JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is a structured data format that helps search engines understand the content of your pages. It uses a <script type="application/ld+json"> block in your HTML to provide machine-readable information about your content.
Why It Matters for SEO
Search engines like Google use structured data to create rich snippets — enhanced search results that display additional information directly in the search results page:
- Articles — Author, publish date, headline
- Products — Price, availability, ratings
- Local Business — Address, hours, phone number
- FAQ — Questions and answers directly in search results
- Breadcrumbs — Navigation path in search results
- Reviews — Star ratings and review counts
Example
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "What is JSON-LD?",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "John Doe"
},
"datePublished": "2025-01-15",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Example Site"
}
}JSON-LD vs. Other Formats
There are three ways to add structured data: JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa. Google recommends JSON-LD because:
- It doesn't mix with your HTML markup
- It's easier to maintain and update
- It can be dynamically generated by JavaScript
What InspectWP Checks
InspectWP scans your WordPress site for JSON-LD structured data blocks and reports which schema types are present. Having proper structured data improves your chances of appearing as rich snippets in search results.