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How Tour Operators Can Improve SEO with Structured Data Markup
- Chaz Desousa
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
If you run tours or activities, being easy to find online is everything. You can have a great website, but if Google doesn’t understand what your page is about, you’ll struggle to show up in search results.
That’s where structured data markup comes in. It tells search engines exactly what your business offers — things like tour names, prices, locations, and availability — so they can display that information in search results in a more useful way.
This guide covers how structured data works, how to add it to your website, how to check that it’s working, and how to fix any problems.
1. What Structured Data Markup Is
Structured data (or “schema”) is a small block of code that describes the information on your page in a format search engines can read. Most of the time it’s written in JSON-LD, which sits in the <head> of your webpage.
Here’s a simple example for a tour page:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "TouristAttraction",
"name": "Old Montreal Walking Tour",
"description": "Explore the cobblestone streets, historic architecture, and waterfront of Old Montreal with a certified local guide.",
"image": "https://example.com/images/old-montreal.jpg",
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"price": "45",
"priceCurrency": "CAD",
"availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
"url": "https://example.com/old-montreal-tour"
},
"location": {
"@type": "Place",
"name": "Old Montreal",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"addressLocality": "Montreal",
"addressRegion": "QC",
"addressCountry": "CA"
}
}
}
</script>
This example tells Google that the page is about a walking tour in Montreal, and that it’s something people can book online.
2. Why It Matters for Tour Operators
Adding structured data helps Google display your listings in a clearer, more complete way. It makes your search result stand out with details like prices, reviews, and location.
It also improves your local SEO by tying your tour information to your business listing, which helps when people search for activities in your city.
Even small operators benefit from this. Google’s goal is to show every kind of activity, not just those from large travel sites.
3. How to Add Structured Data to Your Website
There are a few ways to do it:
If you use a website builderPlatforms like WordPress, Wix, and Shopify have plugins or apps that make adding schema easier. Tools like RankMath, Yoast, or JSON-LD for SEO are popular options.
If you manage your own siteYou can copy and paste the JSON-LD code directly into your page’s <head> section. This gives you full control and is usually the cleanest way to do it.
If you prefer a visual toolTry a free schema generator like Merkle’s Schema Generator or Google’s Markup Helper. You just fill in the blanks and it gives you the code to copy.
4. How to Check That It’s Working
Once your markup is live, you’ll want to make sure Google can read it.
There are a few free tools for that:
Google Rich Results Testhttps://search.google.com/test/rich-resultsEnter your URL or paste in your code. It will show if your page qualifies for rich results.
Schema.org Validatorhttps://validator.schema.org/This checks the technical side — whether your schema is valid and correctly formatted.
Google Search ConsoleAdd your site and check the “Enhancements” or “Rich Results” section. It will show if Google found your structured data and if there are any issues.
5. How to Fix Common Errors
Sometimes your schema won’t validate right away. Here are the most common problems and how to fix them:
6. Combine SEO and Structured Data
Structured data helps, but it works best when your SEO basics are solid.
Write clear titles and meta descriptions that mention your city and activity.
Keep your business name, address, and phone number consistent across your site and Google Business Profile.
Link to your social accounts in your schema with the "sameAs" property.
Group similar tours together with internal links (like “Food Tours in Montreal” or “Walking Tours in Quebec City”).
The more consistent your data, the better search engines can understand your business.
7. Final Thoughts
Structured data markup isn’t just a tech thing — it’s part of how you show Google that your business is real and organized.
When search engines understand your tours, they can display them better, and that means more visibility for your business. It takes a little setup, but once you’ve done it, it can make a big difference in how people find you online.
At Cheap Fun Things To Do, we help tour operators and activity providers get discovered online. Our platform connects your experiences to travelers searching on Google by setting up and maintaining your Google Things To Do listings. We handle the structured data and technical setup so your tours appear where people are already looking — in Google Search, Maps, and travel results — without the hassle of managing complex integrations.
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