What is structured data?

By the Variask team · Updated

Definition

Structured data is code added to a page, usually JSON-LD using the Schema.org vocabulary, that describes its content in a machine readable way, such as a product's price, an article's author or a company's logo.

Also called Schema markup, Schema.org, JSON-LD

With Variask: The free Variask schema generator writes JSON-LD for common types, and site health checks flag missing markup.

Useful types for AI search

  • Organization: name, logo, links to official profiles.
  • Product and Offer: price, availability, ratings.
  • Article: headline, author, dates.
  • FAQPage and HowTo: questions and steps.
  • LocalBusiness: address, hours and contact details.

What it means for brands

  • Structured data removes guesswork about key facts, which helps search engines and AI systems alike.
  • Keep it in sync with the visible page; mismatches hurt trust.

Questions

Structured data:
common questions

Search engines use it directly, and AI systems that rely on search indexes benefit from it. It is a low cost way to make facts unambiguous.

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Full glossary