Schema Markup: What It Is and Why It Matters for Your Website

What Is Schema?

Schema is code that explicitly tells search engines about your business, content on the page, or a specific item on the page. Visitors don’t actually see it on the page. Schema was originally created to label the content on the page in a very clear way. Google recommends writing schema with JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data). In this format, it lives within a <script type="application/ld+json"> block separate from your main content.

Why Is It Important?

Adding schema to your site makes your pages eligible for rich results in Google. These rich results can take up more space and help you stand out among competitors. In Google’s own case studies, Rotten Tomatoes saw about a 25% higher click-through rate on pages with schema. Food Network saw about 35% more visits after adding schema to most of its pages. Nestlé saw about an 82% higher click-through rate on pages showing rich results.¹

Schema doesn’t make your site rank higher by itself. But a listing that gets clicked more often brings in more visitors, even if it stays in the same spot.

Types of Schema

Google, Microsoft (Bing), Yahoo, and Yandex founded Schema.org together in 2011. There are more than 800 types of schema recognized by Schema.org. Thankfully, you don’t need most of them. Search engines only focus on a few types.

Which Actually Matter

Below are some examples of types that Google and other search engines actually use:

A Few Ground Rules

• Only describe what’s really on the page. If the page doesn’t show your reviews, the schema can’t claim them. Sites that try to mislead can lose their enhanced listings.

• Fill in the details completely. Google needs certain information for each type. If something’s missing, the enhanced listing won’t appear. You can check if your page qualifies with Google’s Rich Results Testing Tool.

• Google has the final say. Even with correct schema, Google decides when to show an enhanced listing.

How to Tell If It’s Working

Google Search Console is Google’s free tool for website owners, and it shows how your schema is doing:

Schema and AI

There isn’t much empirical evidence of schema directly helping AI search results. A large study by Ahrefs found that adding schema to pages already appearing in Google’s AI features and ChatGPT didn’t lead to more mentions.²

Here’s where the major players stand:

• Google: Its AI features don’t require anything special. Following the usual best practices is enough.³

• Microsoft: Microsoft has said schema helps its AI tools, Bing and Copilot, understand websites.⁴

• ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity: None of these companies has publicly confirmed using schema.

In one test, half of the AI tools checked couldn’t see content added by scripts.⁵ Schema built directly into your website, rather than added later through tools like Google Tag Manager, gives it the best chance of being seen.

What Actually Helps to Show Up in AI Answers?

Clear, helpful writing on your website, plus accurate information everywhere else people find you, like your Google Business Profile and review sites. Schema supports that work, but it can’t replace it.

References

1. Google Search Central, “Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search”

2. TechWyse, “Adding JSON-LD schema did not increase AI citations in large-scale: Ahrefs study”

3. Practical Ecommerce, “Google’s optimization guidelines for AI Mode”

4. Search Engine Land, “Microsoft Bing/Copilot use schema for its LLMs”

5. Trusted Shops, “What AI crawlers see and what they don’t”