Schema markup helps AI engines understand what your page is about, what your product does, and how your content should be categorized. Google has confirmed it uses structured data as a signal in AI summaries. Here are the schemas that matter most for GEO. Our AI Overview Ranking Factors: Get Into Google AI guide covers this in detail.
Which Schema Types Matter for GEO?
Not all schema types are equal. These have the highest impact on AI citations: As we discuss in Free GEO Audit Tools for AI Visibility, this is a critical factor.
| Schema Type | Impact | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| FAQPage | 🔴 Highest | Any page with Q&A content |
| Article | 🔴 High | Blog posts, guides, news |
| Organization | 🔴 High | Homepage, about page |
| Product | 🟡 Medium | Product pages |
| SoftwareApplication | 🟡 Medium | SaaS/tool pages |
| HowTo | 🟡 Medium | Tutorial content |
| Review / AggregateRating | 🟡 Medium | Review pages |
| BreadcrumbList | 🟢 Supporting | All pages (navigation context) |
FAQPage Schema (Highest Impact)
AI engines frequently extract FAQ content directly. This is the single most impactful schema for GEO. If you want to go deeper, Question-Style Headings That AI Engines Pull breaks this down step by step.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What is Generative Engine Optimization?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of optimizing website content to appear in AI-generated search results from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overview, and other AI engines."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How is GEO different from SEO?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "SEO focuses on ranking in traditional search results. GEO focuses on being cited and quoted in AI-generated answers. GEO requires structured content, AI crawler access, and machine-readable data."
}
}
]
}Article Schema (For Blog Posts)
Every blog post should include Article schema. It tells AI engines the topic, author, and publication date. (We explore this further in GEO for Personal Brands: Get AI to Recommend You.)
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "How to Get [Cited by ChatGPT](/blog/how-to-get-cited-by-chatgpt) in 2026",
"description": "10 proven strategies to get your website cited by ChatGPT.",
"author": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Your Brand"
},
"datePublished": "2026-02-23",
"dateModified": "2026-02-23",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Your Brand",
"logo": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"url": "https://yourdomain.com/logo.png"
}
}
}Organization Schema (For Brand Identity)
Place this on your homepage and about page. It establishes your brand identity for AI engines. This relates closely to what we cover in Landing Pages for AI-Referred Visitors.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Your Brand",
"url": "https://yourdomain.com",
"logo": "https://yourdomain.com/logo.png",
"description": "Brief description of what your company does.",
"sameAs": [
"https://twitter.com/yourbrand",
"https://linkedin.com/company/yourbrand",
"https://github.com/yourbrand"
]
}Product / SoftwareApplication Schema
For product and tool pages. Helps AI engines understand features, pricing, and category. For more on this, see our guide to Why JavaScript Kills Your AI Visibility.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "Your Tool Name",
"description": "What your tool does in one sentence.",
"applicationCategory": "BusinessApplication",
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"price": "0",
"priceCurrency": "USD"
},
"operatingSystem": "Web",
"url": "https://yourdomain.com"
}Where to Place Schema
Add JSON-LD in a <script> tag in your page’s <head>: Our robots.txt for AI Crawlers — Complete Setup Guide guide covers this in detail.
<head>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{ your schema here }
</script>
</head>In Next.js, use the metadata API or a Head component. In Astro, add it directly to the layout template.
How to Validate
- Google Rich Results Test — search.google.com/test/rich-results
- Schema.org Validator — validator.schema.org
- View Page Source — Search for
application/ld+jsonto verify it’s present
Common Mistakes
- Missing FAQPage schema — The highest-impact schema for GEO, yet most sites skip it
- Outdated dates — Always update
dateModifiedwhen you edit content - Empty descriptions — AI engines use schema descriptions as trusted summaries
- Client-side injection — If schema is added via JavaScript, AI crawlers won’t see it. Render it server-side
FAQ
Does schema markup guarantee AI citations?
No. Schema markup helps AI engines understand your content better, increasing the likelihood of citation. It’s one signal among many.
Can I have multiple schema types on one page?
Yes. A blog post page can include both Article and FAQPage schema. Use an array or multiple script tags.
Does Google AI Overview use schema differently than ChatGPT?
Google has explicitly confirmed structured data influences AI summaries. ChatGPT uses schema indirectly through better content understanding during crawling.