What it is
Structured data is a block of code, usually JSON-LD, that labels what a page is about in a format search engines read directly. On a product page it states the name, price, availability, brand, and rating as data rather than leaving Google to infer them from the layout. That labeling is what lets a result show a price, stock status, and a row of review stars instead of a plain blue link.
How common it is
Three in five audited stores (60%) have valid product structured data. The audit looks for Product markup on product pages and checks the parts Google needs: name, description, price through an offers block, and an image, plus brand, SKU, and rating where present. A page can carry a stray fragment of schema and still miss the fields that earn a rich result, which is where many stores land.
Why it costs you
The search result forms before anyone reaches your store, and it is competing for the same glance as every listing around it. A result with a price, an in-stock label, and four stars takes up more room and answers the shopper’s first questions, so it pulls more clicks than the bare link beside it. Without the markup, your listing is the plain line beside those richer results, so shoppers get their answers there and click before they reach you.
Check it in 30 seconds
Paste a product URL into Google’s Rich Results Test (search for “rich results test”). It reports whether Google can read Product data on the page and which fields are missing. If it finds none, your listings are running as plain links while others show their price and stars.
Read next: Ecommerce SEO: Turn Search Visibility Into Revenue
Run the free audit to see whether your products can show their price and stars in search.