What is Schema.org?

Schema.org is the shared structured-data vocabulary used to describe the meaning of web page content to search engines in a machine-readable way. Started by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Yandex, its types such as Organization, Article, Product and FAQPage are usually added to pages as JSON-LD, a script block that does not change what visitors see.

Last updated: 20 October 2026View as Markdown

In short

In practice, Schema.org markup states plainly what a page is and who stands behind it: a service page becomes Service, a blog post BlogPosting, a company Organization, and pages can be connected into one graph through shared @id values. This makes pages eligible for some rich results and helps AI systems recognise the brand, though it guarantees neither rankings nor citations. Markup must match the visible content. Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator are used to check it.

Key points

Schema.org is a shared vocabulary for describing content to machines.
Structured data is usually added to the page HTML as JSON-LD.
Markup must match the content visitors can see on the page.
No type guarantees a rich result, a ranking or a citation.
Self-serving review markup, where a business rates itself on its own site, breaks Google's policies.

How is it used?

Structured data is added to a page's HTML, usually as JSON-LD inside a <script type="application/ld+json"> block. A service page is described as Service, a blog post as BlogPosting, a company as Organization; pages can be linked into one graph with shared @ids.

Rules

Structured data must match the visible content.
Google has separate guidelines for specific rich results; no type guarantees a result format.
Self-serving review markup (a business rating itself on its own site) is against Google's policies.

Why it matters

It helps search engines and AI systems understand what a page is about and who the brand is. It guarantees neither rankings nor citations on its own; it works together with visible content and evidence.

Last updated: 20 October 2026