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Glossary › Technical SEO

Technical SEO

JSON-LD

Recommended schema format. Goes in a <script type="application/ld+json"> block.

At a glance
Full name
JSON for Linking Data
Format
JSON inside <script type="application/ld+json">
Recommended by
Google (preferred over Microdata)
Validate with
Google Rich Results Test
Reference: JSON-LD inside <script> tag
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "atlookup",
  "url": "https://atlookup.com",
  "logo": "https://atlookup.com/logo.png",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://twitter.com/atlookup",
    "https://github.com/atlookup"
  ]
}
</script>

Why JSON-LD Matters

JSON-LD is one of the signals search engines and AI assistants use to evaluate page quality and relevance. Sites that get this right consistently outrank competitors who treat it as an afterthought — especially in 2026, where AI-generated answers favor content with clean technical foundations.

Practically, JSON-LD shows up in three places:

  • Crawlers and indexers use it to decide whether (and how) to include the page in the index.
  • Ranking algorithms weight it alongside dozens of other signals when deciding position.
  • AI assistants use it as a citation-quality signal when picking which sources to reference.

How to Check JSON-LD

The quickest way to see whether JSON-LD is set up correctly on your site:

  1. Run a free atlookup audit — it surfaces every relevant signal automatically across all pages.
  2. Cross-reference with Google Search Console for any related coverage warnings.
  3. For per-page deep dives, run Lighthouse on your top 10 pages.
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Common Mistakes

  • Treating it as one-and-done. Most signals drift over time as themes update, plugins change, and content moves. Audit at least monthly.
  • Fixing symptoms instead of templates. If 100 pages have the same issue, the template is the problem. Fix once at the source.
  • Skipping verification after fixes. Cache layers, CDNs, and stale indexes mean "fixed" rarely means "done" until you re-crawl.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is JSON-LD?

Recommended schema format. Goes in a <script type="application/ld+json"> block. See the full definition above for examples and context.

Why does JSON-LD matter for SEO?

JSON-LD affects how search engines and AI assistants understand and rank pages. Sites that get json-ld right consistently outrank competitors who treat it as an afterthought.

How do I check JSON-LD on my site?

Run a free atlookup audit — it surfaces every json-ld issue automatically across all pages, with each finding traced to a measurable signal.

How long until fixing JSON-LD affects my rankings?

Technical fixes typically take 2-8 weeks to register in rankings, depending on crawl frequency. AI Overview citations can shift within days of structural changes.

Is JSON-LD important in 2026?

Yes. With AI search now answering 40%+ of queries directly, signals like json-ld are more important than ever — AI assistants weight them heavily when picking citations.