--- title: "Structured data for agents" category: agent-readiness status: recommended url: https://specification.website/spec/agent-readiness/structured-data-for-agents/ updated: "2026-05-29" sources: - title: "schema.org" url: "https://schema.org/" publisher: "schema.org" - title: "Google — Intro to structured data" url: "https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data" publisher: "Google Search Central" - title: "JSON-LD 1.1" url: "https://www.w3.org/TR/json-ld11/" publisher: "W3C" - title: "Is It Agent Ready?" url: "https://isitagentready.com/" publisher: "Is It Agent Ready?" source_repo: https://github.com/jdevalk/specification.website licence: CC-BY-4.0 --- # Structured data for agents > JSON-LD with schema.org types gives agents typed facts about your page. It is the same markup search engines use, and agents lean on it just as heavily. ## What it is Structured data is a machine-readable description of what a page is about, embedded in the page itself. The dominant vocabulary is [schema.org](https://schema.org/), and the recommended syntax is JSON-LD: a ` ``` ## Why it matters - **Disambiguation.** "Joost de Valk" is text. `Person` with a `url` is a typed identity. - **Extraction quality.** Agents pull facts from JSON-LD with near-perfect accuracy. The same facts in prose are guessed. - **Cross-page consistency.** A consistent `Organization` block across the site lets agents merge data into a single entity. - **Search overlap.** What helps agents here is the same work that drives rich results and Knowledge Graph entries. It is also one of the easiest items in this spec to verify: the markup is right there in the HTML. ## How to implement Pick the types that match your pages. Common ones: - `Article`, `BlogPosting`, `NewsArticle` for editorial content. - `Product` with `Offer`, `AggregateRating`, `Review` for commerce. - `FAQPage` and `Question` for Q&A content. - `Person`, `Organization` for entity pages, used as nested references everywhere else. - `Event`, `Recipe`, `HowTo`, `JobPosting`, `LocalBusiness` for vertical-specific pages. - `BreadcrumbList` for breadcrumb trails. - `WebSite` with `SearchAction` on the homepage. Rules to follow: - Use JSON-LD over Microdata or RDFa. Easier to write, easier to keep in sync. - One block per type is fine; multiple blocks per page are also fine. - Reuse `@id` URIs so agents can link entities across pages. - Mirror what is visible on the page. Schema for content that does not appear violates Google's guidelines and trains agents to mistrust your markup. - Test with the [Schema Markup Validator](https://validator.schema.org/) and Google's Rich Results Test. ## Common mistakes - Marking up an `Article` that is actually a category page. - Inflating `AggregateRating` with fake reviews. Both search engines and agents penalise this when caught. - Leaving stale `datePublished` or `author` after a CMS migration. - Forgetting to update structured data when the visible content changes. - Using `@type: "WebPage"` for everything. Pick a specific type. ## Verification - Run the page through [validator.schema.org](https://validator.schema.org/) and Google's Rich Results Test. - Fetch the HTML and confirm the JSON-LD is present before JavaScript executes. - Spot-check that the JSON-LD matches what a reader actually sees.