How to Add WebSite Schema Markup
WebSite schema describes your site as a single, whole entity rather than any one page on it. Its most important remaining job in Google Search is powering your site name, the name Google displays above your URL in results, and it remains a core identity signal for AI systems reading your site. The sitelinks search box it once powered was retired by Google in November 2024.
What WebSite Schema Actually Does
Organization schema tells a model who you are. WebSite schema tells it that your domain is a single coherent website and gives it your site’s name, which is not always the same as your business name. Google uses a variation of WebSite structured data to determine the site name it shows in search results, and that use remains fully supported.
The Code: A Working Example
Here is a working example with a search action included:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "WebSite",
"name": "Riverside Bakery",
"url": "https://riversidebakery.example",
"potentialAction": {
"@type": "SearchAction",
"target": "https://riversidebakery.example/?s={search_term_string}",
"query-input": "required name=search_term_string"
}
}The SearchAction Property, Explained
The potentialAction block is now legacy markup for Google specifically: it powered the sitelinks search box until Google retired that feature in November 2024 after a decade, citing declining usage. Google’s own guidance says leaving the markup in place causes no errors and no harm, so there is no cleanup emergency, and other structured data consumers can still read it. If you do keep it, the {search_term_string} placeholder gets replaced by the query, so the target URL needs to match the actual query parameter your own site’s search function expects. Just do not add it expecting a search box to appear in Google results, because that visual element no longer exists.
Where to Add It on Your Site
Add one WebSite block sitewide, the same way you would Organization schema, since both describe your site rather than a single page. If your homepage already carries Organization schema, WebSite schema sits right alongside it rather than replacing it.
How to Validate It
Check the raw JSON-LD in Schema.org’s Validator, since a malformed URL or a broken query template is a common mistake that is easy to miss visually. Note that Google’s Rich Results Test no longer highlights sitelinks search box markup at all, since the feature is retired, so a clean validator pass is the check that matters here.
FAQ
Does the sitelinks search box still exist?
No. Google retired the sitelinks search box globally in November 2024 after a decade, citing declining usage. Existing SearchAction markup causes no errors and can stay in place, but it no longer produces a search box in Google results.
What is the difference between WebSite and Organization schema?
Organization describes your business as an entity. WebSite describes your domain as a single site. Most businesses need both, and they typically live on the same page.
Can my WebSite name differ from my Organization name?
Yes. Some brands run a website under a different name than their legal business name, and the two schema types are allowed to differ, though matching them reduces any risk of confusing a model further.
Related Reading
Go deeper on entity and identity schema:
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