Contents
Schema markup and visibility in AI Overviews (Google AI overview) – does structured data improve your Google rankings?
What?
A comparative experiment reveals the impact of structured data on page visibility in Google's AI Overviews.
Why?
AI Overviews is a new area in search results. Appearing there can significantly increase a website's visibility and organic traffic – but does a well-implemented framework actually increase these chances?
Who is it for?
Online store owners, SEO specialists, marketers, and companies investing in digital visibility.
Background:
AI visibility is becoming an increasingly desirable goal in the digital world. Experts conducted an experiment comparing the impact of three versions of pages —one with a good schema, another with an incorrect , and a third without structured data —on their presence in Google results.
What is schema.org anyway?
Check out our blog post that covers this essential e-commerce tool.
Structured data and ranking: what did the test prove?
The website with a well-implemented schema was the only one to be included in AI Overview and to be ranked in the Top 3 organic results for one of the analyzed phrases.
Meanwhile, the page with the incorrect schema only achieved position 8 and didn't appear in the AI Overview, despite ranking for a larger number of keywords. The page without structured data was indexed last – and didn't achieve any position.
Experiment under the microscope – methodology and equal conditions
The test included three single-page websites created on the same platform, without JavaScript, sitemap, or robots.txt. Each page was optimized for the same keywords (selected using Ahrefs).
The page with the correct schema contained the following: a complete article schema, FAQ, breadcrumbs, author and publisher information, correct dates, and educational fields. The page with the incorrect schema had incomplete data, incorrect formatting, and missing important properties.
What conclusions can be drawn from the test?
The experiment doesn't provide conclusive evidence, but it does indicate that the quality of structured data can impact visibility in AI Overview . A well-implemented schema supports both organic ranking and presence in new Google Search formats.
What can your company do?
5 actions worth implementing:
- Find the right e-commerce advisor who will conduct a proper schema audit of your store and make appropriate modifications and repairs to your schema.
- Ensure a complete and correct schema on every important subpage.
- Implement FAQ schema in question and answer sections.
- Add details about the author, date, content level and audience.
- Regularly validate your structured data with Google and schema.org tools.
- Track your website visibility in AI Overview and analyze changes after implementations.
Is schema the key to better visibility in the digital world?
The test confirms that it's not just the presence of a schema, but its quality, that can determine success. In a world where AI overviews are gaining in importance, investing in accurate structured data is becoming increasingly worthwhile.
Want to learn more?
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Marcin Stadnik
e-commerce advisor
The author is a manager with extensive experience in e-commerce, sales strategy, and content marketing. He is a digital practitioner and consultant with over 15 years of experience in e-commerce projects, sales strategy, and online business development, as well as 25 years of experience in broadly defined distribution (offline and online). He specializes in creating and implementing effective solutions for online stores, supporting companies in developing their digital presence. He co-creates appropriate strategies for e-businesses, conducts audits, and oversees marketing activities—always combining analytical knowledge with market practice. He is the author and co-author of content published on the swiatcyfrowy.pl website—based on his many years of consulting, analytical, and operational experience. The materials created are intended to provide reliable, valuable knowledge that truly supports the development of online businesses. The content here is designed to address the real challenges and needs of companies operating in the e-commerce environment (the digital world).
