Schema Markup: JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa
Schema markup helps search engines understand your content better, which improves SEO. There are several types of schema you can use:
- JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data): It is the most commonly used format for adding schema. It allows you to insert structured data in a script tag, separate from the HTML elements. This format is easy to use and recommended by Google.
- Microdata: This type of schema involves embedding attributes directly within the HTML tags. While it’s effective, it can make your HTML code more cluttered and difficult to manage.
- RDFa (Resource Description Framework in attributes): Similar to Microdata, RDFa adds metadata using attributes in your HTML elements, but it is more focused on interoperability with other linked data formats.
For example, in this page, we're using JSON-LD to describe the schema for this blog post, authored by Sasikumar. JSON-LD makes it easier for search engines to identify the content, author, and publication date. Meanwhile, using Microdata or RDFa would involve embedding the structured data directly within the HTML tags themselves.