# Schema.org Structured Data Reference Complete reference for Schema.org structured data markup: JSON-LD examples for every major schema type, rich results eligibility, testing tools, and implementation patterns for static sites, Next.js, React, and WordPress. **Author:** Cogny Team **Published:** 2025-02-11 **Updated:** 2026-10-09 **Canonical:** https://cogny.com/docs/structured-data-reference ## What Structured Data Does Structured data is machine-readable markup that tells search engines, voice assistants, and AI systems exactly what your page content means. Instead of relying on algorithms to infer meaning from raw HTML, you declare it explicitly using a shared vocabulary defined at [schema.org](https://schema.org). **Search engine benefits:** - **Rich results** — star ratings, prices, FAQ accordions, recipe cards, how-to steps, and event listings displayed directly in Google Search results - **Knowledge panels** — branded panels on the right side of search results for organizations, people, and products - **Voice search / Google Assistant** — structured data powers direct answers in voice queries (e.g., "What are the hours for [business]?") - **AI citations** — large language models and AI search engines (Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, Perplexity) use structured data to surface and attribute information **Measurable impact:** - Pages with rich results earn significantly higher click-through rates than plain blue links - FAQ rich results can double your SERP real estate - Product rich results with price and availability reduce bounce rates from unqualified clicks - BreadcrumbList markup replaces raw URLs in search results with readable navigation paths ## Formats: JSON-LD, Microdata, RDFa Three formats exist for embedding structured data in HTML. Google explicitly recommends JSON-LD. ### JSON-LD (Recommended) JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data. Placed in a ` ``` **Why Google prefers JSON-LD:** - No coupling between markup and presentation — easier to maintain - Can be injected dynamically by JavaScript frameworks - Simpler to validate and debug - No risk of breaking page layout when modifying structured data - Supports nesting and complex graphs cleanly ### Microdata Inline HTML attributes (`itemscope`, `itemtype`, `itemprop`) mixed directly into page elements. ```html
Example Corp
``` **When to use:** Legacy systems where you cannot add ` ... ``` Best for simple static sites, landing pages, and server-rendered pages. ### Next.js / React Head Management Use Next.js `'; } }); ``` ### Dynamic Generation from CMS Data For headless CMS setups (Contentful, Sanity, Strapi), generate structured data from the API response: ```typescript // Generic pattern for any CMS function generateProductSchema(cmsData: CMSProduct): object { return { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Product", name: cmsData.title, image: cmsData.media.map((m) => m.url), description: cmsData.shortDescription, sku: cmsData.sku, brand: { "@type": "Brand", name: cmsData.brand.name, }, offers: { "@type": "Offer", price: cmsData.variants[0].price.toString(), priceCurrency: cmsData.currency, availability: cmsData.inStock ? "https://schema.org/InStock" : "https://schema.org/OutOfStock", }, }; } ``` The key principle: structured data should be generated from the same data source that populates the page, never hardcoded separately. This ensures schema stays in sync with visible content. ## Claude Code Skill This structured data reference is also available as a free Claude Code skill — use it directly in your terminal: ```bash # Install curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cognyai/claude-code-marketing-skills/main/install.sh | bash # Use /structured-data # Full reference overview /structured-data Product # Show Product schema example /structured-data FAQPage # Show FAQPage example /structured-data validate # Testing and validation guide ``` [View on GitHub →](https://github.com/cognyai/claude-code-marketing-skills/tree/main/skills/structured-data) ## Resources - **Schema.org Full Vocabulary:** [schema.org/docs/full.html](https://schema.org/docs/full.html) - **Google Rich Results Gallery:** [developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/search-gallery](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/search-gallery) - **Google Rich Results Test:** [search.google.com/test/rich-results](https://search.google.com/test/rich-results) - **Schema Markup Validator:** [validator.schema.org](https://validator.schema.org) - **Google Structured Data Guidelines:** [developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/sd-policies](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/sd-policies) - **Claude Code Marketing Skills:** [github.com/cognyai/claude-code-marketing-skills](https://github.com/cognyai/claude-code-marketing-skills) --- In this section: - Conversion Tracking Debugger Reference: https://cogny.com/docs/conversion-tracking-debugger - Core Web Vitals Reference: https://cogny.com/docs/core-web-vitals - GA4 BigQuery Export Schema Reference: https://cogny.com/docs/ga4-bigquery-export-schema - GA4 Event Implementation Reference: https://cogny.com/docs/ga4-event-implementation - Google Ads Query Language (GAQL) Reference: https://cogny.com/docs/gaql-reference - Google Ads Scripts Reference: https://cogny.com/docs/google-ads-scripts - GTM Event Tracking & Setup Reference: https://cogny.com/docs/gtm-event-tracking - Meta Conversions API (CAPI) Setup Reference: https://cogny.com/docs/meta-conversions-api - **Schema.org Structured Data Reference** (this page): https://cogny.com/docs/structured-data-reference - UTM Parameter Strategy & Builder Reference: https://cogny.com/docs/utm-strategy Source page: https://cogny.com/docs/structured-data-reference All documentation: https://cogny.com/docs Cogny for agents: https://cogny.com/llms.txt