JSON-LD

Definition

JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is a way to embed structured data in JSON format. It’s commonly used for Schema.org markup (Organization, WebSite, Article, FAQPage, etc.) to describe entities and relationships.

Why it matters

• Improves content understanding and eligibility for rich results
• Makes information easier to extract and cite for AEO
• More maintainable than microdata (separate from HTML structure)
• Google explicitly prefers JSON-LD format
• Can describe off-page entities (authors, organizations)
• Supports nested structures and entity relationships (@id references)
• Easy to generate programmatically, ideal for pSEO

How to implement

• Place JSON-LD in <script type="application/ld+json">
• Ensure markup matches visible content (especially FAQ/HowTo)
• Validate with tools (Schema Validator / Google Rich Results Test)
• Avoid adding unrelated schema just to 'add more'
• Use @id to create entity references and relationships
• Prioritize schema types that Google supports
• Keep JSON syntax correct (commas, quotes, escaping)

Examples

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "@id": "https://example.com/#organization",
  "name": "Developer SEO Hub",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "logo": "https://example.com/logo.png",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://twitter.com/devseo",
    "https://github.com/devseo"
  ]
}
</script>

// Dynamic Article JSON-LD generation
interface ArticleSchema {
  title: string;
  description: string;
  author: string;
  publishDate: string;
  url: string;
}

function generateArticleJsonLd(article: ArticleSchema): string {
  const schema = {
    '@context': 'https://schema.org',
    '@type': 'Article',
    headline: article.title,
    description: article.description,
    author: {
      '@type': 'Person',
      name: article.author
    },
    datePublished: article.publishDate,
    mainEntityOfPage: article.url
  };
  return JSON.stringify(schema);
}

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