retailers” or “Retirement Income Planning in Point Loma”).
Why: AI features love clear, local, service-specific data they can quote fast.
Organization + Person (Author): Trust & E-E-A-T Signals
Use Organization to define your brand entity (logo, sameAs, contact points). Use Person for the practitioner or founder. Include author, reviewedBy, and publisher where appropriate.
Why: These boost Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust.
Product/Offer/PriceSpecification: Clarity for Services with Prices
Even if you’re “not e-commerce,” you can model a service as a Product with Offer, PriceSpecification, and areaServed.
Why: AI surfaces consistently choose listings with clear pricing/availability.
Review & AggregateRating: Social Proof the Bots Can Read
Embed Review and AggregateRating wherever legitimately supported by policy.
Why: Reviews influence both humans and AI summaries—when validated by schema.
Related post: The Role of Semantic Entities in 2025 SEO Strategies
Article/BlogPosting: Your Thought Leadership in Markup
For content (like this), Article or BlogPosting with headline, author, datePublished, about (entities), and mainEntityOfPage helps search engines map your expertise.
Pro tip: Use about/mentions to connect to known entities (e.g., “San Diego,” “SEO,” “structured data”).
VideoObject: Short Clips, Big Visibility
If you publish explainers (I do quick schema tips for clients), mark them up with VideoObject—including description, duration, thumbnailUrl, uploadDate, and transcript if you have it.
Why: Video cards and AI summaries often lean on well-labeled videos.
Related post: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) vs. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Key Differences
BreadcrumbList & Sitelinks Search Box: Navigation Wins
Help crawlers and users understand your site architecture with BreadcrumbList. If you have site search, add WebSite + potentialAction for a Sitelinks Search Box.
Why: Cleaner navigation → better understanding → stronger AI summaries.
How I Structure Content for AI Overviews & SGE
Answer-First Layout
I include one-sentence answers at the top of sections (just like the TL;DR above). It reduces friction for AI systems and humans.
Key Facts Boxes
Each service page gets a “Key Facts” block: service name, who it’s for, location, price range, response time, proof (review snippet, credential), and a CTA.
Related post: The Impact of Zero-Click Searches & How to Adapt Your Strategy
Entity-Rich Writing
I weave in the right entities: neighborhoods, services, tools, and industries. For example, a commercial cleaner serving La Jolla, UTC, and Fashion Valley should state that in both copy and schema.
Consistent NAP
Your Name, Address, Phone must match across your website, Google Business Profile, citations, and schema. I’ve recovered local visibility in San Diego more than once just by fixing NAP mismatches.
A San Diego Anecdote: When Schema Unlocked “Instant Clarity”
A boutique in Little Italy struggled with “near me” queries. We added LocalBusiness, broke services into separate Service entities, mapped real hours, service area, and added a Review snippet from a local customer. Their calls increased—not because of one magic tag, but because AI could finally summarize who they were and where they served without guessing.
Related post: Vector Search and SEO: Preparing for an Embedding-First Search World
Implementation Checklist (Copy/Paste-Friendly)
Minimal LocalBusiness JSON-LD
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “Jen Ruhman SEO”,
“image”: “https://jenruhman.com/wp-content/uploads/logo.png”,
“url”: “https://jenruhman.com/”,
“telephone”: “+1-619-719-1315”,
“address”: {
“@type”: “PostalAddress”,
“addressLocality”: “San Diego”,
“addressRegion”: “CA”,
“postalCode”: “92101”,
“addressCountry”: “US”
},
“areaServed”: [
{“@type”:”City”,”name”:”San Diego”},
“La Jolla”,”Point Loma”,”Hillcrest”,”Encinitas”,”North Park”,”Gaslamp Quarter”
],
“sameAs”: [
“https://www.facebook.com/jenruhmanseo”,
“https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenruhman”
]
}
</script>
Service Example
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”:”https://schema.org”,
“@type”:”Service”,
“name”:”Structured Data & Schema Markup Services”,
“provider”: {
“@type”:”LocalBusiness”,
“name”:”Jen Ruhman SEO”,
“url”:”https://jenruhman.com/”
},
“areaServed”:”San Diego, CA”,
“serviceType”:”Technical SEO”,
“offers”:{
“@type”:”Offer”,
“priceCurrency”:”USD”,
“price”:”Contact for quote”,
“availability”:”https://schema.org/InStock”,
“url”:”https://jenruhman.com/”
}
}
</script>
Review/AggregateRating Example
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”:”https://schema.org”,
“@type”:”LocalBusiness”,
“name”:”Jen Ruhman SEO”,
“url”:”https://jenruhman.com/”,
“aggregateRating”:{
“@type”:”AggregateRating”,
“ratingValue”:”5″,
“reviewCount”:”100″
}
}
</script>
Avoid These Pitfalls
1) Orphaned Schema
Schema that doesn’t match on-page content can be ignored—or worse, confuse algorithms. Always reflect reality.
2) Conflicting Entities
Don’t define multiple businesses or authors on one page unless there’s a clear relationship.
3) Over-Nested or Duplicated Markup
You can split JSON-LD blocks, but each should be clean and valid. Use the Rich Results Test and Search Console to validate.
How This Aligns With E-E-A-T
Experience: I implement schema for real San Diego businesses—from med spas in Point Loma to commercial cleaners downtown.
Expertise: I map services to entities and write answer-first content AI can quote.
Authoritativeness: I maintain Organization/Person metadata across brand channels so your identity is consistent.
Trust: I prioritize accurate NAP, policies (returns/shipping when relevant), and real reviews.
San Diego Local Relevance: What I Add by Default
Service Areas: La Jolla, Encinitas, Hillcrest, North Park, Point Loma, Downtown/Gaslamp.
Local Cues: Photos with EXIF location (when appropriate), San Diego references in copy, and Google Business Profile optimization.
Internal Links: Natural anchors like SEO company San Diego and SEO expert in San Diego to reinforce entity relationships.
Measurement: Proving Schema is Pulling Its Weight
I track:
Impressions/Clicks on service queries with local intent.
Search appearance types in Search Console.
Calls and form fills from pages enhanced with schema.
SGE snapshots during audits to see how you’re summarized.
When structured data + answer-first writing clicks, you’ll see it in lead quality and the way people talk on sales calls (“I saw you serve Encinitas and have 100+ 5-star reviews…”).
My Process (Simple & Fast)
Audit: Current schema, content, GBP, NAP, and internal links.
Plan: Priority schemas (LocalBusiness + Service), then Product/Offer, Review, Article, Video, Breadcrumbs.
Implement: JSON-LD templates tailored to your pages.
Validate: Rich Results Test + Search Console.
Iterate: Update after content changes and new reviews.
If you’re in San Diego and want this done right, I’ve got you.
Conclusion
Structured data is evolving from “get a fancy snippet” to “define your brand as a clear entity with proof and services.” Go beyond FAQ/How-To. Add LocalBusiness, Service, Product/Offer, Reviews, Organization/Person, Article, Video, Breadcrumbs, and Sitelinks Search Box. Pair that with answer-first writing and consistent NAP. That’s how you earn crisp AI summaries and more qualified leads—especially in competitive markets like San Diego.
Ready to future-proof your schema?
Call/text me at (619) 719-1315 or visit my site: SEO company San Diego. If you want a hands-on partner, you’ve found your SEO expert in San Diego.
FAQs
1) Is FAQ schema dead?
Short answer: No—but its visibility comes and goes. It’s still useful when aligned with on-page Q&A and policy.
2) What’s the most important schema for a local service?
LocalBusiness plus Service describing each offering and service area.
3) Can I mark up services as products with prices?
Yes. Use Product with Offer/PriceSpecification for service packages or tiers.
4) How does schema help with AI Overviews/SGE?
It gives AI clean facts—entities, locations, services, and proof—so your brand gets summarized accurately.
5) How often should I update my schema?
Any time your services, pricing, hours, reviews, or locations change—then re-validate.
