Structured data in SEO: boost your natural referencing

Search engine optimization (SEO) is constantly evolving, particularly with the new Search Generative Experience (SGE) which is redefining the way search engines interpret and display results. One of the most powerful but often under-utilized elements of this discipline is the integration of structured data. This information enables search engines to offer rich snippets, a key element in meeting the challenges of the 21st century. SEO challenges in the EMS erawhich can significantly improve visibility and click-throughs.

In this article, we'll explore structured data in depth: what it is, how it works, its benefits, and how to implement it to maximize your SEO strategy.

What is structured data?

Structured data is a standardized format for organizing information on a web page. They use a specific language, such as JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data), to structure data in a way that search engines can understand.

Structured data is no longer just a technical tool: it forms the basis of semantic SEO, enabling search engines, AI and conversational assistants to understand the meaning, context and relationships between elements on a site.

How does structured data work?

Search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo use crawlers to analyze websites. By incorporating structured data, you make these robots' work easier by explicitly telling them what your content is about. This enables them to present your pages in more attractive and relevant ways in the search results.

In the age of generative SEO (SGE, Gemini, ChatGPT Search), this data is also becoming the raw material used by AIs to quote, synthesize or reformulate content. In other words: your structured data can influence the way your brand is represented in AI results.

Example of structured data for a recipe :

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Recipe",
  "name": "Apple Pie",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Jean Dupont"
  },
  "datePublished": "2025-10-01",
  "description": "A delicious homemade apple pie.",
  "prepTime": "PT30M",
  "cookTime": "PT1H",
  "totalTime": "PT1H30M",
  "recipeIngredient": [
    "4 apples",
    "100g sugar",
    "200g flour",
    "100g butter".
  ],
  "recipeInstructions": [
    "Preheat oven to 180°C.",
    "Prepare the dough by mixing the flour and butter.",
    "Add the sliced apples,
    "Bake for 1 hour."
  ]
}

Main types of structured data

Structured data are standardized by Schema.orga vocabulary supported by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo. Here are a few common types:

• Products Information on prices, availability and reviews.
• Articles tagging for news or blogs.
• Events Event details (dates, locations).
• Recipes instructions, ingredients, preparation time.
• Organizations information about a company or institution.
• Options rating of products or services.

Since 2025, new types have emerged: "HowTo", "FAQPage", "VideoObject", "PodcastEpisode", and "Course", essential for educational content, voice search and visibility in generative experiences.

Why is structured data crucial to SEO?

Improved visibility in SERPs

Structured data enables search engines to display information rich snippetsThese enriched results are even more eye-catching for users. These enriched results are even more eye-catching for users. Visit Google news directly influence the way rich snippets are displayed and interpreted.

Structured data can also be displayed in enriched formats such as the Google Quick View.

And now, they also increase your chances of being selected in Google's "AI Overviews" or ChatGPT Search answers, where contextual understanding of content relies on structure and semantic coherence.

Increased click-through rate (CTR)

Enriched results make your pages more engaging in the SERPs, which leads to a higher click-through rate. For example, a recipe displaying star ratings and a cooking time is more appealing than a simple blue link.

Structured data also influences "zero-click" performance - i.e. visible responses without clicks - by providing more visual and semantic context in AI previews.

Better understanding of content by search engines

With structured data, search engines better understand the context and content of your pages. This can improve your chances of appearing in the featured snippets or the Knowledge Panels.

AI engines, on the other hand, exploit these signals to create internal knowledge graphs: the cleaner your data, the more reliable your content becomes as a source of truth.

Opportunities for voice search

With the rise of voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri, structured data plays a key role in delivering relevant, well-structured information to users.

The rise of voice search and multimodal interfaces (text + voice + image) makes tagging FAQs, local entities (LocalBusiness) and "HowTo" content crucial.

Structured data formats

There are three main formats for adding structured data:

JSON-LD

The format most recommended by Google. It uses a JavaScript code that you can insert in the of your page. It's easy to update and doesn't directly modify the HTML.

JSON-LD remains the absolute reference, but the trend in 2025 is to combine JSON-LD with semantic HTML elements to optimize reading by LLMs (large language models).

Microdata

A format based on HTML, which involves adding attributes directly to HTML tags. While effective, it can make code more difficult to read.

RDFa (Resource Description Framework in Attributes)

Similar to Microdata, RDFa adds attributes to HTML tags. It is often used to integrate metadata into HTML documents.

Format comparison

Format	Ease of use	Support by Google	Code readability
JSON-LD	Very easy	Excellent	High
Microdata	Average	Good	Low
RDFa	Average	Good	Average

Implementation of structured data

Step 1: Identify content types

Identify the sections of your site that will benefit from structured data: products, blogs, recipes, events, etc.

Step 2: Using generation tools

Google offers a tool for generating structured data via Google's Structured Data Markup Helper.

Premium agencies now use advanced tools (such as Schema App, InLinks, or in-house scripts) to automatically audit, generate and maintain structured data on a large scale.

Step 3: Add the code to your site

Integrate the JSON-LD or Microdata code into your site, either via a CMS such as Shopify or WordPress (using plug-ins), or directly in the HTML code.

Step 4: Test your markup

Use tools such as the Rich Results Test from Googlethe Schema.org validator or the Search Console to check that your structured data is correctly implemented.

Finally, monitor the impact on your SEO and AI performance via appropriate KPIs: rate of appearance in rich results, CTR, presence in "AI Overviews" or citations in ChatGPT Search.

Best practices for structured data

• Respect Google's guidelines Make sure your structured data truly reflects the page's content.
• Update your data regularly out-of-date information may lead to penalties or incorrect rich snippets.
• Avoid spam Do not add structured data that is not relevant to the content.
• Combine with Technical SEO Structured data works best on fast, well-structured sites.
• Call in the experts: structured data is a fairly complex subject, as requirements vary greatly from one site to another. To make sure you get it right, call on the services of an expert. SEO agency or a SEO consultant.

A premium agency also integrates structured data governance into the overall SEO strategy: monitoring, compliance, automation and continuous adaptation to new Schema types.

Case studies: Impact of structured data

Case 1: E-commerce site

For a client's ready-to-wear retail site, we implemented structured data for its products, displaying customer reviews and prices in the SERPs. The result: a 35% increase in CTR and a 20% rise in sales.

Case 2: Culinary blog

Another customer with a food blog used the Recipe for its recipe articles. This led to a 50 % increase in organic traffic in 6 months.

The challenges and limits of structured data

Today, a new challenge is emerging: compatibility with AI models. Some tags are misinterpreted or ignored by LLMs if they lack semantic context. It is therefore essential to associate structured data with clear, coherent textual content.

Current limits

• Initial complexity Structured data requires a learning curve, especially for beginners.
• Dependence on search engines the display of rich snippets depends on search engine algorithms, and their appearance is not guaranteed.
• Regular maintenance frequent updating of content and standards requires constant vigilance.

Technical challenges

• Possible incompatibilities with certain CMS or plugins.
• Risk of code misinterpretation by engines if tags are badly formed.

The future of structured data

As technologies evolve, structured data will become even more essential for :

• Voice search : responding to requests from voice assistants.
• Artificial intelligence structuring data for advanced applications. This is an important criterion for the SEO in ChatGPT Search.
• Semantic navigation Improve contextual understanding of engines.

This is an important criterion for the SEO in ChatGPT Searchwhere data structuring plays a major role.

But above all, they will play a strategic role in generative search engine optimization (GEO / AEO). Conversational AIs rely on knowledge graphs: the more structured your data, the more visible you are in their responses.

Visionary companies are already working on creating "proprietary Knowledge Graphs" connected to their sites, to control how their entities, products and experts are interpreted by AIs.

Special focus: LLM and structured data

Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude leverage structured data to understand the world of the web.
Schema.org tags (Organization, Product, Person, FAQ, etc.) are interpreted as reliable facts, allowing models to better "reason" about your pages.

In concrete terms, this means that your well-marked and coherent site can be chosen as a source or quoted in an AI-generated response.
It's the new frontier of SEO: LLM Visibility Optimization.

For expert agencies, this means :

• Design complete, interconnected entity diagrams.
• Maintain semantic consistency throughout the digital ecosystem.
• Integrate enriched structured data (FAQ, HowTo, Organization) with AI-friendly content.
• Analyze citations and presence in AI engines as a performance indicator.

Conclusion

Structured data is a fundamental pillar of modern SEO. Although they require an initial investment in time and skills, the advantages they offer - better visibility, increased click-through rates, and compatibility with new technologies - make them an essential element for any SEO professional.

In a world where SEO is becoming "generative", they are the bridge between your content and artificial intelligence.
Companies that master their semantic structuring become "sources of authority" in AI ecosystems.

By implementing structured data correctly, you give your content an edge in an increasingly competitive digital landscape. Test, learn and adapt your strategies to maximize their potential.

Structured data is an integral part of this transformation, and illustrates how Google is revolutionizing search with AI.

If you would like support in implementing structured data, please contact the best SEO agency !

And if you want to go further, our agency can help you implement a structured data strategy at the cutting edge of AI - from diagnostics to governance, including visibility in generative engines.

📚 Also read: DeepSeek vs ChatGPT: AI and generative SEO.