| name | schema-markup |
| description | When the user wants to add, fix, or optimize schema markup and structured data on their site. Also use when the user mentions 'schema markup,' 'structured data,' 'JSON-LD,' 'rich snippets,' or 'schema.org.' |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, WebSearch, WebFetch, AskUserQuestion |
| model | sonnet |
Schema Markup & Structured Data
Expert knowledge for implementing, validating, and optimizing schema.org structured data to earn rich results in search engines and improve AI citation potential.
Why Schema Markup Matters
Schema markup (structured data) does two things:
- Helps search engines understand your content's structure and context
- Makes your content eligible for rich results (enhanced SERP features)
Rich results improve CTR by 20-30% vs standard results. AI search engines (Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) also use structured data to extract and attribute information.
Implementation Method: JSON-LD
Always use JSON-LD (not Microdata or RDFa). JSON-LD is recommended by Google because:
- It's placed in
<head> (doesn't affect page HTML structure)
- Easier to implement and maintain
- Works with dynamic content
JSON-LD placement:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "TypeName",
...
}
</script>
Place in <head> of each page where it applies. Multiple JSON-LD blocks are supported — use one block per schema type.
Priority Schema Types
1. Organization
Every site should have this on the homepage.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Your Company Name",
"url": "https://www.yoursite.com",
"logo": "https://www.yoursite.com/logo.png",
"description": "One-paragraph description of what you do",
"contactPoint": {
"@type": "ContactPoint",
"telephone": "+1-555-555-5555",
"contactType": "customer service",
"availableLanguage": "English"
},
"sameAs": [
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourcompany",
"https://twitter.com/yourcompany",
"https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/yourcompany"
]
sameAs is critical for entity disambiguation — links to your authoritative profiles on other platforms help AI systems recognize your brand as a unified entity.
2. SoftwareApplication (for SaaS products)
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "Product Name",
"applicationCategory": "BusinessApplication",
"operatingSystem": "Web, iOS, Android",
"description": "What your product does in 1-2 sentences",
"url": "https://www.yoursite.com",
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"price": "0",
"priceCurrency": "USD",
"description": "Free trial available"
},
"aggregateRating": {
"@type": "AggregateRating",
3. FAQPage
The highest-impact schema for earning rich results and AI citations.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What is [Product Name]?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Direct answer in 1-3 sentences. Plain language."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How much does [Product Name] cost?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "[Product Name] starts at $X/month. Plans available from $X to $X. Free trial available."
}
Best pages for FAQPage schema:
- FAQ page (obvious)
- Pricing page (questions about cost, trials, contracts)
- Feature pages (questions about how each feature works)
- Comparison/alternative pages (questions about vs competitors)
4. HowTo
For step-by-step guides and tutorials.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "HowTo",
"name": "How to [accomplish the task]",
"description": "Brief description of the outcome",
"totalTime": "PT15M",
"step": [
{
"@type": "HowToStep",
"name": "Step 1 name",
"text": "Clear description of what to do in this step",
"image": "https://www.yoursite.com/step1-image.jpg"
},
{
"@type": "HowToStep",
"name": "Step 2 name",
"text": "Clear description of step 2"
}
Use on tutorial blog posts, guide articles, and documentation.
5. Article / BlogPosting
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "BlogPosting",
"headline": "Full Article Title Here",
"description": "Article summary (1-2 sentences — use the meta description)",
"image": "https://www.yoursite.com/article-image.jpg",
"datePublished": "2024-01-15",
"dateModified": "2024-03-20",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Author Full Name",
"url": "https://www.yoursite.com/author/name",
"jobTitle": "Title at Company"
},
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization"
The dateModified field signals freshness to search engines. Always update it when content is significantly revised.
6. Product
For product pages with pricing.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Product Name",
"description": "Product description",
"brand": {
"@type": "Brand",
"name": "Company Name"
},
"offers": {
"@type": "AggregateOffer",
"priceCurrency": "USD",
"lowPrice": "29",
"highPrice": "299",
"offerCount": "3"
},
"aggregateRating": {
"@type":
7. BreadcrumbList
Required for sites with hierarchical structure. Improves navigation appearance in SERPs.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"name": "Home",
"item": "https://www.yoursite.com"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 2,
"name": "Blog",
"item": "https://www.yoursite.com/blog"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 3,
Schema Validation
Always validate before deploying:
-
Google Rich Results Test: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results
- Tests eligibility for specific rich result types
- Shows warnings and errors
-
Schema Markup Validator: https://validator.schema.org/
- More permissive than Google's tool
- Validates against schema.org spec
-
Google Search Console Rich Results report:
- Shows errors and warnings across your indexed pages
- Lag of 1-7 days after deployment
Common validation errors:
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|
| Missing required field | Schema type requires fields not included | Add the required field |
| Invalid URL format | URL doesn't start with http:// or https:// | Fix URL format |
| Invalid date format | Should be ISO 8601 (2024-01-15) | Fix date format |
| Rating value out of range | ratingValue > bestRating | Ensure ratingValue ≤ bestRating |
| Duplicate content | Same schema type appears twice on page | Merge into one block |
Rich Result Eligibility
Not all schema types produce rich results. Current Google-supported rich results:
| Schema Type | Rich Result |
|---|
| FAQPage | Expandable Q&A in SERP |
| HowTo | Step-by-step instructions in SERP |
| Product | Price, rating, availability badge |
| Article | Top stories, author byline |
| Review/AggregateRating | Star ratings in SERP |
| Event | Event card with date and location |
| JobPosting | Job listing cards |
| Recipe | Recipe cards with images |
FAQPage is the highest-priority for SaaS because it's available on any content page and produces the largest SERP real estate expansion.
Implementation Checklist by Site Type
SaaS company homepage:
Pricing page:
Blog posts:
Tutorial / how-to content:
Comparison / alternative pages:
Common Rationalizations
| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|
| "Schema is optional — we rank fine without it" | You rank despite not having schema. With schema, you may rank in rich result positions above traditional results. |
| "We'll add it to every page at once later" | Prioritize by impact: FAQ and HowTo first. Don't let perfect be the enemy of deployed. |
| "Our CMS adds schema automatically" | CMS-generated schema is often generic or incomplete. Review what's generated against the eligibility requirements. |
| "Schema only matters for Google" | AI systems (Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot) use structured data for content extraction and attribution. |
| "We validated it once — it's done" | Schema validation is ongoing. Content changes break schema. GSC rich results report is your ongoing monitor. |
Verification
