JSON-LD: What It Is and When to Use It | SEO Dictionary

JSON-LD is a linked-data format that represents structured descriptions using JSON.

Selectable JSON-LD code

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Example article"
}
</script>

Minimal syntax example, not complete rich-result markup. Data must match the visible article.

How it works

Web pages often use an application/ld+json script and stable entity identifiers.

Example

Example: One shared graph connects the page, organisation and term without duplicate entities.

Common mistakes

Syntactically valid JSON can still describe false or invisible facts.

How can you check this in practice?

Verify that script content is valid JSON: double quotes, no comments and no trailing commas. @context defines the vocabulary, while @id links the same entity across nodes. Visible facts and structured descriptions must agree.

Distinctions and limitations

JSON-LD is not a JavaScript program and does not execute the described data. @graph groups entities but does not automatically create authority or rich results. Ordinary JSON without the appropriate context is not necessarily linked data.

Official sources

JSON-LD - JSON for Linked Data ↗

Editorial responsibility: Martin Zhelyazkov · Founder of Z-Consult

Updated: 05/11/2026

For a correction or question: office@z-consult.bg