Format Comparison
JSON-LD vs Microdata: Which Structured Data Format to Choose?
While both formats express Schema.org structured data, JSON-LD uses separate script tags while Microdata uses inline HTML attributes (itemprop, itemscope).
Key Technical Takeaways
- ✓JSON-LD is decoupled from presentation markup, making DOM updates safe.
- ✓Microdata attributes pollute HTML tags and break easily during template redesigns.
- ✓Google explicitly recommends JSON-LD for all modern web applications.
Implementation Example
<!-- JSON-LD (Recommended) -->
<script type="application/ld+json">
{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Jane" }
</script>
<!-- Microdata (Legacy) -->
<div itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person">
<span itemprop="name">Jane</span>
</div>