Structured Data Formats Compared
JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa for AI visibility — which works best.
Comparison details
Format comparison
Three structured data formats exist for the web: JSON-LD, Microdata and RDFa. For AI visibility, format choice impacts implementation complexity, maintenance burden and AI platform compatibility.
JSON-LD
JSON-LD is the recommended format. It is implemented as a script tag in the page head, separate from HTML content. This separation makes it easier to implement, maintain and update. All major AI platforms support JSON-LD.
Microdata
Microdata annotates existing HTML content with schema attributes. While supported, it is harder to maintain because the structured data is distributed across the page content.
RDFa
RDFa is an HTML5 extension for embedding RDF data. It is primarily used in enterprise and linked data contexts. AI platform support is limited.
Recommendation
Use JSON-LD for all new structured data implementations. It is the industry standard, universally supported and significantly easier to maintain.
Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I mix structured data formats?
Technically yes, but it is not recommended. Mixing formats increases complexity and risk of inconsistency. Standardize on JSON-LD for all implementations.
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