Structured data — also known as schema markup or JSON-LD — is the single most important technical foundation for AI visibility. Without it, AI systems have to guess what your business is. With it, they know exactly.
What structured data does
Structured data is a standardised format for describing your business to machines. It tells AI systems:
- What your business is (type, industry, services)
- Where it is (address, service area)
- How to contact it (phone, email, website)
- What it offers (products, services, prices)
- What people say about it (reviews, ratings)
- How it is organised (FAQs, breadcrumbs, articles)
Why AI systems need it
AI systems like Claude, ChatGPT, and Perplexity do not browse the web like humans. They process text and extract information. Structured data gives them that information in a format they can parse perfectly, without ambiguity.
Without structured data, AI systems have to infer what your business is from your content. That inference is unreliable. With structured data, they know.
How to get it right
- Use JSON-LD (not microdata or RDFa — JSON-LD is what AI systems prefer)
- Validate your markup with Google's Rich Results Test
- Include the schemas that matter: LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList, Organization
- Keep it updated when your business changes
Every InkVault360 website includes validated structured data as standard.