What is Schema markup?

Definition

Schema markup is structured data added to a web page in a shared vocabulary (defined at schema.org) that describes what the content is in machine-readable form. The most common implementation is JSON-LD — a JSON object embedded in a <script type="application/ld+json"> tag — though Microdata and RDFa are also supported.

Schema.org defines hundreds of types (Article, Product, LocalBusiness, Recipe, FAQPage, HowTo, Organization, Person, and many more), each with properties that describe the entity. A well-implemented schema on a product page, for example, includes price, availability, aggregate rating, review count, brand, and SKU — every field Google needs to display the merchant listing rich result.

Why It Matters

Schema markup drives three material SEO outcomes:

1. Rich results. Star ratings, prices, event dates, recipe times, and other rich features in the SERP typically require matching schema markup to display.
2. AI citation eligibility. Industry studies have found that pages with structured data receive substantially higher AI citation rates than pages without, especially for FAQ, Article, and Organization schemas.
3. Knowledge graph entity signals. Organization and Person schema help Google build the brand entity graph that powers knowledge panels and disambiguation.

Missing or incorrect schema is one of the most common technical SEO gaps and one of the highest-leverage fixes, because a single well-implemented schema often unlocks a rich-result feature that materially improves click-through rate.

How It Works

The most common way to implement schema on a modern site is JSON-LD embedded in the page head:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "What is Schema Markup?",
  "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jameson" },
  "datePublished": "2026-07-13"
}
</script>

The @context declares the vocabulary, @type declares the entity type, and the remaining properties describe the entity. Google's Rich Results Test validates the markup and shows which rich features it is eligible for.

SEObolt's Schema Generator supports 63 JSON-LD schema types with a visual form builder and real-time validation, so you can build schema markup without writing JSON by hand.

Related

• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — schema markup is a core GEO signal
• Google AI Overviews — often cite pages with strong structured data
• NAP consistency — LocalBusiness schema is the on-site half of NAP
• Schema Generator (SEObolt feature) — visual builder for 63 schema types

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need schema markup for SEO?

Schema is not a direct ranking factor in the traditional keyword-ranking sense, but it materially enables rich results and correlates strongly with AI citation rates. For product pages, article pages, local businesses, and pages targeting rich-result eligibility, schema markup is functionally required to compete.

Which schema types matter most?

The highest-leverage types vary by page purpose. Product schema is essential for ecommerce PDPs. LocalBusiness schema is essential for local business sites. Article and FAQPage schemas broadly benefit content sites. Organization schema on every page reinforces brand entity signals. Most sites should implement at least Organization site-wide plus the page-type appropriate schema on each template.

How do I validate my schema markup?

Use Google's Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results) to validate that the markup parses correctly and to see which rich-result features it is eligible for. Schema.org's validator is useful for checking specification compliance. SEObolt's Schema Generator validates in real time as you build.