Schema Is Useless for SEO (and Probably for AI Too)

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Jan 16, 2026

Join David Quaid, an SEO consultant known for busting myths, and Jake Hundley, a local SEO specialist, as they tackle the misconception that schema markup is vital for SEO rankings and AI visibility. They dissect how search engines and AI handle content, revealing that most sites don’t benefit from schema and might even face risks with its misuse. The duo also highlights when schema can be useful, such as for structured feeds, while emphasizing the importance of clean HTML and effective content structuring over complex schema strategies.

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INSIGHT

Schema Isn’t A Ranking Lever

Schema rarely, if ever, affects ranking in Google or LLMs for typical sites like blogs, SaaS, and local businesses.
Search engines prioritize relevance and authority first, then use structured data only to display specific features.

INSIGHT

LLMs Don’t Rely On Schema Indexes

LLMs usually ingest raw HTML documents, not a processed schema index, so schema offers little general benefit for AI visibility.
Schema only helps when systems request highly structured feeds for specific features like flights or hotels.

ADVICE

Prioritize SEO Fundamentals First

Avoid treating schema as a silver bullet and prioritize fundamentals: topical authority, backlinks, clear headings, and clean HTML structure.
Use tables and H2 anchors to present structured information before adding schema.

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E926: Jake Hundley and David Quaid join the show to break down one of the most misunderstood topics in SEO: schema markup.

For years, marketers, agencies, and "AI SEO" tools have claimed that schema is required to rank in Google and now in large language models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude. We take those claims apart and explains, in practical terms, why most websites don't benefit from schema at all - and in some cases, can actually create risk by using it.

This is a grounded, technical discussion about how search engines and LLMs actually work, what data they really use, and why most schema advice is built on correlation, not causation.

What this covers - Whether schema markup is required to rank in Google - Whether schema helps you appear in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or other LLMs - How large language models actually retrieve web content - Why schema does not improve relevance, trust, or understanding for most sites - Why correlation studies from tools like Semrush are misleading - The difference between correlation and causation in SEO data - Why rich snippets do not prove schema improves rankings - What Google's schema guidelines actually say about reviews and FAQs - How misuse of review and FAQ schema can create risk - Why Google removed most FAQ and review rich results - When schema might make sense (flights, hotels, structured feeds) - Why SaaS sites, blogs, and local businesses don't need schema to rank - How search engines already extract structured data from normal HTML - Why tables, headings, and clean page structure matter more than schema - How LLM prompts differ from search queries - What "query fan-out" means for AI visibility - How to test whether schema affects rankings or AI mentions - Why SEO fundamentals still decide what ranks

Key ideas from the episode - Search engines rank pages first, then use schema only if they need to display a feature - You cannot use schema to make an irrelevant page rank - LLMs do not crawl and index the web the way Google does - LLMs usually receive raw HTML, not processed schema - Schema is easy to fake and therefore cannot be a trust signal - Most pages that rank with schema would rank without it - Most schema usage exists because developers or plugins add it automatically - Google already ignores most schema for rich results - Real ranking signals still come from relevance, authority, and structure

Who this episode is for - SEO practitioners who want data-driven clarity - Business owners tired of technical SEO upsells - Agencies selling or buying "AI optimization" - Anyone being told they need schema to rank

⭐️ David Quaid on 𝕏 - https://x.com/DavidGQuaid ⭐️ David Quaid on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/ ⭐️ David Quaid's agency - https://primaryposition.com/

⭐️ Jake's Agency Discord - https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD ⭐️ Jake's Podcast - The Agency Growth Podcast: https://everbrospodcast.com/ ⭐️ r/agency Subreddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/agency/ ⭐️ Jake Hundley on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jake.hundley.1 ⭐️ Jake Hundley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/ ⭐️ Jake Hundley's agency - https://evergrowmarketing.com/

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Introduction to Schema and SEO Experts 00:30 Debunking the Myth: Schema and LLMs 01:31 Correlation vs. Causation in Schema Usage 04:08 Practical Insights and Case Studies 11:00 The Role of Schema in Local SEO 16:29 Review and FAQ Schema Guidelines 21:35 Schema's Impact on Rankings and Methodology 23:47 Challenges and Realities in SEO 25:58 Discussing the Semrush Article on Technical SEO and AI Search 26:53 Debating the Validity of Schema in SEO 28:21 Analyzing the Impact of Schema on Search Rankings 30:00 Viewer Comments and Schema Debate 31:27 SEO Fundamentals and Long-Term Strategies 35:14 The Role of Schema in Modern SEO 39:03 Effective SEO Practices and Misconceptions 42:41 Concluding Thoughts and Future Tests

The Edward Show. Your daily generative engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #topicalauthority #seo #digitalmarketing