Schema markup
Schema markup is structured data written with the schema.org vocabulary that labels page content so machines can understand it — such as Article, Organization, FAQPage, or BreadcrumbList.
Adding schema does not change how a page looks to a person, but it tells search and AI engines exactly what they are reading. That can unlock rich results in search and improves the odds that a generative engine represents your content accurately.
How it works
Schema markup is usually written as a JSON-LD block in the page's head: an object with a @type such as Article or Organization and properties such as headline, author and datePublished. Types can reference each other by @id, so a whole site can describe one connected graph of its organisation, people, pages and products.
Search engines use it to understand the page and to decide eligibility for rich results; the markup must describe what a visitor can actually see on the page.
Example
Every troiana.net glossary page, including this one, carries a DefinedTerm and a BreadcrumbList. The guides carry TechArticle with the software they cover, and the organisation is described once with a stable @id that other pages point to.
Common mistakes
- Marking up content that is not visible on the page, such as hidden FAQs or reviews.
- Adding self-serving review ratings for your own business, which Google ignores.
- Copying markup between templates without updating the values.
