Google’s John Mueller recently replied to a question on Bluesky about whether structured data improves SEO. His response might shift how some people view its role in search performance.
What is Schema.org Structured Data?
When SEOs talk about structured data, they usually mean Schema.org markup. While there are many kinds of structured data out there, Schema.org is the type that helps Google better understand and display your content, such as adding rich results like star ratings, FAQs, or product details.
Does Google Use Structured Data to Improve Rankings?
The conversation started when someone said they were adding structured data to their site to see if it would help with SEO.
John Mueller responded with a thoughtful reply:
“Yes, and also no. I love seeing folks stumble into the world of online marketing, search engines, and all that, but reading up on how things technically work will save you time & help you focus.”
The original poster followed up with a simple question:
“In your experience, how has it helped?”
John Mueller responded:
“(All of the following isn’t new, hence the meme.) Structured data won’t make your site rank better. It’s used for displaying the search features listed in developers.google.com/search/docs/… . Use it if your pages map to & are appropriate for any of those features.”
Google Uses Structured Data for Rich Results—Not Rankings
It might seem surprising, but structured data doesn’t help a website rank higher in Google search results. Instead, it’s used to make a site eligible for rich results, like showing star ratings, product details, or FAQs directly in search.
In the case of AI-powered search results, Google mainly uses the usual content from websites. However, since AI search is considered a search feature, it may also rely on structured data to better understand and present certain details.
This was highlighted during a recent Search Central Live event, where Google shared a few key points (credit to Aleyda Solis):
- Structured data is important for modern search features
- Only specific types are supported, so check the documentation
- It’s efficient, easy for systems to understand, and very accurate
So while it won’t move your site up in rankings, structured data still plays an important role in how your content appears in search.
In simple terms, for AI Search:
Structured data improves search features, and AI Search uses AI technology. It also relies on the regular search index along with Schema.org structured data.
How Google Uses Structured Data in Search Features
Google only uses a small portion of the available Schema.org structured data. There are over 800 types of structured data, but Google relies on around 30 of them, for which it provides guidelines on how to use them.
Google uses structured data to gather information in a format that machines can understand. This information is then used to create richer search results, such as showing recipes, reviews, website details in a carousel, or even letting users buy books directly from search results.
Adding Schema.org structured data to your site doesn’t guarantee that your site will show rich results in search. It just makes your site eligible for these rich results. Also, adding structured data types that Google doesn’t officially support won’t impact your site’s SEO because Google only uses around 30 types of structured data.
Read the original discussion on Bluesky:
Adding structured data to see if it helps with SEO
