- Article
- Intermediate
- 2 minutes read
- Reviewed August 4, 2026
Structured data is machine-readable markup that describes entities and page content.
Search engines can use supported markup to understand a page and determine eligibility for enhanced search features.
Correct markup does not guarantee a rich result.
Structured Content and Structured Data
Structured content is the organized editorial data stored in WordPress.
Structured data is the machine-readable markup published on the page, often using Schema.org vocabulary.
A strong content model makes accurate schema generation easier.
JSON-LD
JSON-LD is often the most maintainable format because it can be generated separately from visible HTML.
The values must still match the visible content.
Choose the Correct Type
Use markup that represents the actual page or entity, such as Article, BreadcrumbList, Organization, Person, Product, SoftwareApplication or Event.
Do not mark a generic page as a product or review only to seek a rich result.
Avoid Duplicate Graphs
Themes, SEO plugins, ecommerce plugins and custom code can all output schema.
Multiple systems can create conflicting organizations, authors, breadcrumbs, offers and IDs.
Choose an ownership model and inspect rendered output.
Validation
Use the Rich Results Test, Schema Markup Validator, Search Console enhancement reports and page-source inspection.
Syntactic validity does not guarantee quality or eligibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does schema improve rankings automatically?
No. It can improve understanding and eligibility for selected features.
Can several schema types exist on one page?
Yes, when they accurately describe related entities.
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