{"id":2059,"slug":"schema-not-ranking-factor-mueller","title":"Schema/structured data — NOT a ranking factor; eligibility for rich results","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["technical-seo-hygiene"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** John Mueller (Google): \"Structured data won't improve your site's ranking. It's utilized for enabling the search features...\"; you are \"unlikely to notice any visible impact on Google Search.\"\n\nGoogle documents ~30 supported types out of 800+ schema.org types. Adding schema makes a page ELIGIBLE for rich results, never guaranteed: \"Using structured data enables a feature to be present, it does not guarantee that it will be present\" (Google Search Central).\n\n**Source:** Google Search Central; John Mueller. Verified.\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** Schema is table stakes for eligibility, not a competitive lever. Implement the relevant ~30 types (LocalBusiness, Product, Review, FAQ, Article) and stop. The widget should NOT recommend schema as a \"ranking boost.\"","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-smb-widget-difficulty-to-work-june-2026","title":"Research brief: SMB widget difficulty-to-work mapping — three tiers of work for three sizes of gap (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"tier-2-findability-and-trust","title":"Tier 2 — Findability + trust infrastructure (MODERATE GAP)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:02.731Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:02.731Z"}