What is Structured Data (JSON-LD)? Roles and Implementation Precautions

One-line answer: Structured data (JSON-LD) is a method of inserting an information label that machines can read immediately into a webpage, such as "This page is a company introduction, the company name is X, and the address and phone number are Y." It helps search engines and AI understand the content accurately, but adding content that is not on the screen or writing facts untruthfully can cause problems.

Understanding Structured Data Easily

When humans look at a webpage, they quickly recognize, "Oh, this is the price," or "This is the business hours." However, for machines, "Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00" is just a string of characters.

Structured data is the task of attaching name tags to these characters. It is similar to how a delivery box has designated sections for "Recipient," "Address," and "Contact Info" so that anyone can read it the same way.

The place that sets the common rules for these name tags is Schema.org (a standard dictionary for structured data created jointly by Google, Microsoft, etc.). And the representative format for writing those rules on a page is JSON-LD (a data format that writes information in the form of "item: value").

How does it help with AI search?

1. It accurately distinguishes entities. Structured data clearly informs whether the word "OLRim" is a company name or a general term. These distinct subjects like names, places, and companies are called entities.
2. It informs relationships. It shows the connections between information, such as "The author of this post is this person, and this person belongs to this company."
3. It enriches search results. If conditions are met, Google can display ratings, FAQs, event schedules, etc., more attractively in search results. (Display is decided by Google and is not guaranteed.)

Note: There is no official announcement that structured data directly guarantees exposure in AI answers. However, it is appropriate to view it as fundamental work that helps the AI understand content accurately.

Where do you put it?

You insert it inside the HTML of the page using a <script type="application/ld+json"> tag as shown below. It is not visible on the screen and is only read by machines. If you use website building tools (WordPress, I'mWeb, etc.), you can insert it via plugins or the "Header Code Insertion" feature.

4 Essential Types and Examples

The examples below are hypothetical company information for explanatory purposes. When using them in practice, be sure to replace them with your company's actual information.

1. Company/Store Introduction: Organization / LocalBusiness

Insert this into the company introduction or the home screen of the website. If you have a physical store, use LocalBusiness (or a more specific type, e.g., Restaurant, Dentist).

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Example Studio",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "telephone": "02-000-0000",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Example-ro",
    "addressLocality": "Yangcheon-gu, Seoul",
    "addressCountry": "KR"
  },
  "openingHours": "Mo-Fr 10:00-19:00",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/example"
  ]
}

In sameAs, you can include official SNS or map page addresses to indicate that "these accounts all belong to the same company."

2. Blog/Articles: Article / BlogPosting

Insert this for each post. The author, date published, and date modified are particularly important.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BlogPosting",
  "headline": "How to Care for Leather Wallets",
  "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hong Gil-dong" },
  "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Example Studio" },
  "datePublished": "2026-10-01",
  "dateModified": "2026-10-10",
  "mainEntityOfPage": "https://example.com/blog/wallet-care"
}

3. Frequently Asked Questions: FAQPage

Use this only when there are questions and answers actually visible on the page.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [{
    "@type": "Question",
    "name": "Do you operate on weekends?",
    "acceptedAnswer": {
      "@type": "Answer",
      "text": "We are open from 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays and closed on Sundays."
    }
  }]
}

As a side note, since 2023, Google has announced that it will primarily show FAQ rich results only for highly trustworthy sites, such as government or medical sites. Even if the appearance of the search result doesn't change, the significance of informing the machine about the structure of questions and answers remains.

4. Products/Services: Product / Service

Use this for pages selling goods or providing services. The price must be exactly the same as the price shown on the screen.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Service",
  "name": "Leather Wallet Repair",
  "provider": { "@type": "LocalBusiness", "name": "Example Studio" },
  "areaServed": "Seoul",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "30000",
    "priceCurrency": "KRW"
  }
}

Precautions You Must Follow When Applying

1. Do not include content that is not on the screen.

Structured data is a name tag that explains the screen content. Secretly including reviews, ratings, or questions that aren't on the screen can be treated as a violation of Google policy.

2. Do not fabricate ratings and reviews.

Inserting self-rated stars or fake reviews as structured data is a representative prohibited case. Use them only when there are actual customer reviews, using actual numbers.

3. Keep information up to date.

If the price or business hours have changed but the structured data still has old values, machines will believe the wrong information. It's necessary to make it a habit to update the data when you fix the screen.

4. Do not use types that don't match the page.

Putting a Product type on a blog post or putting the same FAQPage on every page only causes confusion. Choose the type that fits the nature of each specific page.

How to Check if It's Correctly Implemented

1. Google Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results): Enter the URL to see the recognized structured data and any errors.
2. Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org): Inspects whether it conforms to Schema.org rules overall.
3. Google Search Console: Continuously informs you of structured data errors across your entire site.

Common Error Examples

• The entire script is not recognized because a comma or quotation mark is missing.
• Missing mandatory items (e.g., name in Product).
• Date format errors (using the format 2026.10.01 instead of 2026-10-01).

Where Should I Start?

You don't need to do everything from the start. Just accurately entering your company information on the homepage is a great start.

Summary

• Structured data is an "information name tag" for machines.
• It is most important to keep it identical to the screen content, truthful, and up to date.
• After inserting it, be sure to verify it with inspection tools.

Other technical checklist items beyond structured data can be found in [How to be Cited in AI Search? 5 Website Technical Checkpoints](/blog/ai-search-citation-tech-checklist). If you are curious whether structured data is properly implemented on your site, try the OLRim free diagnosis.