The most important part of Schema markup is not adding as many types as possible. It is choosing a type that accurately describes what the page is. Treat structured data as a concise machine-readable summary of the visible page.
Start with the main purpose of the page
Look at the primary thing the page represents. If it is an article, Article is a natural fit. If it is a browser tool or app, SoftwareApplication may fit. Site-level and operator details usually belong to WebSite and Organization.
- Article: articles, guides, news, and blog posts
- SoftwareApplication: browser tools, web apps, and software
- WebSite: site name, site URL, and site search
- Organization: company, operator, brand, and logo
- BreadcrumbList: page hierarchy and breadcrumbs
Combining types is normal
A page can include more than one structured data item. Article pages often combine Article and BreadcrumbList. Tool pages can use SoftwareApplication and BreadcrumbList. A home page can include WebSite and Organization.
Useful starting combinations
- Home page: WebSite + Organization
- Article page: Article + BreadcrumbList
- Tool page: SoftwareApplication + BreadcrumbList
- Index page: consider WebPage or CollectionPage, but keep it simple if the benefit is unclear
- Site templates: generate BreadcrumbList consistently
When in doubt, start with fewer types and make them accurate. The TOOLPOOL Schema Generator can create common JSON-LD blocks, and the Schema Checker can verify what is detected from a public URL.