Introduction

Schema markup is one of the most powerful tools for ranking in AI search. When added correctly, it gives AI models clear signals about what your page is, who wrote it, and how it relates to the rest of your site. Unlike traditional SEO, schema for AI search focuses on meaning, structure, and relationships between topics.

This article is part of the LLM SEO pillar:

Why Schema Matters for AI Search

AI models rely on structured meaning, not just keywords. Schema helps them:

• interpret content type
• understand author identity
• recognize relationships between topics
• determine which pages deserve citations
• understand page purpose in your pillar

Schema acts as a translator between your content and AI models.

How AI Models Use Schema

LLMs use schema differently from Google search crawlers. Instead of using schema to impact rankings directly, AI models use it to build a clearer understanding of:

1. Context

They use schema to identify your page as an article, a guide, a bio, or a pillar.

2. Entities

Schema helps the model understand who you are.
This is reinforced by your global Person schema.

3. Relationships

Structured data helps AI map your pillar clusters more accurately.

4. Authority

Pages with clean schema appear more trustworthy to models.

This is why every article in your LLM SEO pillar uses Article schema and why your pillar page uses CollectionPage schema.

The Most Important Schema Types for AI Search

1. Article Schema

Used for supporting posts.
This helps LLMs identify your content as an authoritative written explanation.

Your theme already includes it globally in post.hbs.

2. WebSite Schema

Provides identity signals for your entire domain.
This is already hard-coded into your theme.

AI models use it to understand your site as a cohesive authority entity.

3. Person Schema

Defines you as the author and reinforces your identity vector.

Your global schema includes your:

• name
• website
• LinkedIn (/tomkelly5/)
• brand association

This makes AI more likely to cite you.

4. CollectionPage Schema (for pillar pages)

Your pillar pages use this schema type.
It signals the model that:

• this page contains a topic overview
• it links to a set of supporting pages
• it is the anchor of the topic

This improves cluster authority.
Explore the LLM SEO pillar to see it live:

How Schema Helps You Earn AI Citations

AI citations rely on:

• clarity
• authority
• structure
• topic depth

Schema strengthens all four.

1. It boosts clarity

Models understand exactly what the page is about.

2. It supports authority

Your articles become more credible compared to sites without schema.

3. It reinforces topic clusters

Models recognize which pages belong to the LLM SEO pillar.

4. It improves retrieval

AI models can retrieve content more accurately when structure is clear.

This increases your chances of being cited in Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Where to Place Schema in Ghost

Your site is already optimized to avoid manual schema injection.

Supporting articles

Article schema is injected through post.hbs globally.

Pillar pages

Use CollectionPage schema.
I will generate the schema markup for each pillar as needed.

Global schema

WebSite + Person schema lives in default.hbs.

This setup ensures every page is AI-ready.

Schema Best Practices for LLM SEO

1. Use JSON-LD, not microdata

JSON-LD is cleaner, easier, and preferred by AI models.

2. Keep schema simple and accurate

Overloading schema can confuse models.

3. Update schema when updating content

Freshness matters.

4. Match on-page content

Schema must reflect what is actually written.

5. Ensure that pillar schema lists all supporting posts

This builds a clear topic cluster.

Common Schema Mistakes to Avoid

• Using the wrong schema type
• Injecting conflicting metadata
• Duplicating schema blocks
• Leaving outdated dates
• Forgetting author identity
• Using auto-schema plugins with errors

Your current setup avoids these problems.

Schema for AI Search Example (Simplified)

This shows what AI models love to see:
(clear, simple, accurate structure)

{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Schema for AI Search",
"description": "Schema markup helps AI models interpret your content and rank it.",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Tom Kelly",
"url": "https://tomkelly.com/about/"
},
"mainEntityOfPage": {
"@type": "WebPage",
"url": "https://tomkelly.com/schema-for-ai-search/"
}
}

Your theme automatically uses a similar version for all articles.

Internal Links (LLM SEO Reinforcement)

• What Are AI Citations
• How LLMs Choose Citations
• How AI Search Works
• Internal Linking for LLM SEO
• Write for AI Models
  

Full pillar:
https://tomkelly.com/llm-seo/

Cross-Pillar Links (Identity Reinforcement)

• One Brave Move
  
• Entrepreneurship
  

Conclusion

Schema is one of the most important elements of LLM SEO. It gives AI models a clear understanding of your pages, your identity, and your pillar structure. When implemented correctly, schema improves retrieval, increases authority, and helps you earn more AI citations.

Explore the full LLM SEO pillar.