intermediate

Structured data

Add valid schema markup for eligible content so search engines can understand entities, relationships, and rich-result eligibility.

Structured data adds machine-readable context—usually JSON-LD—so search engines understand entities like products, articles, FAQs, and breadcrumbs. Valid markup can enable rich results when content and policies match; it does not guarantee them.

					<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Trail Runner",
  "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "price": "89.00", "priceCurrency": "USD" }
}
</script>

| Type | Use when | |------|----------| | Article/BlogPosting | Editorial content with clear author/date | | Product/Offer | Ecommerce PDP with real price/stock | | FAQPage | Visible FAQ on page—not hidden text | | BreadcrumbList | Matches visible breadcrumb UI |

Validate with Google Rich Results Test; keep JSON-LD aligned with visible content—mismatch is spam risk.

On interviews: JSON-LD vs microdata; FAQ rich result policy changes; dynamic structured data in SSR; Organization vs WebSite schema.

Common pitfalls: fake reviews/ratings; marking invisible content; stale prices; copying competitor schema without matching page.

The trade-off is rich SERP opportunity versus maintenance and policy compliance.

Checklist:

JSON-LD reflects visible page facts.
Validate after template changes.
Monitor rich result reports for errors.
Avoid schema for content users cannot see.