SEO Glossary · Technical SEO

What Is Structured Data?

Structured data is a standardised format for labelling and organising the information on a page so search engines can understand its meaning. Implemented with schema.org vocabulary (usually in JSON-LD), it powers rich results like FAQs, reviews, and breadcrumbs.

Structured data and AI search

Beyond rich results, structured data increasingly helps AI search engines and assistants understand and cite your content accurately. Marking up your entities, FAQs, and articles makes your pages easier for both Google and large language models to interpret - a growing advantage as search shifts toward AI answers.

Pro tip
Mark up FAQs and entities even on pages without rich-result potential - the same structure helps AI search engines extract and cite your content.
Key takeaways
Structured data labels content using schema.org vocabulary.
It powers rich results like FAQs, reviews, and breadcrumbs.
It increasingly helps AI engines understand and cite you.
JSON-LD is the easiest format to implement and maintain.

Put it into practice with Soro

Understanding structured data is one thing - applying it across every page is another. Soro automates SEO content end to end, researching keywords and publishing optimised articles so your site ranks on Google and gets cited by AI. See how Soro works.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between structured data and schema markup?

They are often used interchangeably. Structured data is the concept; schema markup is the specific schema.org vocabulary most commonly used to implement it.

Is structured data required for SEO?

It is not required, but it is highly recommended - it unlocks rich results and helps both search engines and AI understand your content.

Keep learning

Browse the full SEO glossary