The schema types that matter
You don't need dozens of types. A handful cover almost every page and map directly to how AI engines summarize content.
Organization / WebSite covers site-wide identity and the sitelinks search box — put it on your homepage. Article carries author, publish date, and headline — put it on every blog post. FAQPage marks up question/answer pairs and powers FAQ rich results and Q&A answers. HowTo marks up ordered steps and powers step-by-step rich results and instructional answers. Product / SoftwareApplication carries name, price, and rating — put it on product and tool pages. BreadcrumbList describes page hierarchy, shows in results, and helps engines understand structure.
Add it, then validate it
Invalid JSON-LD is worse than none — engines ignore it or flag errors. After adding markup, validate with Google's Rich Results Test and the schema.org validator, and make sure the structured data matches what's actually visible on the page (engines penalize markup that describes content users can't see).
seo·check flags whether your page ships any JSON-LD as part of its SEO and GEO scores, so you can spot pages missing structured data at a glance.
frequently asked
- Does JSON-LD directly improve rankings?
- Not as a ranking factor by itself, but it unlocks rich results and gives engines confident, structured facts — both of which improve visibility and click-through. For AI search, structured data makes your content easier to cite accurately.
- Can I put multiple JSON-LD blocks on one page?
- Yes. It's common to have an Organization block, an Article block, and an FAQPage block on the same page. Use separate script tags or a single @graph array — both are valid.
- What happens if my JSON-LD doesn't match the visible content?
- Engines treat mismatched or hidden structured data as spammy and may ignore it or apply a manual action. Always mark up content that's actually present and visible on the page.
Published February 25, 2026 · Last updated June 16, 2026