Short definition

Structured data — machine-readable information that describes a page, organization, article, product, or other entity and how its parts relate.

Also known as: structured data markup, schema markup, Schema.org markup.

Structured data describes a page and its entities in a machine-readable format. Visitors read headings and summaries; search engines can also read explicit types and properties that identify an article, its author, topic, and questions and answers.

How does structured data work?

With JSON-LD, a script block in the head or body contains data expressed with the Schema.org vocabulary. Types such as Article, FAQPage, Product, and DefinedTerm each describe a specific kind of content. Search engines combine that description with their own reading of the page.

What does this mean for a small business?

Structured data can help search engines interpret page details and make content eligible for rich results such as breadcrumbs or product snippets. The markup must accurately describe what appears on the page. Misleading markup may be ignored and can lead to a manual action.

What should you watch for with structured data?

  • describe only what is actually visible on the page;
  • use Google’s Rich Results Test for supported search features and the Schema.org validator for the underlying vocabulary;
  • choose the simplest suitable type instead of stacking types;
  • keep markup in sync when content moves or changes;

How it relates to other website choices

Structured data supports SEO, and URLs in the markup should match the page’s canonical URL. Semantic HTML explains how HTML elements give visible page content a meaningful structure.