Definition
Schema Markup (Structured Data)
Schema markup is code added to a webpage that explicitly labels its content for search engines and AI systems, using a shared vocabulary defined by schema.org.
Without schema markup, a search engine or AI crawler has to infer what a page is about purely from unstructured text. With it, a page can explicitly declare “this is a Service,” “this is a FAQPage,” or “this is an Article,” removing ambiguity. This is especially important for GEO, since AI systems rely heavily on structured data to confidently extract and cite information rather than risk misrepresenting an unstructured page.
Schema Markup in practice
A service page might include FAQPage markup listing its questions and answers, Service markup naming the service, the provider and the area served, and BreadcrumbList markup showing where the page sits on the site. None of it changes what visitors see, but it tells search engines and AI tools exactly what the page contains.
Related terms
Common questions about Schema Markup
What are the most useful schema types for a business website?
Organization or LocalBusiness for the business itself, Service or Product for what you sell, FAQPage for question-and-answer content, Article for blog posts, and BreadcrumbList for site structure.
Does schema markup improve rankings?
Not directly, but it can make a page eligible for rich results and helps search engines and AI systems understand the content accurately, which can improve clicks and citations.
How do I test schema markup?
Use Google's Rich Results Test to check eligibility for rich results, and the Schema.org validator to check the markup is valid.
What format should schema markup use?
JSON-LD, a block of code in the page's HTML, is the format Google recommends. It keeps the markup separate from the visible content, which makes it easier to add and maintain.
