Glossary · Structured data (schema markup)
What is structured data? Schema markup explained simply
Structured data is a label on a page, written for machines, that says what the page is about. This is an article by this person. This is a product at this price. This is a question with this answer.
It’s usually written in JSON-LD, a block of code visitors never see, using the shared vocabulary at schema.org. Search engines can then read the facts directly and don’t have to guess them from the layout.
What schema.org, structured data and rich results each mean
People use these words interchangeably. They’re three different things, controlled by different people.
| Dimension | What it is | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Schema.org | A shared vocabulary of types and properties, such as Organization, Article, Product and Question. | A community project started by the major search engines. It defines the words, not what search engines do with them. |
| Structured data | The code on your page that uses that vocabulary to describe the page’s content. | You. It’s your code, and you’re responsible for its accuracy. |
| Rich results | The enhanced search listings, such as review stars, product prices or breadcrumbs, that some markup makes a page eligible for. | Google. It decides which types qualify, whether to show one, and when to drop a feature. |
What structured data can and can’t do
It makes a page eligible, not entitled
Valid markup lets Google consider a page for a rich result. Google still decides whether to show one, and often doesn’t.
It has to match what the page shows
Google’s rules say markup must describe content visitors can see. Marking up reviews, prices or questions the page doesn’t show can lead to a manual penalty.
The features it enables can disappear
Google limited FAQ rich results to government and health sites in 2023 and, by press reports, removed them entirely in May 2026; HowTo rich results went in 2023. The markup still describes the page; the features built on it are gone.
It won’t lift your rankings
It helps search engines understand a page. It doesn’t make the page more relevant or more trusted than it already is.
What this site marks up, and what it leaves out on purpose
This site describes itself with Organization and WebSite markup. It adds breadcrumbs, articles, author details and question-and-answer pairs where each one shows on the page.
It leaves out LocalBusiness, because there’s no staffed public address to mark up. It leaves out review ratings, because there are no verified reviews yet. It describes its free tools as web pages, not software, because Google requires ratings on software markup and we have none.
Each gap would be easy to fill with made-up data, and each would be a false statement written in code. Mark up what’s true and visible, and nothing else.
How to add structured data without errors
Choose the type that fits the page
An article page is an Article; a product page is a Product. Don’t pile every possible type onto one page hoping one earns something.
Mark up only what visitors can see
Every property should match something visible: the same headline, the same price, the same author. Leave a property out if the page doesn’t say it.
Test it twice
Use Google’s Rich Results Test for the features Google supports, and the Schema Markup Validator for everything else. They check different things.
Keep an eye on it after launch
Search Console’s enhancement reports show errors site-wide. A template change can break markup on thousands of pages at once, so recheck after any redesign.
Questions about structured data
Does structured data improve rankings?
Not directly. Google describes structured data as a way to understand a page and to make it eligible for rich results. It doesn’t call it a ranking boost.
A rich result can win more clicks from the same position, but that comes from how the listing looks, not a higher ranking, and only for the types Google currently supports.
Should I use JSON-LD, Microdata or RDFa?
JSON-LD, in almost every case. Google recommends it, it sits in one block rather than threaded through your HTML, and it’s much harder to break when a designer changes the template.
Will schema markup get me cited in AI answers?
Nobody can promise that. AI tools that fetch pages may read structured data, but none of the major ones say they use it to pick sources.
Markup can state facts about your business clearly, which helps anything that reads the page. The content still has to be the best answer.
References
Sources for structured data
The official documents and research this page is based on. Platform rules change, so check the source before you act on a detail.
Last updated · Published by Zubair Afzal, responsible editor
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