Why structured data matters
It helps automated systems recognise the type of content, its properties and relationships more clearly. It does not replace sound HTML or content quality, but it can make a page easier to interpret and more likely to qualify for selected result presentations.
Most commonly used types
- Article / BlogPosting — articles and blog posts.
- Product + Offer + AggregateRating — e-commerce and reviews.
- FAQPage, HowTo — guide-style content.
- Organization, LocalBusiness, BreadcrumbList — company data and navigation.
- DefinedTerm / DefinedTermSet — glossaries and term dictionaries.
Best practices
Markup must describe content actually visible on the page — a mismatch risks a manual action. Validate the implementation with Google's Rich Results Test and keep structured data in the prerendered HTML rather than injecting it with client-side JavaScript.
Example
JSON-LD for a blog article — the Article type describes the headline, author and publish date visible on the page.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "How to reduce LCP on a product page",
"author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anna Kowalska" },
"datePublished": "2026-04-11",
"image": "https://example.com/hero.jpg"
}
</script>How to validate the implementation
- Check JSON-LD syntax (the parser should report no errors).
- Confirm values match content visible on the page.
- Confirm the type and properties fit that page template.
- Re-check after template changes or deploys — preferably with Google’s Rich Results Test.
Does structured data improve Google rankings?
It is not a direct ranking signal. It can enable rich results that increase CTR — and a better click-through rate can mean more traffic from the same positions. It also does not guarantee a rich result: Google decides eligibility based on type, quality and match to visible content.