Structured data

Markup turns implicit page elements into typed data: an article title becomes headline, a date becomes datePublished, and an author becomes a Person or Organization. JSON-LD separates the data block from HTML, but the two representations must agree.

Section sources:[1] Google Search Central[2] Google Search Central

Structured data does not replace visible text, internal links, a sitemap, or technical accessibility. Schema.org provides vocabulary; individual search engines decide which types and properties they use for their features. Valid schema does not create entitlement to a special result.

Section sources:[1] Google Search Central[2] Google Search Central

An article can use Article markup with the same headline, author, datePublished, and dateModified visible to readers. If the page does not publish an actual dataset, adding Dataset merely to obtain richer markup is inappropriate.

First compare JSON-LD with the visible page, then test its syntax with a validator and the target search engine's tools. Inspect final HTML without client JavaScript and confirm that canonical URL, language, author, and dates agree across representations.

Error-free markup may still be ignored when a type is unsupported, the page is not indexed, or content quality is insufficient. It describes asserted facts but does not reveal whether an external system accepted them into an index or graph.