Structured data
STRUK-cherd DAY-tuh
Machine-readable information added to web pages that helps search engines and AI systems understand page content.
Structured data is information on your web pages formatted so that machines can read it. While humans read your blog post as prose, search engines and AI systems read the structured data to understand what the page is about, what entities it mentions, and how it relates to other content.
The most common format is JSON-LD using the Schema.org vocabulary. But structured data also includes Open Graph tags (for social media previews), Twitter Cards, and meta tags. All of these help different systems understand and present your content.
In the AI era, structured data matters even more. AI systems that retrieve and cite information rely on structured signals to understand what a page offers. A page with DefinedTerm schema is more likely to be cited as a definition source than a page without it.
Examples
A site implements structured data across all page types.
Blog posts use Article schema. Glossary pages use DefinedTerm schema. The about page uses Organization schema. Product pages use Product schema. Each page type has the appropriate structured data, giving search engines and AI systems clear signals about the content.
Structured data enables a rich result in Google.
A how-to article includes HowTo schema with step-by-step instructions. Google displays the steps directly in search results. The rich result takes up more visual space on the page and attracts 25% more clicks.
An AI system uses structured data to cite a source.
When asked 'what is net dollar retention,' the AI finds a page with DefinedTerm structured data. The structured definition field provides a clean, citable answer. The AI includes the source URL in its response.
In practice
Read more on the blog
Frequently asked questions
Is structured data the same as schema markup?
Schema markup is a type of structured data, but not the only type. Structured data is the broader concept: any machine-readable information on a web page. This includes JSON-LD schema, Open Graph tags, meta descriptions, and Twitter Cards.
How do you test structured data?
Use Google's Rich Results Test to check if your structured data is valid and eligible for rich results. Use Schema.org's validator for general schema validation. Google Search Console reports structured data errors for your entire site.
Related terms
Structured data added to web pages that helps search engines understand the content and display rich results.
The practice of optimizing content so that AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude cite and surface it in their responses.
The page displayed by a search engine in response to a query, containing organic results, ads, and rich features.
A highlighted answer box at the top of Google search results that extracts and displays content from a web page.
Want the complete playbook?
Picks and Shovels is the definitive guide to developer marketing. Amazon #1 bestseller with practical strategies from 30 years of marketing to developers.