Structured data helps search engines understand your content explicitly, enabling rich results (snippets, carousels, knowledge panels) that increase click-through rates.

Structured Data (Schema Markup)

Structured data helps search engines understand your content explicitly, enabling rich results (snippets, carousels, knowledge panels) that increase click-through rates.

Principles

1. What Is Structured Data?

Structured data is code (JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa) added to your pages that explicitly describes the content to search engines using the Schema.org vocabulary.

Always use JSON-LD. Google recommends it, it's easiest to implement, and it doesn't interleave with your HTML.

2. Why It Matters for SEO

Rich results: Star ratings, FAQs, how-tos, product prices, events — all powered by structured data
Knowledge Graph: Helps Google understand entities (your brand, people, products)
Voice search: Structured data feeds AI assistants and voice results
CTR boost: Rich results (especially star ratings and pricing) can meaningfully increase CTR, though the impact varies by rich result type, industry, and SERP composition

3. Key Schema Types for SEO

Schema Type	Rich Result	Status	Best For
`Article`	Article snippet	Active	Blog posts, news
`Product`	Price, availability, reviews	Active	E-commerce
`LocalBusiness`	Local panel, map	Active	Local businesses
`Organization`	Knowledge panel	Active	Brand homepages
`BreadcrumbList`	Breadcrumb trail	Active	All pages
`VideoObject`	Video carousel	Active	Video content
`Review` / `AggregateRating`	Star ratings	Active	Products, services
`Event`	Event listing	Active	Events, webinars
`JobPosting`	Job listing	Active	Career pages
`Recipe`	Recipe card	Active	Food/cooking content
`SoftwareApplication`	App info	Active	SaaS, apps
`ProfilePage`	Author/profile info	Active	Author pages, profiles
`FAQPage`	Expandable FAQ	Restricted	Gov/health sites only (restricted Aug 2023)
`HowTo`	~~Step-by-step~~	Removed	Rich result removed Sept 2023

Important: Google periodically changes which schema types generate rich results. Always check Google's search gallery for current status. In 2023, Google removed HowTo rich results entirely and restricted FAQ rich results to well-known government and health websites. Even when a schema type no longer generates a visible rich result, the markup still helps Google understand your content and may influence AI Overviews.

4. Validation

Always validate your structured data:

5. Rules

Only mark up content visible on the page (no hidden content)
Don't duplicate the same @type for the same entity on a page (multiple types on one entity are fine, e.g., "@type": ["Restaurant", "LocalBusiness"])
Use @id for entity linking across pages
Keep structured data accurate — misleading markup = manual action

LLM Instructions

You are a structured data / schema markup specialist. When generating schema:

1. IDENTIFY the page type and match to the appropriate Schema.org type(s).

2. GENERATE valid JSON-LD that:
   - Uses @context: "https://schema.org"
   - Includes ALL required properties for the chosen type
   - Includes recommended properties for richer results
   - Nests related entities (e.g., author inside Article)
   - Uses @id for cross-referencing entities across the site

3. ALWAYS include these baseline schemas on every page:
   - Organization (on homepage, referenced via @id elsewhere)
   - BreadcrumbList
   - WebSite (on homepage, with SearchAction for sitelinks search)

4. VALIDATE that:
   - All required properties are present (check Google's docs)
   - URLs are absolute (not relative)
   - Dates use ISO 8601 format
   - Images meet minimum size requirements (1200x630 recommended)
   - No properties reference invisible/hidden content

5. OUTPUT: Complete JSON-LD script tag, ready to paste into <head>.

6. WARN about:
   - Schema types that no longer generate rich results
   - Properties that are required vs recommended
   - Common validation errors

Examples

Example 1: Article Schema

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Complete Guide to Technical SEO in 2025",
  "description": "Learn everything about technical SEO including crawlability, site structure, and Core Web Vitals.",
  "image": "https://example.com/images/technical-seo-guide.webp",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Jane Smith",
    "url": "https://example.com/authors/jane-smith/"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "SEO Hub",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://example.com/logo.png"
    }
  },
  "datePublished": "2025-01-15",
  "dateModified": "2025-03-20",
  "mainEntityOfPage": {
    "@type": "WebPage",
    "@id": "https://example.com/technical-seo-guide/"
  }
}
</script>

Example 2: FAQ Schema (Restricted — Gov/Health Only)

Warning: As of August 2023, Google only shows FAQ rich results for well-known government and health websites. The markup still helps search engines understand Q&A content, but most sites will not see a visible rich result from it.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is technical SEO?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Technical SEO refers to optimizing your website's infrastructure so search engines can crawl, index, and render your pages effectively. This includes site speed, mobile-friendliness, structured data, and crawlability."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How often should I audit my site's technical SEO?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "You should perform a comprehensive technical SEO audit quarterly, with continuous monitoring of Core Web Vitals and crawl errors via Google Search Console."
      }
    }
  ]
}
</script>

Example 3: Product Schema (E-commerce)

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones",
  "image": [
    "https://store.com/images/headphones-1.webp",
    "https://store.com/images/headphones-2.webp"
  ],
  "description": "Premium wireless headphones with active noise cancellation and 30-hour battery life.",
  "sku": "HP-NC-2025",
  "brand": {
    "@type": "Brand",
    "name": "AudioMax"
  },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "url": "https://store.com/headphones/wireless-nc/",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "price": "299.99",
    "priceValidUntil": "2026-12-31",
    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
    "seller": {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "name": "TechStore"
    }
  },
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.7",
    "reviewCount": "2341"
  }
}
</script>

Example 4: LocalBusiness Schema

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Downtown Coffee Roasters",
  "image": "https://coffeeshop.com/storefront.webp",
  "@id": "https://coffeeshop.com/#business",
  "url": "https://coffeeshop.com/",
  "telephone": "+1-555-123-4567",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "Portland",
    "addressRegion": "OR",
    "postalCode": "97201",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": 45.5152,
    "longitude": -122.6784
  },
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday"],
      "opens": "06:00",
      "closes": "18:00"
    },
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Saturday","Sunday"],
      "opens": "07:00",
      "closes": "16:00"
    }
  ],
  "priceRange": "$$"
}
</script>

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebSite",
  "name": "Example",
  "url": "https://example.com/",
  "potentialAction": {
    "@type": "SearchAction",
    "target": {
      "@type": "EntryPoint",
      "urlTemplate": "https://example.com/search?q={search_term_string}"
    },
    "query-input": "required name=search_term_string"
  }
}
</script>

Common Mistakes

Marking up invisible content: Schema must describe what's visible on the page.
Self-serving reviews: Don't add Review schema for reviews about your own business on your own site.
Using deprecated rich result types: FAQ rich results are restricted to government/health sites since Aug 2023. HowTo rich results were removed entirely in Sept 2023. Check Google's current documentation before implementing.
Missing required fields: Always check Google's structured data docs for required fields.
Duplicate schemas: Don't add the same schema type twice on a page unless representing distinct entities.
Ignoring AI Overviews: Structured data helps AI systems understand and cite your content, even when it doesn't produce a traditional rich result.

See also: Core Web Vitals | Product Page SEO | Google Business Profile

Last reviewed: 2026-02

By Ryan Lind, Assisted by Claude Code and Google Gemini.

Structured Data (Schema Markup)

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