Does schema markup help with AI search?

What schema markup and structured data are

Structured data is the general idea: information about a page in a standard format. Schema.org is the shared vocabulary most search engines use for it, with types such as LocalBusiness, Organization and Service, and properties such as name, address and openingHours. Schema markup is that vocabulary written into your page.

Google supports three formats and recommends JSON-LD, a separate block of code that sits in the page and does not change what visitors see. A simple version for a local business looks like this:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Plumber",
  "name": "Example Plumbing",
  "url": "https://www.example.com.au",
  "telephone": "+61 2 0000 0000",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "1 Example Street",
    "addressLocality": "Marrickville",
    "addressRegion": "NSW",
    "postalCode": "2204",
    "addressCountry": "AU"
  },
  "areaServed": "Inner West, Sydney NSW"
}
</script>

Schema markup is not the same as an llms.txt file, which is a plain text summary of a site for AI tools. Schema is a long-standing web standard. llms.txt is a proposal, and Google says its Search does not use it.

What Google says about structured data and AI features

Google's guide to optimising for its generative AI features, which covers AI Overviews and AI Mode, is direct. It lists overfocusing on structured data among the things you do not need to do. Structured data is not required for its AI search, and in Google's words, "there's no special schema.org markup you need to add".

The same guide still recommends using it as part of your overall SEO, because it helps pages qualify for rich results, the enhanced listings in Google Search. Google's page on AI features also includes, among its list of SEO basics, making sure your structured data matches the visible text on the page.

Two other points from Google's general guidelines are worth knowing. Correct markup does not guarantee any rich result. And markup that describes content visitors cannot see breaks the rules and can lead to a manual action, which removes rich result eligibility for that page.

What Bing, OpenAI and Perplexity say

Microsoft is a little warmer. Its Bing Webmaster Guidelines, which also cover Copilot, say structured data may help with clearer grounding, meaning the way an AI answer is tied to source pages, but does not guarantee visibility or traffic. The markup has to reflect what is visible on the page. Since OpenAI's help centre says ChatGPT search may send queries to Bing, Bing's view is relevant to ChatGPT too, indirectly.

OpenAI and Perplexity have said little. Their crawler documentation explains how to let their search bots in, and does not mention schema markup. We found no public statement from either company that structured data affects whether a business is recommended.

What is evidence and what is opinion

It helps to sort the claims you will hear into three piles.

• Documented: schema can make a page eligible for some rich results in Google. Organization markup helps Google understand and tell apart your business, including which logo to show. Bing says structured data may support clearer grounding. Google says no special markup is needed for its AI features.
• Reasonable but unproven: markup that states your name, address, phone, hours and service area plainly removes doubt for any software reading the page, including AI crawlers. That is logical, and cheap to do, but no AI company has published evidence that it changes recommendations.
• Opinion: claims that schema is the main lever for getting into ChatGPT, or that a particular type guarantees AI citations. The studies we have seen behind these claims come from SEO tool vendors and measure correlation, not cause. Sites with good schema also tend to have good content, reviews and links.

So the honest answer is: schema probably helps a little, mostly by making your basic facts unambiguous. It will not rescue a thin website, and it is not a substitute for accurate listings and real reviews.

Which schema types matter for a small business

Most small business sites need only a few types. Use the most specific one that fits, and only state facts that are also on the page.

• LocalBusiness: for a business with a physical location or service area. Google requires a name and address for its local business rich results, and recommends hours, phone number and website. Schema.org has more specific types, such as Plumber, Electrician, Dentist, HairSalon and AutoRepair. Use one if it fits.
• Organization: usually on the home page. Google lists no required properties, and recommends details such as name, logo, address, phone and sameAs links to your official profiles. Google also suggests using a LocalBusiness subtype where you have a physical location.
• Service: a schema.org type for describing a service, with properties such as areaServed and provider. Google has no rich result for it, so treat it as extra clarity rather than a ranking tool.
• FAQPage, with a caveat: Google stopped showing FAQ rich results in May 2026 and removed the documentation in June 2026. FAQ markup no longer earns a special listing in Google. Whether other AI tools use it is unknown. Write good FAQs on the page for people, and do not add the markup expecting a Google benefit.
• Reviews, with a caveat: Google's local business guidance says review and rating markup is only for sites that review other businesses. Marking up your own customers' reviews about you will not earn star ratings.

For context, lumeen.com.au carries ProfessionalService, WebSite and Service markup and an llms.txt file. We add them because they are accurate and take little effort to maintain, not because any AI company has said they lift recommendations.

How to check your schema markup

You do not need to read code to check this. Two free tools do most of the work.

• Google's Rich Results Test: paste in a page address. It shows which Google rich results the page is eligible for and flags errors in the markup Google supports.
• Schema Markup Validator: run by schema.org at validator.schema.org. It checks any schema.org markup, including types Google does not use for rich results, such as Service.
• Google Search Console: after launch, its rich result reports show markup errors across your whole site.

Then do the human check. Compare what the markup says with what the page says. The phone number, address, hours and suburbs should match exactly, and should match your Google Business Profile too. A mismatch is worse than no markup at all.

So, should you add schema markup?

Schema markup is a machine-readable label for the facts already on your page. Add LocalBusiness or a more specific type, plus Organization, keep it matching the page, and check it once a year or whenever your details change. Then spend most of your effort where the evidence is stronger: clear service pages, an accurate Google Business Profile and Bing listing, and recent reviews.

Key takeaways

1. (01)

   Schema markup is code that states a page's facts in a standard vocabulary, usually written as JSON-LD.

2. (02)

   Google says it is not required for AI Overviews or AI Mode, but still recommends it for rich results.

3. (03)

   Bing says it may support clearer grounding, with no guarantee. OpenAI and Perplexity have said nothing about it.

4. (04)

   Use LocalBusiness or a specific subtype plus Organization, match the visible page, and skip FAQ markup for Google.

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