Why schema markup is a non-negotiable for biotech and healthcare SEO

By Beth Cooper, JD / MBA

When it comes to digital marketing in healthcare and biotech, the industry plays by different rules—and so does Google. If you’re not using schema markup, you’re making it harder for search engines (and potential customers) to understand, trust, and surface your content. And in an industry where credibility, authority, and trust are everything, that’s a risk you can’t afford.

Here’s why schema markup is NOT optional for biotech and health brands—and how to implement it to maximize visibility, engagement, and patient or HCP trust.

What is schema markup

Think of schema markup as structured data that labels your content in a way search engines can actually understand. It’s a behind-the-scenes vocabulary (maintained by Schema.org) that gives Google clear, machine-readable context about your pages.

For example:

• A biotech company’s clinical trial page might use schema markup to highlight trial phase, location, conditions studied, and eligibility criteria—helping Google surface it for relevant searches.
• A medical device manufacturer’s product page can use schema to display FDA approval status, intended use, and key specifications right in search results.
• A health tech thought leadership article with author schema ensures Google recognizes an MD, PhD, RN, or industry expert as the author—boosting credibility and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

Without schema? You’re leaving it up to Google to guess—which means less visibility, lower rankings, and fewer high-intent visitors.

Why schema markup matters more for health and biotech

Google’s E-E-A-T algorithm and YMYL content

Biotech and healthcare content falls under YMYL (your money or your life)—a category where Google holds content to a much higher standard because misinformation can literally impact health and safety.

Schema markup helps prove expertise and authority, which increases rankings and trust. If your competitors are using it and you’re not? Google will trust them more than you.

Example:

A biotech company publishing research-backed articles should use author schema to highlight industry credentials—because content written by an MD or PhD ranks better than an anonymous post.

Rich results = more clicks and conversions

Schema markup unlocks rich results—enhanced search listings that stand out and attract clicks.

A standard search result:

Clinical Trial XYZ | [Company Name]

www.company.com/clinical-trial

A search result with schema markup:

Clinical Trial XYZ - Enrolling now
Condition: Rare genetic disorder
Location: Mayo Clinic, MN
Phase: 2B
Eligibility: Adults 18–65
www.company.com/clinical-trial

That extra detail in search results makes users more likely to click, because they already know it’s relevant before they even land on the page.

AI, voice search, and the future of SEO

As AI-driven search (like Google’s Search Generative Experience, or SGE) and voice search become more dominant, structured data is non-negotiable.

Voice assistants and AI-generated results pull directly from structured data—meaning if you don’t have schema markup, your content won’t be featured.

Without schema:

“Here are some links that might help.”

With schema:

“According to [your biotech company], this drug is in Phase 3 trials for XYZ condition.”

If AI-driven search is answering questions without sending traffic, you need to own the answer—which schema helps you do.

How to implement schema markup in healthcare and biotech

Step 1: identify key schema types

For biotech and health companies, the most important schema types include:

• MedicalCondition – Describes a condition or disease
• MedicalProcedure – Details on surgical or diagnostic procedures
• MedicalTrial – Includes trial phase, eligibility, and status
• Drug – Essential for pharma or medtech brands
• Organization – Defines your company’s structure, leadership, and focus
• Person – Use for author bios and expert validation
• FAQPage – Excellent for common patient or provider questions

Step 2: add schema to your pages

There are a few ways to do this:

• Manually with JSON-LD (Google’s preferred method)
• With Google Tag Manager
• With schema plugins (like RankMath or Yoast, if you're using WordPress)

Step 3: test and validate

Use Google’s Rich Results Test tool and monitor Google Search Console for structured data errors.

But… is it expensive?

Not really. For something that boosts discoverability across search, voice, and AI, schema markup is one of the most cost-effective SEO upgrades you can make.

• For small to mid-size companies, expect to pay in the 4 figures for a comprehensive schema audit, implementation on priority pages, and setup of monitoring tools.
• For larger enterprise organizations with hundreds of content pieces, custom schemas, or multiple web properties, costs are more likely to be in the low-to-mid 5 figures, depending on scope and complexity.

How often should you update it?

• Smaller companies should update schema markup at least twice a year, or any time there’s a major site change, product launch, or new clinical milestone.
• Larger organizations should treat schema as part of their core SEO maintenance—quarterly reviews are ideal to ensure nothing breaks and everything stays aligned with Google’s evolving standards.

The bottom line

If you’re in biotech, pharma, medtech, or healthcare, schema markup isn’t a technical nice-to-have. It’s a visibility multiplier, a trust signal, and a futureproofing strategy for AI-driven search.

• It helps Google understand and trust your content
• It improves performance in a high-regulation industry
• It drives more clicks from more qualified audiences
• It gives your content the best shot at appearing in AI summaries and voice search answers

Most companies in your space aren’t doing this well—which is exactly why you should.

Want to make sure your content is schema-ready, trusted, and built to win? We do that.

AI-assisted content disclaimer:

This article was developed in collaboration with generative AI to support research, structure, and drafting. Final content was reviewed, edited, and approved by a human strategist to ensure accuracy, clarity, and brand alignment.