Glossary
Structured data (schema) – what does it mean?
Definition
Structured data (schema): structured data is a machine-readable description embedded in a website of what the page contains (company, product, price, FAQ).
It is built into the page in JSON-LD format; Google and AI search tools use it to understand the type of the page and its facts.
How it works
The pages of a website can contain hidden markup in their source code: in JSON-LD format, which describes the content of the page. Visitors do not see it; Google and AI search tools, however, use it to understand what type of page it is and what facts are available.
The markup is added by the developer or generated by a plugin. If the type of a page is marked up, the search engine can show its content in a highlighted form on the results page.
An example from a company
On a store’s website, the price page gets Product and Offer schema, and the FAQ page gets FAQPage markup. From this, the search engine knows that one page contains price and product data, and the other contains questions and answers. This way, AI search tools can quote the facts on the page more accurately.
What this means for business owners
Ask your website developer whether the site has schema markup, and on which pages. The markup leaves the page that visitors see unchanged; it helps search engines and AI tools interpret it.
If the schema is missing, the facts reach search engines less easily, and AI search tools may quote the price or the product data less accurately. Also ask whether the markup is updated when the price or the stock changes. Outdated markup can pass on incorrect data.
What to do now?
Do you have a question about your own website or online store? Request a demo or see pricing.