Technical SEO · Glossary
What is structured data (schema markup)?
Structured data is code, usually JSON-LD using the schema.org vocabulary, that states in machine-readable form what a page is and what it contains: an article, a product, a person, an organization, an FAQ, a video and their properties.
Written by Noor KhanWhy Structured data matters
It removes ambiguity for search engines, makes pages eligible for rich results, and helps systems connect your content to the right entities. It doesn't guarantee rankings or citations, but it makes your information easier to use accurately.
How Structured data works
- JSON-LD is placed in the page's HTML and read by crawlers.
- Types (Article, Organization, Product) and properties (author, price, sameAs) describe the content.
- Google supports specific types for rich results and validates them in Search Console.
How to apply it
- Add Organization or Person schema sitewide, with sameAs links.
- Use Article/BlogPosting with a real author on content, and BreadcrumbList for structure.
- Mark up products, videos and FAQs where they genuinely exist on the page.
- Validate with Google's Rich Results Test.
Example
A podcast episode page marked up with VideoObject and Clip markup can show key moments in Google's video results.
Common mistake
Marking up content that isn't visible on the page, or adding schema types that don't match it. That can lose rich result eligibility.
Not sure how Structured data applies to your site? Book a strategy call, request a free gap snapshot, or ask the assistant.