Why Schema Matters for AI
Schema.org provides explicit semantic meaning that AI systems use to understand your content. While AI can infer meaning from text, Schema.org removes ambiguity:
- Without Schema: AI guesses 'Apple' is a company or fruit based on context
- With Schema:
@type: Organizationmakes it explicit
This clarity improves citation accuracy in the Citation Economy. AI systems are more likely to cite content when they're confident about what it represents. Schema.org provides that confidence.
Priority Schema Types for AI
Of 800+ Schema.org types, these drive AI visibility:
- NewsArticle: Essential for press releases. Includes datePublished, author, publisher
- Organization: Company details, founders, founding date
- FAQPage: Q&A content that AI can extract directly—crucial for AEO
- HowTo: Step-by-step instructions with steps and tools
- Article + SpeakableSpecification: Voice-optimized content sections
- Product: For e-commerce (name, price, availability, reviews)
- Person: Author credentials, expertise, affiliations
- LocalBusiness: Location, hours, contact for local entities
Pressonify automatically generates 8-12 schema types per press release.
JSON-LD Implementation
JSON-LD is the recommended format for Schema.org (preferred by Google and AI systems):
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Company Launches New Product",
"datePublished": "2026-01-03T10:00:00Z",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Jane Smith",
"jobTitle": "CEO"
},
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Example Corp"
}
}
</script>Place JSON-LD in the <head> section. Multiple schema blocks are allowed. See our live schema graph for a production example.
Schema Best Practices for AI
Maximize AI discoverability with these practices:
- Nest entities: Don't just reference—embed full Organization inside NewsArticle
- Include all properties: datePublished, dateModified, author with credentials
- Use SpeakableSpecification: Mark sections optimized for voice/AI extraction (key for AEO)
- Validate thoroughly: Use Google Rich Results Test before publishing
- Update dateModified: AI systems prefer fresh content
- Add mainEntity: Link to the primary entity your page describes
Combined with high Information Gain, proper schema markup significantly boosts citability.
Schema + ADP Integration
Schema.org works best when integrated with the AI Discovery Protocol:
- /knowledge-graph.json: Export your schema as a standalone @graph for AI crawlers
- llms.txt: Reference your schema types ('We publish NewsArticle with FAQPage schemas')
- sitemap-ai.xml: Include schema indicators in your AI sitemap
This creates multiple pathways for AI systems to discover and understand your structured data. Learn more in our GEO Guide.