Structured Data
Machine-readable data embedded in or associated with web content that explicitly labels its meaning, type, and relationships for AI systems and search engines.
Also known as: schema markup, semantic markup
Structured data is information organized in a consistent, machine-readable format that allows AI systems and search engines to interpret meaning without relying on natural language processing alone.
On websites, structured data is most commonly implemented as JSON-LD schema markup ... code blocks that explicitly label content as an Article, FAQ, Product, Person, or other schema.org type and specify properties like author, publish date, and topic.
Structured data is essential for AI-ready websites because it eliminates ambiguity. Instead of an AI system having to infer that a page is an article written by a specific person on a specific date, structured data states it directly and verifiably.