# Structured data

> Structured data is a standardised format for providing information about a web page and classifying its content; for Google Search it is mostly written in the Schema.org vocabulary.

Original page: https://t10.de/en/glossary/structured-data
Publisher: total10 GmbH, https://t10.de/en/glossary

According to Google's [introduction to structured data](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data), most markup for Google Search uses the vocabulary of [Schema.org](https://schema.org/docs/about.html), which calls itself a collaborative, community activity with a mission to create, maintain and promote schemas for structured data on the internet. For Google Search, though, Google's documentation is definitive, not Schema.org's. It generally recommends the JSON-LD format, a separate code block, if the site's setup allows it.

The [general structured data guidelines](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/sd-policies) say content hidden from readers should not be marked up, and whatever the JSON-LD describes must also appear in the HTML body. Rich results are enhanced search listings, and even markup that passes the Rich Results Test is not guaranteed to show up in search results. One type has gone altogether: the FAQ rich result has not appeared in Google Search since 7 May 2026, as the [documentation changelog](https://developers.google.com/search/updates) records. Nor is structured data [required](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide) for generative AI search, the subject of GEO, and there is no special Schema.org markup for it.

Our case study 'The self-driving content machine' describes a client project as an example: a system that automatically generates, illustrates and translates guide articles for an online shop. For each product in an article it produces Schema.org JSON-LD describing the product box readers see, with price, availability, brand and GTIN (global trade item number).

## See also

- [SEO](https://t10.de/en/glossary/seo): SEO, or search engine optimisation, is the work of helping search engines understand a site's content and helping people find the site through search and decide whether to visit it.
- [GEO](https://t10.de/en/glossary/geo): GEO, or generative engine optimisation, means making content more likely to appear in the answers given by generative AI search.

## Where the term appears

- [Technical SEO](https://t10.de/en/seo)
- [The self-driving content machine](https://t10.de/en/blog/self-driving-content-machine)
- [Online shops: Shopify and Shopware 5 agency](https://t10.de/en/online-shops)

## Sources

1. [Einführung in das Markup für strukturierte Daten in der Google Suche](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data?hl=de), Google Search Central, accessed 2026-11-07
2. [About Schema.org](https://schema.org/docs/about.html), Schema.org, accessed 2026-11-07
3. [Allgemeine Richtlinien für strukturierte Daten](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/sd-policies?hl=de), Google Search Central, accessed 2026-11-07
4. [Latest Google Search Documentation Updates](https://developers.google.com/search/updates), Google Search Central, accessed 2026-11-07
5. [Leitfaden zur Optimierung für generative KI-Funktionen in der Google Suche](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide?hl=de), Google Search Central, accessed 2026-11-07