0:00Introduction
Lesson 4.3: structured data that actually matters.
0:06What it is
Structured data is your facts, written in a format built for machines. In practice, it's a JSON-LD block on the page, using the schema.org vocabulary: what kind of business you are, your name, since when, your phone number, your address, your official profiles.
0:26Honest expectations
First, the right expectations. Structured data is about clarity: it's not a switch that turns citations on. An Ahrefs study found that pages cited by AI are almost three times more likely to have JSON-LD. But when it tracked 1,885 pages that added it, citations in AI Mode and ChatGPT didn't change in any significant way. Schema is the sign of a well-kept site, not a shortcut.
0:55The types that matter
Only a few types matter, and you need to do them well. Organization, or LocalBusiness if you have a location: who you are. Person: who writes your content, and who works with you. Product and Offer if you sell: what, the price, and if it's available. And Article and FAQPage for your content. Since May 7, 2026, Google no longer shows FAQ results, but the markup still describes the questions the page answers.
1:25Linking your identity
One property you shouldn't forget is sameAs: it tells the engine, these are me too. Your official profiles: Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, your social accounts, industry directories. And Wikidata, if your company has an entry. That way, all the places you appear get linked to one single entity.
1:47Add it and check it
So how do you add it? With the SEO plugin you already use, with your platform's settings, or by hand in the code. Then you check it: with Google's Rich Results Test, and with the Schema Markup Validator. And one golden rule: the schema only says what the page shows. No hidden facts, and no reviews that aren't there.
2:08Your task for today
Your task for today: run your home page through both validators. Then make sure it has Organization, or LocalBusiness, with the facts from your fact sheet, and sameAs with your official profiles.
2:31Next lesson
In the next lesson: experience and trust, the signals that make people choose you. See you there.