Structured Data for South African Businesses: Complete Guide

Mpheroane L. Harrison

Feb 24, 2026 · 12 min read · About Harrison

Structured data is code you add to your pages that tells Google exactly what each piece of content is — in a format machines can read. Think of it as a translation layer between your human-readable content and Google's understanding of it.

Without structured data, Google sees "R5 000" and has to guess whether that's a price, a reference number, or part of a sentence. With structured data, Google knows: that's the priceOffered for a Service, in ZAR currency.

This isn't theoretical. Structured data directly enables rich results — the enhanced search listings with star ratings, FAQs, prices, and breadcrumbs that get 20–40% higher click-through rates than plain listings.

Why JSON-LD and not Microdata

There are three formats for structured data: JSON-LD, Microdata (HTML attributes), and RDFa. Google recommends JSON-LD. Here's why:

Clean separation: JSON-LD lives in a <script> tag, separate from your HTML. Microdata clutters your HTML with itemscope, itemprop attributes everywhere.
Easier to generate dynamically: If you're using a CMS or static site generator, JSON-LD is just a JavaScript object that gets serialised. Much cleaner than injecting Microdata into templates.
Google's preference: Google's documentation consistently uses JSON-LD in examples and explicitly states it's the recommended format.

Template 1: LocalBusiness

This goes on every page of your site, typically in the <head> or just before </body>. It tells Google who you are, where you are, and how to contact you.

LocalBusiness — Homepage

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Your Business Name",
  "description": "Short description of your business in 1-2 sentences.",
  "url": "https://yourdomain.co.za",
  "telephone": "+27150001234",
  "email": "info@yourdomain.co.za",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Ornoco Blvd, Suite 4",
    "addressLocality": "Mokopane",
    "addressRegion": "Limpopo",
    "postalCode": "0600",
    "addressCountry": "ZA"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": -26.2041,
    "longitude": 28.0473
  },
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday"],
      "opens": "08:00",
      "closes": "17:00"
    },
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": "Saturday",
      "opens": "09:00",
      "closes": "13:00"
    }
  ],
  "priceRange": "R$$",
  "image": "https://yourdomain.co.za/img/business-photo.webp",
  "logo": "https://yourdomain.co.za/img/logo.webp",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/yourbusiness",
    "https://www.instagram.com/yourbusiness",
    "https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourbusiness"
  ]
}
</script>

SA-specific tips for LocalBusiness

addressCountry must be "ZA" — this is critical for local search ranking
priceRange uses Rands: "R$" (budget), "R$$" (mid), "R$$$" (premium)
telephone must include the +27 international format
Include geo coordinates — they're a strong local ranking signal. Get them from Google Maps by right-clicking your location.

Template 2: Service

Place this on each individual service page. It describes what the service is, who provides it, and what it costs.

Service — Service Page

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Service",
  "name": "Web Design and Development",
  "description": "Custom website design and development for South African businesses, including SEO, performance optimisation, and conversion-focused design.",
  "provider": {
    "@type": "LocalBusiness",
    "name": "Your Business Name",
    "url": "https://yourdomain.co.za"
  },
  "areaServed": {
    "@type": "Country",
    "name": "South Africa"
  },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "25000",
    "priceCurrency": "ZAR",
    "priceSpecification": {
      "@type": "PriceSpecification",
      "price": "25000",
      "priceCurrency": "ZAR",
      "description": "Starting price for a 5-page system-intelligent website"
    }
  },
  "hasOfferCatalog": {
    "@type": "OfferCatalog",
    "name": "Website Packages",
    "itemListElement": [
      {
        "@type": "Offer",
        "itemOffered": {
          "@type": "Service",
          "name": "Starter Website",
          "description": "5-page static site with SEO and performance optimisation"
        },
        "price": "15000",
        "priceCurrency": "ZAR"
      },
      {
        "@type": "Offer",
        "itemOffered": {
          "@type": "Service",
          "name": "Professional Website",
          "description": "10-page site with CMS, blog, and conversion optimisation"
        },
        "price": "35000",
        "priceCurrency": "ZAR"
      }
    ]
  }
}
</script>

Template 3: Article

Every blog post needs Article schema. This is the schema that enables rich article results in Google — with title, author, date, and publisher visible directly in search results.

Article — Blog Post

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Your Blog Post Title",
  "description": "A compelling 1-2 sentence description of the post.",
  "image": "https://yourdomain.co.za/img/post-image.webp",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Author Name",
    "url": "https://yourdomain.co.za/who-is-author"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Your Business Name",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://yourdomain.co.za/img/logo.webp"
    }
  },
  "datePublished": "2026-02-24",
  "dateModified": "2026-02-24",
  "mainEntityOfPage": {
    "@type": "WebPage",
    "@id": "https://yourdomain.co.za/blog/your-post-slug"
  }
}
</script>

Template 4: FAQPage

FAQ schema is one of the highest-ROI schema types. It enables FAQ expandable results directly in Google search — potentially doubling your search result real estate.

FAQPage — FAQ Section

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How much does a website cost in South Africa?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Website costs in South Africa range from R3 000 for basic template sites to R150 000+ for enterprise builds. A system-intelligent site typically costs R15 000 - R40 000 and includes SEO, performance optimisation, and conversion design as standard."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How long does it take to build a website?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "A system-intelligent website typically takes 2-4 weeks from brief to launch. This includes planning, content strategy, design, development, testing, and deployment."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "Do you offer ongoing support?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Yes. All builds include 30 days of post-launch support. Ongoing maintenance plans start at R1 500/month and include security updates, content updates, and performance monitoring."
      }
    }
  ]
}
</script>

Critical FAQ rule

The questions and answers in your FAQ schema must match the visible FAQ content on the page. If Google finds a mismatch between your schema and your visible content, they'll ignore the schema entirely — and may flag your site for manipulation.

Breadcrumb schema enables breadcrumb trails in Google search results. It helps users understand your site hierarchy before they click.

BreadcrumbList — Any Sub-Page

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Home",
      "item": "https://yourdomain.co.za/"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Services",
      "item": "https://yourdomain.co.za/services/"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 3,
      "name": "Web Design",
      "item": "https://yourdomain.co.za/services/web-design"
    }
  ]
}
</script>

How to validate your structured data

Before going live with any schema, validate it using these tools:

Google Rich Results Test — search.google.com/test/rich-results — tests for rich result eligibility and reports errors
Schema Markup Validator — validator.schema.org — tests against the full Schema.org specification
Google Search Console — after deployment, check the "Enhancements" section for structured data errors

Fix every error and warning before considering the implementation complete. A single error can prevent the entire schema from being processed.

South Africa-specific considerations

Currency: Always use "ZAR" for priceCurrency — not "R" or "ZAR/"
Country code: Use "ZA" for addressCountry, not "SA" or "ZAF"
Phone format: Use +27XX XXX XXXX format in schema, even if you display it as "07X XXX XXXX" on the page
Province names: Use the full name in addressRegion: "Gauteng", "Western Cape", "KwaZulu-Natal" — not abbreviations
Area served: For national businesses, use "Country": "South Africa". For local businesses, use "City": "Johannesburg" or "AdministrativeArea": "Gauteng"

Next: URL Architecture and Internal Linking Strategy — how to structure your URLs and link graph for maximum SEO impact.

Structured Data for South African Businesses