Structured Data is a way to provide Google with clear, organized information about your page's content. Instead of Google guessing that this is an article page, you tell it explicitly: "This is an article, its title is X, its author is Y, its publish date is Z." In 2026, structured data does 3 things: qualifies you for Rich Results (rich cards in search results), feeds the Knowledge Graph, and increases the chance of AI Overviews citing your page.
What is Structured Data?
It's a standardized format for describing page content using Schema.org vocabulary. Google supports 3 formats:
1. JSON-LD (Recommended) — JavaScript code in <script> tags, separate from HTML. Easiest and most stable. 2. Microdata — Properties embedded within HTML. 3. RDFa — Similar to Microdata.
Recommendation: Use JSON-LD.
Why Structured Data Matters in 2026
- Rich Results: Rich results (star ratings, price, availability) increase CTR by up to 30%
- Knowledge Graph: Google builds an entity for your organization or person
- AI Citation: A Schema App 2025 study found 84% of AI product citations included complete Product schema
- E-E-A-T: Additional signal for expertise and trust
14 Schema Types Still Working in 2026
- Article: For articles and news. Use NewsArticle for news, BlogPosting for blogs.
- BreadcrumbList: Shows hierarchical path in search results instead of long URLs.
- Organization: Your organization — once on the main site. Name, logo, sameAs (social media).
- Product: Essential for product pages with Offer + AggregateRating.
- LocalBusiness: For local stores and services. More specific types (Restaurant, Dentist) are better.
- Person: For writers and founders. sameAs with LinkedIn/GitHub supports E-E-A-T.
- Event: For events and occasions.
- VideoObject: For video with thumbnail and duration.
- JobPosting: For jobs (Google for Jobs).
- Recipe: For recipes (strongest Rich Results).
- ProfilePage: For author/profile pages.
- Speakable: For text designed for audio reading.
- Return Policy / Shipping Policy: For e-commerce trust.
- Loyalty Program: New in 2025.
Schema Types That Died in 2026
- FAQPage: Fully discontinued on May 7, 2026
- HowTo: Rich Results discontinued since 2023
- Course Info: Discontinued (Course List still works)
- Book Actions: Discontinued
- Vehicle Listing: Discontinued
- Special Announcement: Discontinued
How to Implement JSON-LD in Next.js
Use the next/script component or a dedicated SEO component to inject JSON-LD into the page <head>. Generate the schema dynamically based on page type (Article, Product, etc.) and pass page-specific data as props.
Common Schema Markup Mistakes
- Wrong schema type for the content type
- Missing required properties (Google won't show rich results)
- Mismatched data (schema says one price, visible page shows another)
- No schema at all on important pages
- Schema only on desktop, not mobile
- Using deprecated schema types (FAQPage, HowTo)