Definition
What this term means
A standardised vocabulary maintained by Schema.org, a collaboration between Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex, that provides a common language for structured data on the web. Schema markup defines hundreds of entity types (Organisation, Product, Article, Person, Event, etc.) and their properties, enabling web publishers to describe their content in a way that any search engine or AI system can understand.
Why it matters
The business impact
Schema markup is the bridge between your content and AI understanding. By implementing the appropriate schema types (Organisation for your company, Product for your offerings, Person for your experts, Article for your content), you give AI systems a structured foundation for accurate interpretation. Without schema markup, AI must rely entirely on inference, which is error-prone.
Used in context
How you might use this term
“A professional services firm implemented Person schema for their consulting team, linking each consultant to their qualifications and areas of expertise. AI systems began attributing expertise correctly in responses, recommending specific consultants for relevant queries rather than just mentioning the firm generically.”
Related terms
Explore connected concepts
Structured Data
Machine-readable code embedded in web pages that explicitly defines entities, attributes, and relationships using a standardised vocabulary. JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is the preferred format. It sits in a script tag on the page and tells AI systems exactly what the page is about: the organisation behind it, the author's credentials, the product details, the article's topic, and more.
Entity
A uniquely identifiable concept, such as a company, product, person, or location, that AI systems recognise as a distinct 'thing' in the world. Entities have attributes (like founding date, industry, or location) and relationships to other entities (like 'manufactures', 'competes with', or 'is headquartered in'). AI models use entity understanding to connect information across sources and form coherent knowledge.
Model Citation
An instance where an AI model references, quotes, or links to a specific source when generating its response. Model citations can appear as inline references, linked source lists, or attributed quotes, and they represent the AI equivalent of earning a backlink in traditional SEO. Platforms like Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews prominently display citations.