Explainer · Technical Setup

Structured Data in 2026: Labels, Not Magic

Google retired FAQ rich results in May 2026. Here's what schema markup can still do for AI visibility, which types are worth adding, and the one rule that matters most.

By the Moonlit teamPublished October 22, 20263 min read

Structured data, often called schema markup, is a bit of code that labels the information on a page using a shared vocabulary from Schema.org. Instead of a crawler guessing that "$38" is a price and "In stock" is availability, the labels spell it out.

Think of it like the labels on a well-organized pantry. Helpful! But labeling an empty jar "cookies" doesn't put cookies in it.

Wait, What Happened to FAQ Schema?

For years, the go-to AEO tip was "add FAQ schema to everything." That tip has expired.

If FAQ markup is already on your site, it won't break anything. It just won't create those expandable Q&A results anymore. The visible FAQ text on your page is still useful to people and readable by every crawler, so keep that.

What Google Says About Schema and AI

Google's guidance for AI Overviews and AI Mode is clear: you don't need special schema.org markup, AI text files or new machine-readable files to appear. If you do use structured data, it should match the visible text on the page.

That second part is the one rule that matters most.

The Types Still Worth Your Time

Pick the type that matches what the page really is. A blog post doesn't need Product markup. A service page doesn't need Event markup.

What It Looks Like

Google recommends JSON-LD, a script block that sits in the HTML and doesn't change how the page looks:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "6-inch Birthday Cake",
  "brand": { "@type": "Brand", "name": "Example Bakery" },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "38.00",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock"
  }
}
</script>

Put it directly in the HTML your server sends. Google can read markup that JavaScript adds later, but many AI crawlers skip JavaScript.

Quick Don'ts

• Don't mark up ratings, prices or FAQs that visitors can't see.
• Don't leave old prices or expired events in the markup after the page changes.
• Don't paste the same Product or Article block onto every page.
• Don't expect markup to rescue a page that never answers the question. That's a writing job.

To check your work, run Google's Rich Results Test for Google features and the Schema Markup Validator at validator.schema.org for everything else.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• AI features and your website, Google Search Central
• Changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results, Google Search Central Blog, August 2023
• FAQ structured data page and changelog, Google Search Central
• Introduction to structured data markup, Google Search Central