AI SEO Glossary
What is schema.org?
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TL;DR - schema.org is the collaborative vocabulary (sponsored by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex; coordinated under W3C) for marking up web content with structured-data annotations. Shipped as JSON-LD blocks; the foundation of every AI-citation engagement.
Schema.org in practice
Labels that tell search what each page is
Schema.org is the shared vocabulary for marking up products, businesses, reviews and more. Adding it to your templates helps search engines and AI tools understand each page, and makes rich results like prices and ratings possible.
- ›Product, organization and breadcrumb markup
- ›Added once at the template, everywhere at once
- ›Checked against search engine guidelines
Definition & scope
schema.org is the collaborative vocabulary (sponsored by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex; coordinated under W3C) for marking up web content with structured-data annotations. The most-used types for AI SEO and AEO: Product, Offer, AggregateRating, FAQPage, HowTo, Article, Person, and Organization. Markup is shipped in JSON-LD blocks inside the page's HTML.
Schema is the single highest-leverage piece of AI-SEO plumbing. AI engines weight structured data more aggressively than classic search ranking does - schema mismatch (price in markup doesn't match price on page, author named in markup doesn't appear on page) can disqualify a page from citation entirely, where the same mismatch in classic search only demotes ranking. Foundation for citation work across every engine. See /aeo-services for implementation depth.
Where you'll encounter it
Every page on every modern eCommerce or content site that takes AI-citation seriously ships JSON-LD blocks. Browser devtools (view-source on any page, search for application/ld+json). Google's Rich Results Test, the Schema Markup Validator, and Search Console's Enhancements report all surface schema validity.
Schema is the most reliable AEO investment we make on a new engagement - visible-content fidelity verified, the right types deployed at the right grain, breadcrumbs everywhere, Person markup for named authors. We rarely see a citation-share lift program that doesn't start here.
Related terms
- Structured data- the broader term for which schema.org is the practical vocabulary.
- AEO- the citation discipline schema.org supports.
- Entity SEO- Organization / Person schema is the entity-SEO foundation.
- Citation share- the KPI schema work moves.
Related services
- AEO Services- schema-first citation work.
- AI SEO Services- the parent retainer.
FAQ
Who sponsors schema.org?
Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex co-founded the vocabulary in 2011. Coordination now sits under W3C's Schema.org Community Group. Adoption is multi-engine: every major search engine and AI engine parses schema.org markup.
Which schema types matter most for AI SEO?
For most engagements: Product, Offer, AggregateRating, Review, FAQPage, HowTo, Article, Person, and Organization. Vertical-specific types (LocalBusiness, Recipe, Event, JobPosting) matter when the page's purpose calls for them.
JSON-LD or microdata?
JSON-LD. Google's recommended format since 2015 and the format every AI engine prefers. Microdata and RDFa still work but make implementation, testing, and content-management harder for no upside.
Why does schema fidelity matter more for AI than for classic SEO?
AI engines weight structured data more aggressively than classic ranking does - and they punish mismatches more aggressively. If your markup says price $99 and the visible page shows $89, classic search demotes the page; an AI engine often disqualifies it from citation entirely.
How do I test schema markup?
Google's Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results) and Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org) are the canonical tools. We run both on every page we ship; we also check for visible-content/markup alignment which the validators don't enforce.
Should I add schema to every page?
Yes, at the right grain. Organization + WebSite site-wide; BreadcrumbList on every page; type-specific schema (Product, Article, FAQPage, HowTo) per page based on the page's purpose. Don't over-mark; don't under-mark.