Schema Type	Rich Result	Required Properties
Product	Price, availability, reviews	`offers` OR `review` OR `aggregateRating` (at least one)
Review / AggregateRating	Star ratings	`ratingValue`, `reviewCount`
Recipe	Recipe cards	`name`, `image`, `author`, `datePublished`, `description`
Article / NewsArticle	Top Stories	`datePublished`, `author`, `image`
LocalBusiness	Knowledge panel, maps	`name`, `address`, `telephone`
Organization	Knowledge panel, logo	`name`, `url`, `logo`
Person	Knowledge panel, author	`name`
Event	Event listings	`name`, `startDate`, `location`
JobPosting	Google for Jobs	`title`, `datePosted`, `hiringOrganization`, `jobLocation`
BreadcrumbList	Breadcrumb trail	`item` list with `name` and `id`
VideoObject	Video carousel, key moments	`name`, `thumbnailUrl`, `uploadDate`
SoftwareApplication	App info	`name`, `offers`, `operatingSystem`
FAQ	Q&A expansion	`mainEntity` with `Question`/`Answer` — gov/health only
Certification	Energy/product certs	Replaced `EnergyConsumptionDetails` (April 2025)

Note: FAQ still works for AI citation even though rich results are restricted. Keep it if you have it — just don't expect visual SERP enhancement unless you're a government or health authority.

JSON-LD Examples

Organization

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "@id": "https://example.com/#organization",
  "name": "Acme Corp",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "logo": {
    "@type": "ImageObject",
    "url": "https://example.com/logo.png",
    "width": 200,
    "height": 60
  },
  "sameAs": [
    "https://linkedin.com/company/acme-corp",
    "https://twitter.com/acmecorp",
    "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12345"
  ],
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "ContactPoint",
    "telephone": "+1-800-555-0100",
    "contactType": "customer service"
  }
}

LocalBusiness

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "@id": "https://example.com/#localbusiness",
  "name": "Acme Praha",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "telephone": "+420-123-456-789",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "Wenceslas Square 1",
    "addressLocality": "Prague",
    "postalCode": "110 00",
    "addressCountry": "CZ"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": 50.0809,
    "longitude": 14.4274
  },
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
      "opens": "09:00",
      "closes": "18:00"
    }
  ],
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.8",
    "reviewCount": "127"
  }
}

Product

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Widget Pro",
  "description": "Professional-grade widget for enterprise use.",
  "image": "https://example.com/widget-pro.jpg",
  "brand": {
    "@type": "Brand",
    "name": "Acme"
  },
  "sku": "WIDGET-PRO-001",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "url": "https://example.com/widget-pro",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "price": "49.99",
    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
    "priceValidUntil": "2026-12-31"
  },
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.6",
    "reviewCount": "89"
  }
}

Article

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "@id": "https://example.com/blog/post-1#article",
  "headline": "How to Configure Nginx",
  "datePublished": "2026-03-15",
  "dateModified": "2026-03-21",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "@id": "https://example.com/#person-petr",
    "name": "Petr",
    "url": "https://example.com/about"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@id": "https://example.com/#organization"
  },
  "image": {
    "@type": "ImageObject",
    "url": "https://example.com/blog/post-1.jpg",
    "width": 1200,
    "height": 630
  }
}

BreadcrumbList

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Home",
      "item": "https://example.com"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Blog",
      "item": "https://example.com/blog"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 3,
      "name": "How to Configure Nginx",
      "item": "https://example.com/blog/post-1"
    }
  ]
}

Phase 2: Deprecated Types — Full Timeline

Schema Type	When Deprecated	Status
HowTo	Aug 2023 (mobile), Sep 2023 (desktop)	Fully removed. No rich results on any device.
FAQ	Aug 2023	Restricted to government/health only. All others: ignored for rich results.
SpecialAnnouncement	Jan 2026	Removed. Was COVID-era markup. GSC support ended.
Course Info	Jan 2026	Rich results removed. Markup dead.
ClaimReview	Jan 2026	Fact-check labels removed from SERP.
EstimatedSalary	Jan 2026	Salary range cards removed from search.
LearningVideo	Jan 2026	Educational video enhancements removed.
VehicleListing	Jan 2026	Vehicle cards removed.
PracticeProblem	Jan 2026	Educational practice problem rich results removed.
Dataset	2025	No longer serves general Search — only Google Dataset Search.
Book Actions	Reversed	Google removed the deprecation banner. Still works.

Why Google removed them: "Not commonly used in Search" and "no longer providing significant additional value for users." The removal is visual/functional only — no ranking penalty for keeping deprecated markup. But it is dead weight. Remove it.

Exception — FAQPage for AI: Keep FAQPage markup even if you're not gov/health. AI systems (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) still read it for citation and Q&A grounding. Just don't expect a visual SERP enhancement.

Phase 3: Video Schema

Decision Guide

Use case	Schema to use
Any video on your site	`VideoObject` (always)
Structured tutorial with defined chapters	`VideoObject` + `Clip`
Long-form content, talks, replays	`VideoObject` + `SeekToAction`
Maximum key moments coverage	`VideoObject` + both `Clip` AND `SeekToAction`
Active livestream	`VideoObject` + `BroadcastEvent` + Indexing API

VideoObject — Base Type

Required (without these, no video rich results):

name — video title
thumbnailUrl — minimum 112x112px, high-res preferred
uploadDate — ISO 8601 format

Recommended (significantly improve visibility):

description — video summary
duration — ISO 8601 duration (e.g., PT1M33S)
contentUrl — direct URL to video file (.mp4, .webm, etc.)
embedUrl — URL to embeddable player

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "How to Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy",
  "description": "Step-by-step tutorial for setting up Nginx as a reverse proxy to Node.js applications.",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/thumb.jpg",
  "uploadDate": "2026-03-15",
  "duration": "PT12M30S",
  "contentUrl": "https://example.com/video.mp4",
  "embedUrl": "https://example.com/embed/video"
}

Clip — Manual Key Moments

Clip lets you manually define timestamps/segments. Google displays these as "key moments" that users can jump to directly from search results. Best for structured tutorials, courses, presentations where you control the chapter points.

Required Clip properties: name, startOffset, endOffset, url (with timestamp parameter).

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "Nginx Tutorial",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/thumb.jpg",
  "uploadDate": "2026-03-15",
  "hasPart": [
    {
      "@type": "Clip",
      "name": "Installing Nginx",
      "startOffset": 30,
      "endOffset": 120,
      "url": "https://example.com/video?t=30"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Clip",
      "name": "Configuring Reverse Proxy",
      "startOffset": 120,
      "endOffset": 300,
      "url": "https://example.com/video?t=120"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Clip",
      "name": "Testing the Setup",
      "startOffset": 300,
      "endOffset": 540,
      "url": "https://example.com/video?t=300"
    }
  ]
}

SeekToAction — Automatic Key Moments

SeekToAction tells Google how your URL structure handles timestamps, so Google can automatically generate key moments without you manually defining each one. Best for long-form content, livestream replays, talks where you want Google to handle detection.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "Nginx Tutorial",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/thumb.jpg",
  "uploadDate": "2026-03-15",
  "potentialAction": {
    "@type": "SeekToAction",
    "target": "https://example.com/video?t={seek_to_time_offset}",
    "startOffset-input": "required name=seek_to_time_offset"
  }
}

BroadcastEvent — Livestream LIVE Badge

BroadcastEvent adds a red LIVE badge to your video in search results during a livestream. Requires the Indexing API to notify Google when the stream starts/ends — without the API ping, the LIVE badge will not appear in time.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "Product Launch Livestream",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/live-thumb.jpg",
  "uploadDate": "2026-03-21",
  "description": "Live launch of Widget Pro 2.0",
  "publication": {
    "@type": "BroadcastEvent",
    "isLiveBroadcast": true,
    "startDate": "2026-03-21T18:00:00+01:00",
    "endDate": "2026-03-21T20:00:00+01:00"
  }
}

VideoObject + Clip + SeekToAction Combined (Maximum Coverage)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "Nginx Tutorial",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/thumb.jpg",
  "uploadDate": "2026-03-15",
  "duration": "PT12M30S",
  "contentUrl": "https://example.com/video.mp4",
  "embedUrl": "https://example.com/embed/video",
  "hasPart": [
    {
      "@type": "Clip",
      "name": "Installing Nginx",
      "startOffset": 30,
      "endOffset": 120,
      "url": "https://example.com/video?t=30"
    }
  ],
  "potentialAction": {
    "@type": "SeekToAction",
    "target": "https://example.com/video?t={seek_to_time_offset}",
    "startOffset-input": "required name=seek_to_time_offset"
  }
}

Phase 4: JSON-LD Best Practices

Format Choice

Google explicitly recommends JSON-LD over Microdata and RDFa. As of May 2025, JSON-LD is also confirmed as the preferred format for AI engine consumption — Google, Bing, and ChatGPT all parse it.

Single Block vs @graph

Option A: Multiple <script> tags — simpler, modular, works fine

<script type="application/ld+json">{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", ... }</script>
<script type="application/ld+json">{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", ... }</script>

Option B: Single @graph block — builds an entity graph, more sophisticated, better for AI systems

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "Article",
      "@id": "https://example.com/blog/post-1#article",
      "headline": "How to Configure Nginx",
      "datePublished": "2026-03-15",
      "author": { "@id": "https://example.com/#person-petr" },
      "publisher": { "@id": "https://example.com/#organization" }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://example.com/#person-petr",
      "name": "Petr",
      "url": "https://example.com/about",
      "sameAs": [
        "https://linkedin.com/in/petrogurcak",
        "https://twitter.com/petrogurcak"
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "@id": "https://example.com/#organization",
      "name": "Acme Corp",
      "url": "https://example.com",
      "logo": {
        "@type": "ImageObject",
        "url": "https://example.com/logo.png"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://linkedin.com/company/acme-corp",
        "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12345"
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://example.com" },
        { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Blog", "item": "https://example.com/blog" },
        { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "How to Configure Nginx", "item": "https://example.com/blog/post-1" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The @id Entity Graph Pattern

This is the 2026 best practice. Define each entity once with a stable @id, then reference it everywhere.

Use URL fragments as IDs: https://example.com/#organization, https://example.com/post-1#article
@id references must resolve — if Article references "author": {"@id": "..."}, that Person entity must exist somewhere in your markup
sameAs links to authoritative profiles (LinkedIn, Wikidata, Crunchbase) strengthen entity disambiguation for both Google and LLMs

Key Rules

One primary entity per page. Article page = Article as primary. Don't declare it as Product unless it genuinely is one.
Nest related entities correctly. PostalAddress inside LocalBusiness. Offer inside Product. Don't flatten these to root level.
Match markup to visible content. Google penalizes/ignores markup that claims things not visible on the page.
ISO 8601 for all dates. Use "2026-03-21" or "2026-03-21T18:00:00+01:00". Never "March 21, 2026".
Place in <head> or end of <body>. Either works. <head> is conventional.
Avoid client-side-only injection. If JSON-LD is rendered by JavaScript only, verify Google can see it with the URL Inspection tool in GSC. Server-side is safer.
Don't duplicate entities. If Organization appears on every page, use the same @id everywhere — competing definitions confuse entity resolution.
description under ~300 chars. Longer descriptions trigger GSC warnings.

Phase 5: Validation Workflow

Pre-Publish

Rich Results Test — developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data — validates eligibility for rich results, renders JavaScript, shows detected entities
Schema.org Markup Validator — validator.schema.org — syntax validation against schema.org spec, does not check Google-specific rich result requirements

Run both. Rich Results Test catches Google-specific issues. Schema.org validator catches type and property name errors.

Post-Publish

Google Search Console > Enhancements — shows errors and warnings per schema type after Googlebot crawls. Takes 1–7 days to populate.
GSC URL Inspection — test a specific URL after publishing to see what Googlebot sees, including rendered JSON-LD.

Bulk Audit

Screaming Frog (structured data tab) — site-wide validation, exportable
Sitebulb — similar, with visual graphs of schema coverage
TestSprite — monitors schema changes over time

Common Errors Table

Category	% of Errors	Most Common	Fix
Missing required properties	~60%	`Product` missing `offers`; `VideoObject` missing `thumbnailUrl`; `Article` missing `image` or `author`	Add the required field per type
JSON-LD syntax errors	~25%	Missing comma, unclosed bracket, unescaped quotes, trailing comma	Validate with JSON linter first
Content mismatch	~15%	Schema data differs from visible page content; `@type` typo (`"Prodcut"`)	Match markup 1:1 to visible content

Errors vs Warnings

Error = required property missing or broken syntax. Blocks rich results entirely. Fix immediately.
Warning = recommended property missing. Rich results may still show but are degraded. Fix when possible.

Common Syntax Fixes

Error	Broken Example	Fixed
Missing comma	`"name": "X" "url": "Y"`	`"name": "X", "url": "Y"`
Missing colon	`"name" "X"`	`"name": "X"`
Unclosed bracket	`{"name": "X"`	`{"name": "X"}`
Unescaped quote	`"name": "The "Best" Widget"`	`"name": "The \"Best\" Widget"`
Trailing comma	`"name": "X",}`	`"name": "X"}`
@type typo	`"@type": "Prodcut"`	`"@type": "Product"`

Phase 6: Schema for AI Visibility

Schema markup is no longer just a rich results tactic. Since March 2025, both Google and Microsoft publicly confirmed they use structured data for generative AI features. ChatGPT confirmed the same for product results.

Key Stats (2025-2026)

AI Overviews appear in 13%+ of Google searches and growing
GPT-4 accuracy jumps from 16% to 54% when content has structured data
LLMs grounded in knowledge graphs achieve 300% higher accuracy vs. unstructured data alone
Properly implemented schema can increase organic CTR by up to 30%

What This Means for Implementation

Entity graph with @id and sameAs — LLMs use this to disambiguate your brand/person/product from others with similar names. This is the highest-leverage change you can make.
FAQPage markup — even if Google won't show it as rich results (unless gov/health), AI systems still read it for Q&A grounding and citation.
Organization + Person schema on every page — not just the homepage. AI crawlers build entity models from every URL they visit.
Keep schema current — outdated price, availability, or date information in markup confuses both users and AI systems.

What NOT to Do

Do not add schema for entities that don't appear on the page (content mismatch)
Do not create competing @id definitions for the same entity across pages
Do not use deprecated types thinking they help AI — they don't, and they add noise

For broader AI search strategy beyond structured data, see the ai-ready skill.

Quick Reference: Priority Order

Organization / LocalBusiness — entity establishment, knowledge panel
BreadcrumbList — low effort, high SERP value
Product — critical for e-commerce
Article — critical for content sites, author E-E-A-T
VideoObject — required for any video content
Event — required for event listings
Person — author schema, E-E-A-T signal
SoftwareApplication — for SaaS and apps

Remove immediately: HowTo, SpecialAnnouncement, Course Info, ClaimReview, EstimatedSalary, LearningVideo, VehicleListing, PracticeProblem.

schema-markup

Schema Markup

Phase 1: Active Schema Types

What Google Actually Renders as Rich Results (2026)