What is Structured Data Markup / Schema.org?

Updated March 2026
Definition

Structured data markup is machine-readable code, usually JSON-LD, that explicitly labels what your content is: an FAQ, an article, a product, an organization. It helps both traditional and AI engines interpret and index a page correctly.

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At a glance
  • Categories Technical
  • Related fields SEO, Technical
  • Difficulty Intermediate

How Structured Data Markup / Schema.org Works

Schema.org is the shared vocabulary for those labels. Add it and you tell engines, in their own language, "this section is a list of FAQs," or "this is the author." The page looks the same to a human, but machines understand it far more precisely.

Why Structured Data Markup / Schema.org Matters

When an engine knows exactly what each part of your page is, it can use those parts with more confidence, like pulling your FAQ answers straight into a response. Markup is one of the most direct ways to make content easy for AI to read and extract.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Do I need to code to add schema?

    It helps, but plenty of platforms and plugins generate structured data without hand-coding.

  • Which types matter for AI search?

    FAQ, Article, Organization, and DefinedTerm are common starting points, depending on the page.

Related terms