When you publish a webpage, people are not the only ones reading it. Browsers, search engines, and sharing apps also look for clues about its meaning. This lesson explains how json-ld script markup for structured data fits into that picture.
The Idea in Plain English
Structured data adds machine-readable facts about information already visible on the page. Use a supported vocabulary and keep prices, dates, authors and names consistent with the real page.
HTML supplies the structure; JavaScript supplies the behavior described here. If you remove the script, check what remains usable for visitors.
A Working Example
Read the sample once before copying it. Notice the element names and attribute values, then compare them with the explanation below.
<article>
<h1>Planting a Sunflower</h1>
<p>By Alex on October 3, 2026</p>
</article>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Planting a Sunflower",
"datePublished": "2026-10-03",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Alex"
}
}
</script>What Each Part Does
- The script element can load code or hold data; the type attribute tells the browser how to treat its contents.
- An article identifies a self-contained piece of content.
- The h1 identifies the principal page heading.
- type chooses the relevant kind of script, input, media or embedded object.
Visitors see the ordinary article; a crawler may read the structured data. Correct markup does not guarantee a search enhancement.
Try It Yourself
Check that the structured data agrees with the article heading, author and publication date.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Inventing reviews or adding fields that disagree with visible page content.
- Changing several parts of the example at once, making it difficult to see which part caused a different result.
- Choosing a tag only because its default appearance looks right, without checking whether it describes the content correctly.
Key Takeaways
- Structured data adds machine-readable facts about information already visible on the page. Use a supported vocabulary and keep prices, dates, authors and names consistent with the real page.
- Visitors see the ordinary article; a crawler may read the structured data. Correct markup does not guarantee a search enhancement.
- Test the markup in a browser, and check accessibility and real-world behavior where relevant.