What is JSON-LD?
The recommended format for embedding schema.org structured data in a page — a machine-readable summary of what the page means.
Definition
JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is a script block embedding structured data in a page without touching visible HTML. It's Google's recommended format for schema.org markup — Article, Product, Organization, FAQPage, DefinedTerm — declaring unambiguously what a page is about and how its entities relate.
Why it matters
For machines, JSON-LD removes guesswork: this is a product, this is its maker, this is the question and its answer. Evidence for direct AI-citation lift is mixed, but structured data demonstrably supports entity resolution and rich results, and costs little. Best practice in 2026: treat JSON-LD as entity hygiene that must mirror on-page text — markup that contradicts or exceeds visible content gets ignored or penalized.
Frequently asked
Which schema types matter most for AI visibility?
Organization (with sameAs links) for entity identity; Article with author credentials for E-E-A-T; FAQPage and DefinedTerm for answer-shaped content; Product with real attributes for commerce prompts.
Do LLMs actually read JSON-LD?
Retrieval pipelines that parse HTML can ingest it, and search features consuming structured data feed surfaces AI draws on. Some LLM tokenization deprioritizes markup unless the visible text reinforces it — so never rely on schema alone to carry meaning.
Related terms
- JavaScript RenderingContent assembled in the browser by JavaScript. Most AI crawlers don't execute JS — client-rendered content is invisible to them.
- AI CitationsThe linked sources an AI assistant credits when generating an answer. Being cited is the AI-era equivalent of ranking #1.
- AI CrawlerBots operated by AI companies — GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended — that fetch web content for model training or live answer retrieval.
- AI OverviewsGoogle's AI-generated summaries shown above traditional results, now appearing on roughly half of searches and dramatically reducing clicks to websites.