What is Structured Data?
TL;DR
Structured data is any data organized in a standardized, machine-readable format.
Definition
Structured data is any data organized in a standardized, machine-readable format. In the context of SEO and AI, it typically refers to schema markup (JSON-LD) that explicitly defines what your content means - the entities, attributes, and relationships it represents.
Why It Matters
Structured data is the language AI systems speak. By providing it, you remove ambiguity and give AI models explicit context about your business, services, and content. This dramatically improves retrievability and recommendation confidence.
Examples
- JSON-LD script tag in a page's HTML defining a LocalBusiness with services, hours, and reviews
- FAQPage schema listing question-answer pairs that AI can directly retrieve
Frequently Asked Questions
What is structured data in SEO?
Structured data is standardized, machine-readable information (typically JSON-LD schema markup) added to web pages that explicitly tells search engines and AI systems what your content means - defining entities, attributes, and relationships without ambiguity.
How does structured data help with AI search?
Structured data is the language AI systems speak. By providing it, you give AI models explicit, unambiguous context about your business, services, and content, dramatically improving the likelihood of being retrieved and recommended for relevant queries.
What's the difference between structured data and schema markup?
Structured data is the broader concept - any data organized in a standardized format. Schema markup is the specific implementation of structured data using Schema.org vocabulary, typically delivered as JSON-LD in a page's HTML.
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