When AI reads your website, it sees text. But it doesn't automatically know whether that text describes a restaurant, a law firm, or a SaaS product. Structured data solves this - it gives AI typed, labelled information in a format machines can parse instantly.

What is JSON-LD?

JSON-LD (JSON for Linked Data) is structured data embedded in a <script> tag in your page's <head>. It uses the Schema.org vocabulary and is invisible to visitors.

A simple example for a local business:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Sunrise Bakery",
  "url": "https://sunrise-bakery.example.com",
  "description": "Artisan bakery and cafe in downtown Portland.",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "742 Evergreen Terrace",
    "addressLocality": "Portland",
    "addressRegion": "OR",
    "postalCode": "97201"
  },
  "telephone": "+1-503-555-0199"
}

Without this, AI has to guess what your business is. With it, AI knows instantly.

Why AI needs it

AI uses structured data to:

Classify your business - restaurant, dentist, or software company?
Extract key facts - address, hours, pricing, products
Compare you to competitors - structured data makes ranking straightforward
Generate accurate answers - direct answers instead of guesses

If your competitor has structured data and you don't, AI recommends them because it can confidently describe what they offer.

Which type to use

| Business type | Schema type | |---------------|-------------| | Local shop / restaurant | LocalBusiness or subtype like Restaurant | | Service company | ProfessionalService | | Online store | Organization + Product | | SaaS / software | SoftwareApplication or Organization | | Freelancer | Person or ProfessionalService | | Blog / content site | WebSite + Article |

Full list at schema.org/docs/full.html. Always pick the most specific type.

How to add it

WordPress

Install Yoast SEO or Rank Math - both generate structured data automatically. For custom JSON-LD, use WPCode to insert a script into your <head>.

Shopify

Edit theme.liquid and paste the JSON-LD script inside <head>. Check if your theme already includes basic structured data first.

Wix

Settings > Custom Code > Head, paste your script.

Squarespace

Settings > Advanced > Code Injection > Header.

Custom / static site

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Your Company",
  "url": "https://yoursite.com",
  "description": "What your company does."
}
</script>

Common mistakes

Wrong type. Don't use WebSite when LocalBusiness is more accurate.

Invented data. Only include information that exists on your site.

Too many nodes. Your homepage needs one Organization/Business node and optionally a WebSite node. Don't list every product or blog post.

No validation. Use Google's Rich Results Test to check your markup.

Check yours

Right-click your homepage, View Page Source, search for application/ld+json. Nothing? You don't have any.

Or run a free AI Readiness Audit - we check structured data along with five other signals.

Structured data for AI: a beginner's guide to JSON-LD