What is structured data?
Structured data (commonly implemented as JSON-LD) is a standardized format that helps search engines understand your content beyond plain text. It uses the Schema.org vocabulary to describe things like articles, products, events, FAQs, and more.
Why does it matter?
Rich results in Google
Structured data can unlock enhanced search result features:
- Star ratings — Product and review ratings shown in results
- FAQ dropdowns — Expandable Q&A directly in search results
- Breadcrumbs — Navigation trail shown below the title
- Recipe cards — Cooking time, calories, images
- Event details — Date, location, ticket info
- How-to steps — Step-by-step instructions with images
Higher CTR
Rich results are more visually prominent in search results. They take up more space and attract more clicks — studies show they can increase CTR by 20-30%.
Better understanding
Even without rich results, structured data helps search engines understand relationships between entities on your page.
How to fix it
Add JSON-LD in a <script> tag inside <head> or <body>:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "WebPage",
"name": "Your Page Title",
"description": "Your page description",
"url": "https://yoursite.com/page"
}
</script>For articles/blog posts
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Your Article Title",
"description": "Article summary",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Author Name"
},
"datePublished": "2025-01-15",
"image": "https://yoursite.com/og-image.jpg"
}
</script>Common schema types
| Type | Use for |
|---|---|
WebPage |
General pages |
Article |
Blog posts, news |
Product |
E-commerce products |
FAQPage |
FAQ sections |
Organization |
Company info |
BreadcrumbList |
Navigation breadcrumbs |
HowTo |
Tutorials, guides |
Best practices
- Use JSON-LD — Google recommends it over Microdata or RDFa
- Validate with Google — Use Rich Results Test
- Be accurate — Don't add schema for content that doesn't exist on the page
- Start simple — Add WebPage or Article schema first, then expand