Structured Data for AI: A Practical Guide

Structured Data for AI: A Practical Guide

Structured data (Schema.org) helps machines understand what your content is (entities, relationships, page type), not just what it says.

It supports both classic SEO and AI-powered discovery, because it makes your content easier to interpret, extract, and reuse.

TL;DR

• Use JSON-LD (recommended) and keep it aligned with visible page content.
• Start with:
  • Organization
  • WebSite
  • BreadcrumbList
  • Article / BlogPosting (for posts)
• Validate with Google’s Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator.
• Re-scan to measure progress: Scan your site.

What structured data can (and can't) do

Structured data can:

• Make entities explicit (organization, product, author, dates)
• Help search engines understand page type
• Improve eligibility for rich results (where applicable)
• Reduce ambiguity for AI systems

Structured data cannot:

• Guarantee higher rankings
• “Fix” thin or unclear content
• Replace good site structure and internal links

If you’re new to the broader concept, start with: What is AI-readiness?.

Why structured data matters for AI systems

AI systems process millions of pages. Structured data helps them:

• Identify entities: people, organizations, products, events
• Understand relationships: author wrote article, company offers product
• Extract facts: dates, prices (if they are visible), ratings, specs
• Cross-check information across sources

JSON-LD basics

JSON-LD is the most widely recommended format because it keeps markup separate from HTML.

Minimal example

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Example Company",
  "url": "https://example.com"
}
</script>

Essential schema types (practical starting set)

1) Organization

Add this on your site (commonly on the homepage and/or globally via layout).

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Example Company",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "logo": "https://example.com/logo.png"
}

2) WebSite

Describes the website as a whole. Add SearchAction only if you have a real, crawlable search URL.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebSite",
  "name": "Example Site",
  "url": "https://example.com"
}

3) BreadcrumbList

Useful for site structure understanding.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Blog",
      "item": "https://example.com/blog"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Structured Data",
      "item": "https://example.com/blog/structured-data-for-ai"
    }
  ]
}

4) Article / BlogPosting

Use this for blog content pages.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BlogPosting",
  "headline": "Structured Data for AI: A Practical Guide",
  "description": "A practical guide to Schema.org JSON-LD.",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Example Team"
  },
  "datePublished": "2025-01-21",
  "dateModified": "2025-01-21"
}

5) FAQPage (only when the Q&A is visible)

FAQ schema can be helpful when you have an on-page FAQ section.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is AI-readiness?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "AI-readiness is how well AI systems can access and understand your website."
      }
    }
  ]
}

Implementation tips

Start simple and expand

Begin with Organization and WebSite, then add schema per page type.

Be accurate

Only mark up information that is:

• True
• Current
• Visible to users on the page

Keep it updated

When you update content, update the schema too (especially dates, product info, and FAQs).

Common mistakes (avoid these)

• Marking up invisible content (spam signal)
• Outdated facts (old prices, old dates)
• Incorrect nesting (broken relationships)
• Copy-pasting examples without customizing URLs

How to validate

1. Google Rich Results Test (where supported): https://search.google.com/test/rich-results
2. Schema Markup Validator: https://validator.schema.org/
3. Measure impact with your AI-readiness score: Scan your site

Related articles

• What is AI-readiness?
• Understanding AI Crawlers
• How to Improve Your AI-Readiness Score

Structured data works best when it supports clear content and a clean site structure.