Complete blog schema reference skill

Complete Blog Schema Reference

Contents

• Why Schema Matters
• BlogPosting Schema
• Person Schema
• Organization Schema
• BreadcrumbList Schema
• FAQPage Schema
• ImageObject Schema
• VideoObject Schema
• Speakable Schema
• Stable @id Patterns
• Schema Types: Use Only When Eligible
• ProfilePage Schema (Author Pages)
• JSON-LD @graph Pattern
• Schema Validation Checklist

Why Schema Matters

Article schema with author Person, publisher Organization, and BreadcrumbList is the priority schema family for blog content in 2026. FAQ and HowTo rich results are no longer broadly available for general blog content, so standard article entities carry more of the SEO and AI-citation load. Complete schema graphs may increase AI citation likelihood, but exact lifts are directional and unverified. Schema must appear in HTML source, not injected via JavaScript, because most AI crawlers do not execute JS.

Still rich-result-eligible for eligible blog content in 2026: Article, BreadcrumbList, Video, Product, Review, and Event. FAQPage and HowTo remain valid schema.org types, but general blogs should not expect FAQ or HowTo visual rich results.

---

BlogPosting Schema

The priority schema family for every blog post is Article. BlogPosting remains acceptable as an Article-family implementation, but the required shape is the same: author Person, publisher Organization, dates, headline, and canonical page metadata in a single structured entity.

Full Property Reference

Note: Google states "there are no required properties" for Article or BlogPosting structured data. All properties below are recommended. @context and @type are required by the JSON-LD spec itself.

Property	Status	Type	Description
@context	JSON-LD required	URL	Always "https://schema.org"
@type	JSON-LD required	String	"Article" or "BlogPosting"
@id	Recommended	URI	Stable identifier: {siteUrl}/blog/{slug}#article
headline	Recommended	String	Post title, max 110 characters
description	Recommended	String	Meta description, 150-160 characters
datePublished	Recommended	ISO 8601	Original publish date
dateModified	Recommended	ISO 8601	Last content update date
author	Recommended	Person	Author entity (use @id reference)
publisher	Recommended	Organization	Site/company entity (use @id reference)
image	Recommended	ImageObject or URL	Featured image, min 1200x630px
mainEntityOfPage	Recommended	WebPage	The page URL
wordCount	Recommended	Integer	Total word count of article body
articleSection	Recommended	String	Category/topic (e.g., "SEO")
keywords	Recommended	String or Array	Comma-separated or array of keywords
inLanguage	Recommended	String	BCP 47 language code (e.g., "en-US")
url	Recommended	URL	Canonical URL of the post
thumbnailUrl	Optional	URL	Smaller preview image
articleBody	Optional	String	Full text (usually omitted for size)

Complete Article/BlogPosting Example

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "@id": "https://example.com/blog/technical-seo-guide#article",
  "headline": "Complete Guide to Technical SEO in 2026",
  "description": "Technical SEO has evolved beyond Core Web Vitals. 72% of top-ranking pages now use structured data. Here's how to optimize your site for both traditional search and AI systems.",
  "datePublished": "2026-01-15T08:00:00Z",
  "dateModified": "2026-02-10T14:30:00Z",
  "author": {
    "@id": "https://example.com/author/sarah-chen#person"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@id": "https://example.com#organization"
  },
  "image": {
    "@type": "ImageObject",
    "url": "https://example.com/images/blog/technical-seo-guide.jpg",
    "width": 1200,
    "height": 630,
    "caption": "Technical SEO optimization workflow diagram"
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage": {
    "@type": "WebPage",
    "@id": "https://example.com/blog/technical-seo-guide"
  },
  "wordCount": 3200,
  "articleSection": "SEO",
  "keywords": ["technical SEO", "structured data", "Core Web Vitals", "schema markup"],
  "inLanguage": "en-US"
}

---

Person Schema

Used for author attribution in BlogPosting and on dedicated author pages.

Full Property Reference

Property	Required	Type	Description
@type	Yes	String	Always "Person"
@id	Yes	URI	Stable: {siteUrl}/author/{slug}#person
name	Yes	String	Full name
jobTitle	Yes	String	Current professional title
url	Yes	URL	Author page URL
image	Yes	URL	Professional headshot
sameAs	Yes	Array	Social profile URLs (LinkedIn, Twitter, GitHub, personal site)
worksFor	Recommended	Organization	Current employer
alumniOf	Optional	CollegeOrUniversity	Educational background
description	Recommended	String	Brief professional bio
knowsAbout	Optional	Array	Expertise topics

Complete Person Example

{
  "@type": "Person",
  "@id": "https://example.com/author/sarah-chen#person",
  "name": "Sarah Chen",
  "jobTitle": "Content Strategist",
  "url": "https://example.com/author/sarah-chen",
  "image": "https://example.com/images/authors/sarah-chen.jpg",
  "description": "Content strategist with 8 years of experience in B2B SaaS, specializing in data-driven blog optimization.",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchen",
    "https://twitter.com/sarahchen",
    "https://sarahchen.com"
  ],
  "worksFor": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Example Corp",
    "url": "https://example.com"
  },
  "alumniOf": {
    "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
    "name": "UC Berkeley"
  },
  "knowsAbout": ["SEO", "Content Strategy", "B2B SaaS Marketing"]
}

---

Organization Schema

Represents the publishing entity. Referenced by every BlogPosting via the publisher property.

Full Property Reference

Property	Required	Type	Description
@type	Yes	String	"Organization" or "LocalBusiness"
@id	Yes	URI	Stable: {siteUrl}#organization
name	Yes	String	Company/brand name
url	Yes	URL	Homepage URL
logo	Yes	ImageObject	Company logo (min 112x112px, max 600px wide)
sameAs	Recommended	Array	Social media profile URLs
contactPoint	Recommended	ContactPoint	Support/contact info
description	Optional	String	Brief company description
founder	Optional	Person	Company founder
foundingDate	Optional	Date	When the company was founded

Complete Organization Example

{
  "@type": "Organization",
  "@id": "https://example.com#organization",
  "name": "Example Corp",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "logo": {
    "@type": "ImageObject",
    "url": "https://example.com/images/logo.png",
    "width": 300,
    "height": 60
  },
  "sameAs": [
    "https://twitter.com/examplecorp",
    "https://linkedin.com/company/examplecorp",
    "https://github.com/examplecorp"
  ],
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "ContactPoint",
    "contactType": "customer support",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "url": "https://example.com/contact"
  }
}

---

BreadcrumbList Schema

Provides navigation hierarchy to search engines and AI systems. Improves how pages appear in search results and helps crawlers understand site structure.

ItemListElement Pattern

Each breadcrumb item requires @type, position, name, and item (URL).

Complete BreadcrumbList Example

{
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Home",
      "item": "https://example.com"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Blog",
      "item": "https://example.com/blog"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 3,
      "name": "SEO",
      "item": "https://example.com/blog/category/seo"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 4,
      "name": "Complete Guide to Technical SEO in 2026",
      "item": "https://example.com/blog/technical-seo-guide"
    }
  ]
}

Rules

• Always start with Home (position 1)
• Include category/topic level if applicable
• Final item is the current page
• Positions must be sequential integers starting at 1
• Every item except the last must have an item URL

---

FAQPage Schema

Important: Google reduced FAQ rich-result visibility in August 2023, primarily showing it only for well-known, authoritative government and health sites. General blogs should not expect FAQ rich results. This is rich-result eligibility guidance, not a statement that FAQPage schema is invalid.

However, the markup can remain as optional entity support: LLMs parse your page's visible FAQ text, and Q&A-formatted content can improve extractability for citation. Google says there is "no need to proactively remove" existing FAQPage markup and it "does not cause problems for Search." Implement for AI/LLM entity value only, not rich results.

Structure

FAQPage
  └── mainEntity (array)
        └── Question
              ├── name (the question text)
              └── acceptedAnswer
                    └── Answer
                          └── text (the answer text, 40-60 words)

Complete FAQPage Example

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How does technical SEO affect AI visibility?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Technical SEO directly determines whether AI crawlers can access and extract your content. Since AI crawlers do not execute JavaScript, server-side rendered HTML with structured data markup is essential. Sites with proper technical SEO and accessible content structure are significantly more likely to earn AI citations."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is the most important schema type for blog posts?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "BlogPosting schema is the foundation for blog content. It provides structured metadata about the article including author, dates, and content classification. Combined with Person and Organization schemas, it creates a complete entity graph that search engines and AI systems use to evaluate content authority."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "Do AI search engines use schema markup?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "AI search engines can use schema markup to identify entities and relationships, but exact citation lifts are unverified. For blogs in 2026, prioritize Article or BlogPosting, Person author, Organization publisher, and BreadcrumbList. Add FAQPage only for visible Q&A entity support, not Google rich results."
      }
    }
  ]
}

Guidelines

• 3-5 FAQ items per page (not excessive)
• Answers should be 40-60 words (concise, extractable)
• Questions should match real user queries (People Also Ask style)
• Do not duplicate content already in the main article body
• Each answer should be self-contained and useful without context

---

ImageObject Schema

Used within BlogPosting for featured images and inline article images.

Properties

Property	Required	Type	Description
@type	Yes	String	"ImageObject"
url	Yes	URL	Full image URL
width	Yes	Integer	Width in pixels
height	Yes	Integer	Height in pixels
caption	Recommended	String	Descriptive caption
creditText	Recommended	String	Photographer or source credit
copyrightHolder	Optional	Person/Organization	Rights holder
license	Optional	URL	Link to license (e.g., Creative Commons)

Complete ImageObject Example

{
  "@type": "ImageObject",
  "url": "https://example.com/images/blog/seo-workflow-diagram.jpg",
  "width": 1200,
  "height": 630,
  "caption": "Technical SEO audit workflow showing the 7-step process from crawl analysis to implementation",
  "creditText": "Example Corp Design Team",
  "copyrightHolder": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Example Corp"
  }
}

---

VideoObject Schema

Used for YouTube videos embedded in blog posts. YouTube has the strongest AI visibility correlation (0.737). Each embedded video gets its own VideoObject.

Properties

Property	Required	Type	Description
@type	Yes	String	"VideoObject"
@id	Yes	URI	{siteUrl}/blog/{slug}#video-{index}
name	Yes	String	Video title
description	Yes	String	First 200 chars of video description
thumbnailUrl	Yes	URL	https://img.youtube.com/vi/{id}/hqdefault.jpg
uploadDate	Yes	ISO 8601	Video publish date
contentUrl	Yes	URL	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v={id}
embedUrl	Yes	URL	https://www.youtube.com/embed/{id}
duration	Recommended	ISO 8601	Duration (e.g., PT10M30S)
interactionStatistic	Recommended	InteractionCounter	View count
publisher	Optional	Organization	Channel name and URL

Complete VideoObject Example

{
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "@id": "https://example.com/blog/seo-guide#video-1",
  "name": "Complete Guide to Technical SEO in 2026",
  "description": "Learn the essential technical SEO strategies for 2026 including Core Web Vitals optimization, structured data, and AI search readiness.",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://img.youtube.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/hqdefault.jpg",
  "uploadDate": "2026-01-20T00:00:00Z",
  "contentUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "embedUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/embed/dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "duration": "PT12M45S",
  "interactionStatistic": {
    "@type": "InteractionCounter",
    "interactionType": { "@type": "WatchAction" },
    "userInteractionCount": 25000
  }
}

Guidelines

• Only generate for YouTube videos actually embedded in the post
• Use #video-1, #video-2 for sequential @id fragments
• Duration must be ISO 8601 format (PT prefix, M for minutes, S for seconds)
• Extract metadata from embed noscript text or YouTube Data API

---

Speakable Schema

Speakable support is limited and should not be a default schema recommendation for normal blog pages. Use it only when the target surface explicitly supports Speakable markup and the selected text is visible on the page.

Implementation Options

Use cssSelector (preferred) or xPath to identify speakable content sections.

Speakable Example with CSS Selectors

{
  "@type": "WebPage",
  "speakable": {
    "@type": "SpeakableSpecification",
    "cssSelector": [
      ".article-summary",
      ".faq-answer",
      "h1",
      ".key-takeaway"
    ]
  }
}

Speakable Example with XPath

{
  "@type": "WebPage",
  "speakable": {
    "@type": "SpeakableSpecification",
    "xPath": [
      "/html/head/title",
      "/html/body//article/p[1]",
      "/html/body//div[@class='key-takeaway']"
    ]
  }
}

Guidelines

• Point to concise, self-contained text sections
• Ideal sections: article summaries, FAQ answers, key takeaways
• Avoid pointing to entire articles (too long for voice)
• Each speakable section should be under 2-3 sentences
• Content must make sense when read aloud without visual context

---

Stable @id Patterns

Every schema entity needs a stable, unique @id that remains consistent across page loads and site rebuilds. This allows search engines to build entity graphs and AI systems to deduplicate references.

Standard Patterns

Entity	@id Pattern	Example
Blog Post	{siteUrl}/blog/{slug}#article	https://example.com/blog/seo-guide#article
Author	{siteUrl}/author/{slug}#person	https://example.com/author/sarah-chen#person
Organization	{siteUrl}#organization	https://example.com#organization
WebPage	{siteUrl}/blog/{slug}	https://example.com/blog/seo-guide
BreadcrumbList	{siteUrl}/blog/{slug}#breadcrumb	https://example.com/blog/seo-guide#breadcrumb
FAQPage	{siteUrl}/blog/{slug}#faq	https://example.com/blog/seo-guide#faq
VideoObject	{siteUrl}/blog/{slug}#video-{N}	https://example.com/blog/seo-guide#video-1

Rules

• Use the fragment identifier (#) to differentiate entities on the same page
• Never use random IDs, timestamps, or build hashes
• Keep patterns consistent across every page on the site
• The URL portion must match the canonical URL
• Use @id references to link entities instead of embedding duplicates

Referencing by @id

Instead of embedding a full Person object in every BlogPosting, reference the @id and define the Person once in the @graph:

"author": {
  "@id": "https://example.com/author/sarah-chen#person"
}

---

Schema Types: Use Only When Eligible

These entries separate Google rich-result eligibility from schema.org validity. Using unsupported rich-result markup does not cause penalties, but it can waste implementation effort and may trigger validation warnings. FAQPage is different: the markup can remain for visible Q&A entity support even when a general blog is not eligible for FAQ rich results.

Type	Deprecated	Date	Notes
HowTo	Rich result not broadly available	2023	Use visible step content plus Article schema for general blogs
SpecialAnnouncement	Watch item	Unknown	Use only when a primary Google source confirms support for the target page
ClaimReview	Rich-result simplification	2025	Use only for eligible fact-check content with clear methodology
Practice Problem	Watch item	Unknown	Use only for eligible education pages
Dataset	Valid schema, specialized surface	Unknown	Use for actual datasets; do not mark ordinary articles as Dataset
Sitelinks Search Box	Not recommended for blogs	Unknown	Google generally generates sitelinks algorithmically
Q&A	Valid for community Q&A where appropriate	Unknown	Do not use for editorial FAQ pages; use FAQPage for visible editorial Q&A

What to Use Instead

Deprecated Type	Alternative
HowTo	Use standard Article or BlogPosting with clear step headings (H2/H3)
Q&A	Use FAQPage for editorial Q&A; no replacement for community Q&A
SpecialAnnouncement	Use standard Article or NewsArticle
ClaimReview	No direct replacement for blogs; use Author entity with credentials

---

ProfilePage Schema (Author Pages)

Supported in 2026. Add to author bio/team pages to strengthen E-E-A-T signals and improve eligibility for author entity understanding.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ProfilePage",
  "dateCreated": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  "dateModified": "2026-04-01T00:00:00Z",
  "mainEntity": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "@id": "https://example.com/author/jane-smith#person",
    "name": "Jane Smith",
    "url": "https://example.com/author/jane-smith",
    "jobTitle": "Senior Content Strategist",
    "description": "Jane writes about SEO and content marketing with 8 years of experience.",
    "image": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://example.com/images/jane-smith.jpg"
    },
    "sameAs": [
      "https://linkedin.com/in/janesmith",
      "https://twitter.com/janesmith"
    ]
  }
}

---

JSON-LD @graph Pattern

Combine all schema entities in a single <script type="application/ld+json"> tag using the @graph array. This is the recommended approach for pages with multiple schema types.

Benefits

• Single script tag instead of multiple scattered blocks
• Entities reference each other via @id
• Easier to maintain and validate
• Cleaner HTML source

Complete @graph Example (Blog Post Page)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "@id": "https://example.com#organization",
      "name": "Example Corp",
      "url": "https://example.com",
      "logo": {
        "@type": "ImageObject",
        "url": "https://example.com/images/logo.png",
        "width": 300,
        "height": 60
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://twitter.com/examplecorp",
        "https://linkedin.com/company/examplecorp"
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://example.com/author/sarah-chen#person",
      "name": "Sarah Chen",
      "jobTitle": "Content Strategist",
      "url": "https://example.com/author/sarah-chen",
      "image": "https://example.com/images/authors/sarah-chen.jpg",
      "sameAs": [
        "https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchen",
        "https://twitter.com/sarahchen"
      ],
      "worksFor": {
        "@id": "https://example.com#organization"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Article",
      "@id": "https://example.com/blog/technical-seo-guide#article",
      "headline": "Complete Guide to Technical SEO in 2026",
      "description": "Technical SEO has evolved beyond Core Web Vitals. 72% of top-ranking pages now use structured data. Here's how to optimize your site for both traditional search and AI systems.",
      "datePublished": "2026-01-15T08:00:00Z",
      "dateModified": "2026-02-10T14:30:00Z",
      "author": {
        "@id": "https://example.com/author/sarah-chen#person"
      },
      "publisher": {
        "@id": "https://example.com#organization"
      },
      "image": {
        "@type": "ImageObject",
        "url": "https://example.com/images/blog/technical-seo-guide.jpg",
        "width": 1200,
        "height": 630,
        "caption": "Technical SEO optimization workflow diagram"
      },
      "mainEntityOfPage": {
        "@type": "WebPage",
        "@id": "https://example.com/blog/technical-seo-guide"
      },
      "wordCount": 3200,
      "articleSection": "SEO",
      "keywords": ["technical SEO", "structured data", "schema markup"],
      "inLanguage": "en-US"
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "@id": "https://example.com/blog/technical-seo-guide#breadcrumb",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "Home",
          "item": "https://example.com"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Blog",
          "item": "https://example.com/blog"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Complete Guide to Technical SEO in 2026",
          "item": "https://example.com/blog/technical-seo-guide"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "FAQPage",
      "@id": "https://example.com/blog/technical-seo-guide#faq",
      "mainEntity": [
        {
          "@type": "Question",
          "name": "How does technical SEO affect AI visibility?",
          "acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Technical SEO directly determines whether AI crawlers can access and extract your content. Server-side rendered HTML with structured data is essential since AI crawlers do not execute JavaScript."
          }
        },
        {
          "@type": "Question",
          "name": "What schema types should every blog post have?",
          "acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Every blog post should have Article or BlogPosting, Person author, Organization publisher, and BreadcrumbList schemas at minimum. Add FAQPage only for visible Q&A content and AI citation support, not Google rich results."
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

---

Schema Validation Checklist

Check	Pass	Fail
JSON-LD in HTML source (not JS-injected)	In <head> or <body> tag	Loaded via JavaScript
Valid JSON syntax	Passes JSON.parse()	Syntax errors
@context is https://schema.org	Exact match	Missing or HTTP
@id uses stable fragment pattern	Consistent across builds	Random or missing
dateModified matches actual update	Within 24 hours of last edit	Stale or fabricated
Author @id matches author page	Same URI used everywhere	Inconsistent references
Image URLs are absolute	Start with https://	Relative paths
Eligibility checked for optional types	Type is valid for the visible content and target surface	Ineligible rich-result markup used as a default
Complete schema graph per page	Article/BlogPosting + Person + Organization + BreadcrumbList minimum	Missing priority entity baseline
Validates in the right tool	Schema.org Validator for schema validity; Rich Results Test only for eligible Google rich-result types	Errors present

Validation Tools

• Schema.org Validator: https://validator.schema.org
• Google Rich Results Test: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results for eligible Google rich-result types
• JSON-LD Playground: https://json-ld.org/playground/