Microdata
Definition
Microdata is an HTML syntax that annotates visible elements with Schema.org types and properties using attributes like itemscope and itemprop.
By Vinespire Editorial Team, Editorial ·
This term is part of the full AI search glossary.
Full definition
Unlike JSON-LD, which usually lives in a separate script block, Microdata weaves machine-readable labels into the DOM: itemscope marks an item, itemtype names the type, and itemprop labels properties. Search engines can parse both formats; Google has long accepted Microdata alongside JSON-LD and RDFa.
Microdata keeps annotations close to the rendered text, which can reduce drift between visible content and markup—but it is harder to maintain on componentized sites and can clutter templates.
For most modern SEO and AI-oriented implementations, JSON-LD is preferred for maintainability; Microdata remains valid where legacy templates already use it. See JSON-LD, Structured Data, and Schema.org.
Example
<div itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Organization"><span itemprop="name">Example Co</span></div>