Structuring Content for LLMs: JSON-LD and Semantic HTML

If content is king, structure is the castle. For Large Language Models (LLMs) to effectively learn from and cite your content, it must be presented in a format they can easily parse and categorize.

The Role of JSON-LD

JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is the preferred method for feeding structured data to search engines and AI models. It acts as a direct data pipe, stripping away design elements and presenting raw relationships.

Key Schemas for AI Visibility

Article Schema: Defines the headline, author, and date—critical for "freshness" signals.
FAQPage Schema: Directly feeds Q&A formats often used in chat responses.
Organization/Person Schema: Establishes the "Entity" of your brand or author, crucial for Knowledge Graph integration.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [{
    "@type": "Question",
    "name": "How does structured data help AI SEO?",
    "acceptedAnswer": {
      "@type": "Answer",
      "text": "Structured data provides explicit clues about the meaning of a page, allowing AI models to extract facts and relationships with high confidence."
    }
  }]
}

Semantic HTML: The Skeleton of Understanding

Beyond hidden schema, the visible HTML structure guides the AI's attention.

H-Tags as Outlines: Use H2s and H3s to create a logical hierarchy. LLMs often use these headers to understand the relationship between concepts.
Lists for Enumeration: <ul> and <ol> tags signal distinct items, steps, or features—formats highly favored by generative summaries.
Table Data: Data in <table> tags is easily ingested for comparison queries (e.g., "Compare iPhone 15 vs Pixel 8").

Contextual Linking

Internal linking isn't just for page authority flow; it's for Entity Linking. By linking specific terms to their definition pages or pillar content, you explicitly tell the LLM "This concept is related to that concept."

Conclusion

To win in the AI era, you must write for humans but format for machines. Heavy use of JSON-LD and strict semantic HTML ensures your high-quality content is actually "readable" by the AI engines deciding what to serve.

Structuring Content for LLMs: JSON-LD and Semantic HTML

Structuring Content for LLMs: JSON-LD and Semantic HTML

The Role of JSON-LD

Key Schemas for AI Visibility

Semantic HTML: The Skeleton of Understanding

Contextual Linking

Conclusion

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