What Is Schema Markup?

Schema markup is structured data - usually written as JSON-LD - embedded in a page's code that explicitly labels what the content is, rather than leaving a search engine to guess from the visible text. A recipe page can mark up ingredients and cook time; a product page can mark up price and availability; an FAQ page can mark up each question and answer directly.

The payoff is twofold: it improves eligibility for rich results (star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, product pricing in search results), and it gives AI-driven answer engines an unambiguous, machine-readable source to cite - which is exactly why schema and Answer Engine Optimisation go hand in hand.

The most commonly useful types for a marketing site are Organization, Article, FAQPage, HowTo, Product, and LocalBusiness.