SEO On Page Schema

SEO On-Page: Schema / Structured Data

Guides implementation of Schema.org structured data (JSON-LD) for rich snippets, enhanced search results, and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Scope (On-Page SEO)

• Schema markup: Schema.org types for rich results, AI search visibility, and machine-readable content
• Schema.org vs. search engines: Schema.org defines 800+ types; each search engine supports only a subset for rich results

Schema.org vs. Search Engine Support

Schema.org and Google Structured Data are not fully aligned. Schema.org is an open vocabulary (800+ types); Google, Bing, and other engines each support only a curated subset for rich results.

Practical implication: Implement Schema.org markup for your content type. If Google doesn't show rich results for that type, Bing or AI systems may still use it. Always verify against Google's developer docs for Google-specific rich result eligibility.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

GEO = optimizing content so AI systems (Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini) choose, cite, and quote your content in generated answers.

Why Schema matters for GEO:

• Structured data makes content machine-readable; AI engines extract and cite information more accurately
• Without schema, AI must infer context; with it, you guide extraction directly
• Search Engine Land study: In controlled tests, only pages with well-implemented schema appeared in AI Overviews and achieved best organic ranking. Schema quality—not just presence—matters
• SEMrush analysis of 5M cited URLs: Organization, Article, BreadcrumbList appear most frequently on pages cited by Google AI Mode
• Pages with schema show ~40% higher CTR; GEO tactics can increase AI visibility by up to 40%

Key Schema types for GEO: Organization, Person/Author, WebSite, WebPage, FAQPage, HowTo, Article, Product, AggregateRating. Focus on authority (Organization, Person), content structure (Article, FAQPage), and completeness (required properties, correct format).

Initial Assessment

Check for product marketing context first: If .claude/product-marketing-context.md or .cursor/product-marketing-context.md exists, read it for product type and content.

Identify:

1. Page type: Article, Product, FAQ, Organization, JobPosting, Event, etc.
2. Content: What entities to describe
3. Goal: Rich snippets, AI Overview visibility, Knowledge Panel

Schema Type Classification

Core Types (General Use)

Exclusive Types (Specific Scenarios)

Rule: Use core types for most sites. Use exclusive types only when page content matches (e.g., don't use Event on a blog; don't use JobPosting on a product page).

Action: Website/Product Type → Schema Mapping

Use this table to recommend which exclusive schema types fit a site. Match the site's content and product type to the most relevant schema. When in doubt, start with core types (Organization, WebSite, Article); add exclusive types only when content clearly matches.

Examples:

• AI meal planner (e.g., generates weekly meal plans with recipes) → Add Recipe schema to each recipe/meal page; Article or WebPage for landing pages
• AI writing tool → SoftwareApplication on product page; Article on blog
• Recruitment SaaS → JobPosting on job listing pages; SoftwareApplication on product page
• Recipe blog → Recipe on each recipe post; Article for non-recipe posts

Output: When recommending schema, state: (1) which exclusive types fit the site/product, (2) which page types get which schema, (3) core types to add site-wide (Organization, WebSite, BreadcrumbList).

Best Practices

Implementation Workflow

1. Analyze page type and content; choose matching Schema type
2. Select format — JSON-LD recommended (Google, Bing, AI tools support it)
3. Write structured data; start with required properties
4. Validate with Rich Results Test, Schema Markup Validator
5. Deploy and monitor via Search Console enhanced reports

Common Errors and Fixes

Implementation

Next.js (metadata)

export const metadata = {
  other: {
    'script:ld+json': JSON.stringify({
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "Article",
      "headline": "...",
      "description": "...",
      "image": "https://example.com/image.jpg",
      "datePublished": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
      "dateModified": "2024-01-15T00:00:00Z",
      "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "..." },
      "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "...", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "..." } }
    }),
  },
};

HTML (generic)

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "...",
  "description": "...",
  "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "..." },
  "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "...", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "..." } }
}
</script>

Validation Tools

Output Format

• Action first: Use the Website/Product Type → Schema Mapping table to recommend which exclusive schema fits the site (e.g., AI meal planner → Recipe; SaaS tool → SoftwareApplication)
• Schema type recommendation (core vs. exclusive)
• Page-level mapping: Which pages get which schema
• JSON-LD structure with required properties
• Validation steps
• References: Schema.org, Google Structured Data, Bing Markup

Related Skills

• pages-article: Article page structure; Article/BlogPosting/NewsArticle schema implementation
• seo-on-page-title, seo-on-page-description, seo-on-page-metadata: Metadata complements schema
• seo-on-page-heading: Article schema uses headline (often H1)
• seo-technical-indexing: Google Indexing API for JobPosting, BroadcastEvent
• strategies-geo: GEO strategy and AI search visibility
• components-breadcrumb: BreadcrumbList schema implementation