What is schema markup?
Definition
Schema markup is code added to a page, using the schema.org vocabulary, that labels what the page is about, such as a business, an article, or a product.
Schema.org is a shared vocabulary that search engines support for describing things on the web: an Organization with a name and address, a Person with a job title, a Service with a price, an Article with an author. Adding it to a page, usually as a JSON-LD script, turns facts that humans read into facts machines can parse without guessing.
It is not a ranking trick, and it does not buy AI citations. Google says structured data can make a page eligible for rich results and help it understand the content, but no markup guarantees a feature, and its AI features documentation states there is "no special schema.org structured data that you need to add" to appear in them. The real value is clarity: declaring your entities so engines connect them correctly.
Why does it matter to your business?
Markup is how you tell engines, without ambiguity, who you are and what you offer. It prevents confusion and underpins any rich result you are eligible for.
Related terms
Sources, verified September 11, 2026
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