Schema is Both a Competitive Advantage and the Key to the Future of Findability

As we are all collectively trying to navigate the future of search and online discoverability, one concept seems to remain consistent: Schema is still important.

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For everyone who doesn’t know and to put it simply, schema is a way to quickly deliver essential factual information (dates, names, prices, etc.) to a machine.

Google has historically been using schema to generate certain types of rich snippets.

But it has always been making it clear that they use schema in more ways than just that. Schema helps Google to retrieve important information from pages.

But it is not just Google.

Ever since it became clear, we are going to deal with more findability channels (i.e. generative AI) more and more going forward, I’ve been actively looking at what can help us get surfaced more in those AI-generated answers.

I’ve asked ChatGPT if schema is something it finds helpful. The answer was yes:

Yes, schema markup helps a lot! Structured data (schema) allows search engines and AI models like me to understand and retrieve essential information more effectively from a page. Schema markup, such as JSON-LD, microdata, or RDFa, provides context around specific data points (like event dates, product details, author names, etc.) and improves data parsing accuracy.

When pages have schema, especially for structured elements (like FAQs, product specs, and reviews), I can pull in this info more accurately and align responses more closely with what’s on the page.

Gemini had almost an identical answer:

Schema markup, also known as structured data, is a way to organize and label information on web pages so that search engines (like Google) can better understand the content. It's like providing a detailed summary of the page in a language that search engines can easily interpret.

Here's how schema helps me:

• Improved understanding: Schema helps me identify the key elements of a page, such as the title, author, publication date, and main topic. This allows me to quickly and accurately extract the most important information.

• Enhanced retrieval: By understanding the structure and meaning of the data on a page, I can more effectively retrieve relevant information in response to your queries.

And yet beyond wildly supported and integrated schema types (like products and reviews), schema remains a poorly adopted concept across the web.

Here are a few essential schema types you should add to your site.

Structured data to add to your site now:

Organization schema

Help Google (and generative AI platforms) understand what your business does and what its official channels are across the web. SameAs is probably the most important property here.

The schema should live on your About-Us page, and here’s an easy generator to create it:

Generator Organization Schema: Optimize for Site Names in Google 

Organization schema won’t turn your site into a brand/entity but it is one of the steps towards that goal.

Person schema

Person schema helps Google and AI engines identify people behind an organization. Make it as detailed as you can. Provide all your personal channels, areas of expertise, etc. 

Your organization schema should be embedded into your personal schema. This generator does a good job with that: Person Schema Generator for Authors, Founders, etc. 

Dataset schema

Use this schema for data-driven listicles and linkable assets for better discoverability.

Google’s Database search is also often blended with organic search. This is how sometimes you can rank your asset before bigger brands for related searches.

We have a helpful generator for that: Dataset Schema Generator: Rank Your Content in Google Dataset Search 

FAQ schema

While Google gave up on FAQ rich snippets, both ChatGPT and Gemini included it in the list of important types to use. Who knows, it may still help AI Overviews and generative AI platforms to surface your answer as the best one.

There are many more schema types that are too niche to list but if you are into something unique, definitely look into relevant structured data types you can use. For example, if you have authored a book, take a look at CreativeWork schema.

Structured data you should not add manually:

Certain types of schema should be dynamically added to your site to avoid errors and keep it up-to-date. These include:

• Product schema: Most CMSs out there support this type

• Event schema: If you have a dedicated section for virtual or in-person events, find a plugin that supports Event schema and keeps it dynamic

• Article schema: This should be generated automatically and include the publication date, author, article type, etc.

BreadcrumbList schema: Depending on the CMS you are using, find a solution or a plugin that uses this type of schema for breadcrumb navigation across the site.