Technical SEO · Glossary · Updated Apr 2026

Structured data

Definition

Structured data is machine-readable metadata embedded in a web page that describes its content in a standardized vocabulary (usually Schema.org). It enables rich results — stars, prices, events, FAQs — in the SERP and helps search engines understand the page's entities.

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Long definition

Structured data is the layer on top of HTML that turns prose into typed data. Instead of Googlebot guessing that "$49.99 · In stock" is a product price and availability, structured data declares {"@type": "Offer", "price": "49.99", "availability": "InStock"} unambiguously.

Google supports three formats, but strongly prefers JSON-LD — a <script type="application/ld+json"> block typically placed in the <head>. The alternatives are Microdata (attributes on existing HTML elements) and RDFa (ditto, different vocabulary). JSON-LD wins because it decouples data from markup: you can update it without touching the DOM.

The vocabulary almost everyone uses is Schema.org, a joint effort by Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex. It defines hundreds of types (Article, Product, Recipe, Event, LocalBusiness, FAQPage, ...) and the properties each type accepts.

Not every type generates rich results. Google publishes an evolving list of supported rich result types; marking up types outside that list still helps with entity understanding but won't show visual enhancements in the SERP.

Common misconceptions

"Structured data is a ranking signal." It's not directly, per Google. It's an enablement signal — it unlocks rich results and helps entity resolution, which can increase CTR and clarify query-to-page matching. Indirect lift, but real.
"More types = better." Layering unrelated schemas on a page (Product + Recipe + FAQ + HowTo on the same URL) confuses Google and risks penalties for misuse. One primary type per page, plus BreadcrumbList and Organization, is usually the right scope.
"Schema has to match visible content exactly." Close. Google requires the marked-up content to be visibly present on the page. Invisible schema (say, fake reviews) violates the guidelines and can trigger manual actions.
"Validate once, forget." Schemas drift as you update content. Use the Rich Results Test in CI for your critical templates.

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