Resources & Guides

JSON-LD and Microdata are two ways to add structured data to your web pages. Here's why JSON-LD is the better choice:

**JSON-LD Advantages:**
- Easier to implement and maintain
- Doesn't interfere with HTML structure  
- Preferred by Google
- Better for dynamic content
- Centralized data management

**Microdata Disadvantages:**
- Mixed with HTML content
- Harder to maintain
- Can break with HTML changes
- Limited flexibility

**Best Practice:** Always use JSON-LD for new implementations.

The @graph property allows you to include multiple structured data entities in a single JSON-LD script tag.

**Use @graph when:**
- You have multiple entities on one page
- Entities are related (e.g., Organization + LocalBusiness)
- You want to reduce the number of script tags

**Example Use Cases:**
- Restaurant page with Restaurant + Menu + Reviews
- Article page with Article + Author + Publisher
- Product page with Product + Brand + Reviews

**Best Practice:** Use separate JSON-LD blocks for unrelated entities, @graph for related ones.

Google distinguishes between required and recommended properties for rich results.

**Required Properties:**
- Must be present for rich results to appear
- Missing required fields = no rich results
- Always validate these first

**Recommended Properties:**
- Improve chances of rich results
- Provide additional context
- Help with ranking and display quality

**Pro Tip:** Fill out recommended fields whenever possible - they significantly improve your rich result appearance and click-through rates.

Always test your JSON-LD before publishing to production.

**Testing Tools (in order of importance):**
1. Google Rich Results Test - Primary validation
2. Schema.org validator - Technical validation  
3. Google Search Console - Real-world monitoring

**Testing Process:**
1. Generate JSON-LD with SchemaCraft
2. Test with Google Rich Results Test
3. Deploy to staging environment
4. Monitor in Search Console
5. Deploy to production

**Common Issues:**
- Missing required properties
- Invalid date formats
- Incorrect URL structures
- Image accessibility problems