Guide · Updated May 2026

Schema Markup Cheatsheet (2026)

Ten JSON-LD schema types you actually need, with copy-paste templates and validation tips. The fastest single SEO + GEO win for most sites.

Why schema matters

Three immediate wins from comprehensive schema:

  1. Rich-result eligibility — FAQ snippets, sitelinks search box, breadcrumbs, ratings, recipe cards, all gated behind correct schema.
  2. AI citation eligibility — Google AI Overviews and LLM answer-extractors weight structured data heavily. Pages with FAQPage + Article schema get cited disproportionately.
  3. Knowledge graph signaling — Organization + Person schema connects your brand to the broader web of identities, which improves brand mentions in AI training data over time.

Use a single <script type="application/ld+json"> tag per type per page. Place in <head> for best crawler-discovery. All examples below are JSON-LD.

1. Organization (sitewide)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "MarqOps",
  "url": "https://marqops.com",
  "logo": "https://marqops.com/logo.png",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://twitter.com/marqops",
    "https://linkedin.com/company/marqops"
  ]
}

2. WebSite (sitewide; sitelinks search)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebSite",
  "url": "https://marqops.com",
  "potentialAction": {
    "@type": "SearchAction",
    "target": "https://marqops.com/search?q={search_term_string}",
    "query-input": "required name=search_term_string"
  }
}

3. Article / BlogPosting (every post)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Generative Engine Optimization — The Complete Guide",
  "description": "How to get cited by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity.",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Jane Doe",
    "url": "https://marqops.com/team/jane"
  },
  "datePublished": "2026-05-08",
  "dateModified": "2026-05-08",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "MarqOps",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://marqops.com/logo.png"
    }
  }
}

4. FAQPage (cornerstone pages)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is GEO?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization..."
      }
    }
  ]
}

Keep answers under 50 words for snippet eligibility. Don’t use FAQPage on pages that are not actually FAQs (Google has been more aggressive about delisting misuse).

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://marqops.com" },
    { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Guides", "item": "https://marqops.com/guides" }
  ]
}

6. Product (ecommerce)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Yoga Mat",
  "image": "https://example.com/yoga-mat.jpg",
  "description": "Eco-friendly natural rubber yoga mat.",
  "brand": { "@type": "Brand", "name": "ExampleBrand" },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "url": "https://example.com/yoga-mat",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "price": "79",
    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock"
  },
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.6",
    "reviewCount": "247"
  }
}

7. LocalBusiness (single + multi-location)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Restaurant",
  "name": "Cafe Name — Boston",
  "image": "https://example.com/cafe-boston.jpg",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "Boston",
    "addressRegion": "MA",
    "postalCode": "02110",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": 42.358, "longitude": -71.063 },
  "telephone": "+1-617-555-0100",
  "openingHoursSpecification": [{
    "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
    "dayOfWeek": ["Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday"],
    "opens": "08:00",
    "closes": "20:00"
  }]
}

Use the most-specific subtype (Restaurant, AutoDealer, MedicalClinic) instead of generic LocalBusiness.

8. Person (author bylines)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Jane Doe",
  "jobTitle": "Senior Marketer",
  "url": "https://marqops.com/team/jane",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://linkedin.com/in/janedoe",
    "https://twitter.com/janedoe"
  ]
}

9. Review / AggregateRating

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Review",
  "itemReviewed": { "@type": "Product", "name": "Yoga Mat" },
  "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": "5", "bestRating": "5" },
  "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" },
  "reviewBody": "Best mat I&rsquo;ve owned."
}

Embed inside the parent Product schema as review + aggregateRating for cleaner aggregation.

10. HowTo

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HowTo",
  "name": "How to set up Google Ads conversion tracking",
  "step": [
    { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 1, "name": "Create a conversion action", "text": "..." },
    { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 2, "name": "Add the tag", "text": "..." }
  ]
}

HowTo eligibility was tightened in 2023; only use on genuine step-by-step instructional content.

Validation

  1. Google Rich Results Test — gold standard. Validates against current eligibility rules.
  2. Schema.org Validator — for structural correctness.
  3. Continuous monitoring — schema breaks silently when CMS templates update. The MarqOps Schema Monitor checks daily and alerts on drift.

Generate schema for any page in seconds: free Schema Markup Generator. Run a one-shot validation on any URL: free SEO + schema audit.

FAQ

Do I really need schema?⌄

Yes. Schema is rich-result eligibility (FAQ snippets, ratings, recipes, etc.) and it&rsquo;s a meaningful citation signal for AI Overviews + LLM answer-extraction. The cost is &lt;30 minutes per page; the upside is regular SERP real estate gains.

Which schema types matter most?⌄

Organization + WebSite (sitewide), Article (every post), FAQPage (cornerstone pages), BreadcrumbList (every non-root). Product, LocalBusiness, Review, HowTo where applicable. Person for author bylines.

JSON-LD or microdata?⌄

JSON-LD. Google has explicitly recommended it for years. Microdata still works but is harder to maintain and less common in 2026.

Related

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