Structured data is code added to web pages that describes content in a standardised, machine-readable format using the Schema.org vocabulary. It explicitly communicates to search engines and AI tools what type of content a page contains — whether it is an FAQ, a recipe, a product, an event, or an organisation — along with specific properties of that content (the question and answer in a FAQ, the price and availability of a product). Structured data enables rich results in Google Search, and is a primary mechanism through which AI tools like Google AI Overviews extract and cite specific facts.
The distinction between structured data and regular web content is the difference between a human reading your page and understanding it, versus a computer parsing your page and extracting specific data points. Humans understand context intuitively; machines need explicit declarations. Structured data provides those declarations — eliminating the ambiguity that forces search engines and AI tools to make educated guesses about your content's meaning.
Structured data types that generate rich results
- FAQPage — accordion-style FAQ results in Google Search; also used by AI tools for direct answer extraction
- Product — star ratings, price, availability in Google Shopping and organic results
- HowTo — step-by-step process results
- Recipe — cook time, ingredients, nutrition information in recipe search features
- Event — date, location, and ticket information in event search cards
- Review — star ratings from your own review schema
- Article/BlogPosting — article metadata in news and discover features
- LocalBusiness — map and local business information integration
Google provides the Rich Results Test tool (search.google.com/test/rich-results) for validating structured data and previewing how it may appear in search results. The Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org) checks for schema.org compliance. Google Search Console's Rich Results section shows pages with implemented structured data and any errors in the implementation. Always validate new structured data implementations before deploying to production — invalid markup may be ignored or, in rare cases, generate a manual action.
Incorrect structured data can cause problems in two ways. First, if the structured data is misleading — marking up content as an FAQ when it is not, or marking up review stars that do not reflect genuine user reviews — Google may apply a manual action for structured data spam. Second, poorly implemented structured data (schema that references non-existent page elements, or JSON-LD with syntax errors) may be ignored, wasting the implementation effort. The most important rule: structured data must accurately reflect the visible content on the page.