What is Structured Data?
This term refers to two different things:
- HTML structures — HTML tags, ARIA attributes, alt descriptions, etc.
- Data schemas — not directly visible to users or easily noticeable in the source code. These schemas are defined according to Google's standard and published on Schema.org. They are JSON-format structures that describe a website's content more clearly for Google and AI tools.
Why Organize Data and What Are the Analyses For?
Many changes have occurred recently that should be reflected in websites. Google is evolving its search engine, increasingly integrating AI directly into it, and testing user behavior. Most recently, AI Mode was launched; earlier, AI Overviews also appeared in search results.
In recent weeks, Google has rolled out another wave of changes related to Google AI and the expanded use of schemas (structured data). These updates significantly affect how a website appears in search results and how Google's AI understands it.
Many websites are now losing valuable visibility simply because they are not using structured data correctly or do not have content prepared for AI interpretation.
The goal of these analyses is to improve our clients' websites — both in terms of accessibility (not just for Google and AI, but also for screen readers) and in terms of rich snippets visibility in search results.
How to Conduct the Analyses
The analysis is divided into three steps:
- HTML structure analysis
- Schema analysis
- Client outputs
For each analysis, the corresponding checklist is reviewed and it is recorded whether a given element is or is not implemented on the website.
Checklist for HTML Structures
1. Scope of Analysis
The website is divided into basic sections: basic structure, navigation, breadcrumb, menu and submenu, forms, modal windows, blog / article, footer.
2. Control Questions
2.1 Basic Website Structure
- Is there a
<header>on the page? - Is there a
<main>on the page? - Is there a
<footer>on the page? - Do these basic elements have appropriate ARIA attributes (
aria-label,aria-describedby, etc.)? - Is there only one
<h1>on the page? - Are heading levels used correctly without skipping (e.g., no
<h3>before<h2>)? - Is
<aside>used if the website has a sidebar? - Are all Lighthouse and WAVE errors resolved (including
aria-labelon images and links)?
2.2 Skip Link
- Is there an option to skip directly to the main content using the Tab key ("Skip to content")?
2.3 Navigation and Menu
- Is the navigation correctly wrapped in
<nav>with anaria-label? - Is the menu structure built using a list (
<ul>/<ol>)? - Do links have meaningful text or
aria-label? - Is
aria-current="page"set for the active page? - If a burger menu is used on touch screens, is it built using
<button>with appropriate ARIA attributes?
2.4 Breadcrumb Navigation
- Is the navigation correctly wrapped in
<nav aria-label="breadcrumb">? - Does each link have an
aria-labelor meaningful text? - Is the structure built using a list (
<ul>/<ol>)? - Is
aria-current="page"set for the active page?
2.5 Menu and Submenu (Dropdown)
- Can the dropdown menu be opened using the keyboard (Tab / Enter)?
- Is the
aria-expandedattribute used? - Is the
aria-controlsattribute used? - Is
aria-current="page"set for the active page?
2.6 Blog and Articles
- Is the article wrapped in
<article>? - Does
<article>contain its own<header>? - Is the
<time datetime="">element used? - Is the article author mentioned (if known)?
2.7 Forms
- Does every input have a corresponding
<label>? - Do required fields have
aria-required="true"? - Do error messages have
role="alert"? - Do required fields (asterisks) have a text description "required field"?
- Are checkboxes and additional information correctly described using
aria-describedby?
2.8 Modal Windows
- Does the modal window have
role="dialog"? - Is
aria-modal="true"set? - Is the
aria-hiddenattribute used correctly? - Are the modal's title and description defined using ARIA attributes?
- Do buttons have meaningful labels (
aria-label)? - Is a focus trap implemented?
- Can the window be closed using the Esc key?
2.9 Footer
- Are individual menu sections in the footer wrapped in their own
<nav>? - Do links have correctly accessible names?
- Are contact details wrapped in
<address>? - Do icons (social media, phone, etc.) have
aria-label?
3. Accessibility Analysis Output
Based on the analysis, a To-Do list is created, divided by sections and priorities.
Checklist for Structured Data (Schemas)
- List all page types found on the website.
- For each page type, determine:
- the page type
- the corresponding Schema.org types (the most commonly used schemas are listed in this file; if the website has unique data, the appropriate schema should be looked up on Schema.org)
- Review the source code of individual pages and verify whether the given schemas are implemented.
- If schemas are missing, list which ones need to be added and prioritize the tasks.
Client Outputs
Based on the analyses and their results (To-Do lists), outputs are created for the client. More general sections (e.g., Organization Schema) can be taken from the template outputs listed in this file. If a new schema or feature is involved, a time estimate should be added for the PM.