Structured Data

Also known as: Schema.org markup · JSON-LD

Machine-readable annotations in your HTML that tell search engines what the page is about. Powers rich results in SERP.

Structured data is metadata embedded in a web page that follows a shared vocabulary — most commonly schema.org — so search engines and other consumers can understand what the page represents without parsing the visible content. The dominant format is JSON-LD: a `<script type="application/ld+json">` block in the head with a JSON object declaring `@type`, `@context`, and properties.

The payoff is rich results in search: star ratings on review pages, breadcrumbs in the URL line, FAQ accordions in the SERP itself, sitelinks for an organization. The same markup feeds into knowledge panels, voice assistants, and aggregators that read schema natively.

Most commercial sites should ship at minimum: Organization (or LocalBusiness), BreadcrumbList on every non-home page, Article on long-form content, and FAQPage on Q&A sections. Validation tools like Google’s Rich Results Test catch most mistakes before they ship.

Specs & references

→ schema.org