Schema markup for SEO and AI search
Schema markup is structured data that states, in a machine-readable way, what a page is about. It helps search engines understand your content and can make pages eligible for rich results. It does not guarantee rankings or AI citations.
JSON-LD in one example
JSON-LD is the format Google recommends. It lives in a script tag, separate from your visible HTML:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Example Co",
"url": "https://www.example.com/",
"logo": "https://www.example.com/logo.png",
"sameAs": ["https://www.linkedin.com/company/example"]
}
</script>Types worth adding first
| Type | Use on | Key properties |
|---|---|---|
| Organization or LocalBusiness | Home page | name, url, logo, sameAs, address and telephone for a local business |
| WebSite | Home page | name, url |
| Article / BlogPosting | Posts and guides | headline, image, datePublished, author |
| Product | Product pages | name, image, offers, review or aggregateRating |
| Service | Service pages | name, provider, areaServed |
| BreadcrumbList | Inner pages | itemListElement with position, name, item |
| FAQPage | Pages with visible Q&A | mainEntity with Question and acceptedAnswer |
Rules that keep you safe
- Mark up only what users can see on the page.
- Do not invent reviews or ratings. That violates Google's guidelines and can lead to penalties.
- Keep values current: prices, hours, phone numbers.
- Google restricts FAQ rich results to a limited set of authoritative sites, so do not expect FAQ snippets for most sites. The markup can still clarify the page.
How it helps AI search
Schema makes entities, relationships and facts explicit, which can reduce ambiguity for systems that read your page. Search providers have not published guarantees that markup increases AI citations, so treat it as a clarity and eligibility measure, not a lever.
Test it
Use the EZWebRank schema checker for a quick look at required and recommended properties, then confirm in Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema.org validator.
Frequently asked questions
Is JSON-LD better than microdata?
Google recommends JSON-LD because it is easier to maintain. Microdata and RDFa are also supported.
Does schema improve rankings?
Not directly. It can help engines understand pages and unlock rich results where eligible.
Related
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