C08 · Structure & Summarizability

Relevant Schema Markup

Updated February 9, 2026

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TL;DR

Your content is hard to extract and summarize because the structure is unclear. Add a concise top summary, fix heading hierarchy, and use structured formats like lists and tables for key information. Use Oversearch AI Page Optimizer to rescan and confirm extractability improves.

Why this matters

Clear structure improves extractability. LLMs and search systems prefer content that is easy to summarize, quote, and verify.

Where this shows up in Oversearch

In Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer and run a scan for the affected page. Then open Benchmark Breakdown to see evidence, and use the View guide link to jump back here when needed.

What schema types should I use for articles and guides?

Use Article (or TechArticle/HowTo) for guides, combined with FAQPage if the page has a FAQ section.

The schema type should match the content format. Article is the safe default for most written content. HowTo is appropriate for step-by-step instruction pages. FAQPage is an overlay for pages with a Q&A section.

Article: blog posts, news, opinion pieces, general guides.
TechArticle: technical documentation and developer guides.
HowTo: step-by-step instruction pages.
FAQPage: add alongside Article if you have an FAQ section.
Include author, datePublished, dateModified in Article schema.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to see schema detection.

Does schema help AI citations?

Schema does not directly cause AI citations, but it helps AI systems understand your content structure, which improves extraction accuracy and confidence.

LLMs process structured data alongside HTML. Schema markup disambiguates what the page is about, who wrote it, when it was updated, and what questions it answers. This metadata increases trust signals.

Schema helps AI systems identify the content type and author.
FAQPage schema makes Q&A pairs explicitly extractable.
Article schema provides publication and update dates for freshness signals.
Schema is not required for citations but reduces extraction errors.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to check schema coverage.

How do I add JSON-LD safely?

Add a <script type="application/ld+json"> block in the <head> of your page with the schema data as a JSON object.

JSON-LD is the recommended format because it is separate from the HTML content — it cannot break your page layout or content even if there is an error in the schema.

Place the script tag in <head> (preferred) or just before </body>.
Use a JSON-LD generator to create the initial schema.
Validate with Google’s Rich Results Test before deploying.
Do not include schema properties that are not present on the page.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to verify schema.

How do I validate structured data?

Use Google’s Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results) and Schema.org’s validator (validator.schema.org) to check for errors and warnings.

Validation catches syntax errors, missing required properties, and mismatched data. Always validate after adding or modifying schema.

Rich Results Test: shows if your schema qualifies for rich results.
Schema Validator: checks against the full Schema.org spec.
Google Search Console → Enhancements: shows schema errors at scale.
Test after every change to schema or the page content it references.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to see schema status.

Common root causes

Multiple H1s or inconsistent heading hierarchy.
Long, unstructured paragraphs with no scannable sections.
Key definitions missing or scattered.
Visual/UI elements contain key info without textual explanation nearby.

How to detect

In Oversearch AI Page Optimizer, open the scan for this URL and review the Benchmark Breakdown evidence.
Verify the signal outside Oversearch with at least one method: fetch the HTML with curl -L, check response headers, or use a crawler/URL inspection.
Confirm you’re testing the exact canonical URL (final URL after redirects), not a variant.

How to fix

Choose the right schema types (see: What schema types should I use for articles and guides?) and validate them (see: How do I validate structured data?). Then follow the steps below.

Place TL;DR immediately after the H1.
Use a single H1 and a clean H2/H3 hierarchy (one topic per section).
Convert long paragraphs into short blocks + lists + tables.
Add definitions for key terms near first mention.
Add relevant schema where appropriate (Article, FAQ only for real Q&A).
Run an Oversearch AI Page Optimizer scan to confirm structure/extractability improvements.

Verify the fix

Run an Oversearch AI Page Optimizer scan for the same URL and confirm the benchmark is now passing.
Confirm the page is 200 OK and the primary content is present in initial HTML.
Validate with an external tool (crawler, URL inspection, Lighthouse) to avoid false positives.

Prevention

Standardize templates so headings and TL;DR are consistent across pages.
Use a content linter to prevent heading hierarchy regressions.
Prefer scannable formats for key info (lists/tables).

FAQ

Should I use FAQ schema, HowTo schema, or Article schema?

Use Article schema for the page itself, add FAQPage schema if you have an FAQ section, and use HowTo schema if the page is a step-by-step guide. You can combine multiple schemas on one page. When in doubt, start with Article + FAQPage as the most common combination.

Can I have multiple schema types on one page?

Yes. Combining Article + FAQPage + BreadcrumbList is common and recommended. Each schema type describes a different aspect of the page. When in doubt, add all applicable schema types rather than choosing just one.

Does schema markup directly improve rankings?

Schema does not directly boost rankings but enables rich results (stars, FAQs, how-to cards) that increase CTR. It also helps AI systems extract structured information. When in doubt, add schema — the ranking benefit is indirect but the CTR benefit is measurable.

How do I troubleshoot schema validation errors?

Use Google’s Rich Results Test to see exactly what errors exist. Common issues: missing required fields, mismatched types, and content not matching visible text. When in doubt, fix errors one at a time and re-validate after each fix.

Should schema content exactly match visible page content?

Yes. Google requires that schema content matches what users see on the page. Mismatches can result in rich result removal or manual actions. When in doubt, generate schema from the same data source as your visible content.

How can I verify schema markup after changes?

Validate with Google’s Rich Results Test and Schema.org validator. Check the page in Google Search Console URL Inspection for schema detection. When in doubt, run an Oversearch AI Page Optimizer scan to check schema signals.