# What is structured data?

**Concept** · MetaPilot Learn

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## TL;DR

Structured data is a bit of machine-readable code (usually schema.org in JSON-LD) that states the plain facts of a page — what it is, who wrote it, when, and what it's about — so search engines and AI answer engines don't have to infer them from the text.

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## What it is

When you read a product page, you instantly know the price, the rating, and that it's a product. A machine reading the raw HTML has to guess. Structured data removes the guessing: it's like putting a clear label on every box — "Article," "Product: $39, 4.6 stars," "FAQ" — in a format engines are built to read.

The common vocabulary is **schema.org**, and the common format is **JSON-LD**: a small block of code added to the page (invisible to visitors) that spells out the facts. It doesn't change how your page looks — only how well machines understand it.

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## Why it matters

- **Rich results.** Structured data is what earns the enhanced search listings — star ratings, FAQs, breadcrumbs, prices — that stand out and get more clicks.
- **AI citations.** Answer engines lean on clearly labeled facts; well-structured pages are easier to quote confidently.
- **No ambiguity.** You state the facts instead of hoping an engine infers them correctly from your layout.

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## How MetaPilot handles it

MetaPilot reads each page in your sitemap and generates accurate schema.org JSON-LD (Article, Product, FAQPage, Organization, and more) grounded in what's actually on the page — then serves it live at the edge, and regenerates it as content changes.

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## FAQ

**Does structured data change how my page looks?**
No. It's invisible to visitors — it only tells machines what the page contains.

**What's the difference between schema.org and JSON-LD?**
Schema.org is the *vocabulary* (the agreed-on labels); JSON-LD is the *format* (how the labels are written into the page). Google recommends JSON-LD.

**Does structured data guarantee rich results?**
No — it makes a page *eligible*. Engines still decide what to show, but without it you're not in the running.

**Do I have to hand-write it?**
You can, but it's tedious and goes stale. MetaPilot generates and maintains it for you.

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**Related**
- What is a knowledge graph?
- What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
- What is MetaPilot?