Glossary
Structured Data
Structured data is information presented in a standardised, machine-readable format rather than plain, unstructured text. On the web, this usually means schema markup embedded in a page's code that labels specific facts (a price, a review score, a business address) explicitly.
Why it matters
Search engines and AI answer tools increasingly need to extract precise facts from a page, not just read prose and guess. Structured data removes the ambiguity, making it more likely a business's details are represented accurately in search results, map listings, and AI-generated summaries.
It's becoming more important, not less, as more search happens through AI tools that synthesise an answer from several sources rather than sending a visitor to click through. A page that states its facts in a structured way is easier for those tools to use correctly.
Common mistakes
- Treating structured data as optional "extra" SEO work rather than a basic part of building a page properly
- Structured data that doesn't match the actual visible content on the page
- Only adding it to a handful of pages instead of consistently across the site
- Confusing structured data with visible page design, which are separate things serving different audiences (machines vs humans)
Related terms
Structured Data FAQ
Is structured data the same as schema markup?
Schema markup is the most common way of implementing structured data on the web: schema.org is the shared vocabulary, and structured data is the broader concept of machine-readable information generally.
Can I see the structured data on a website?
It's not visible on the page itself, but tools like Google's Rich Results Test can show exactly what structured data a URL has, and whether it's valid.
Where this applies
See this term in practice on Kwise Web's own pages.
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