Does Google Use Schema Markup for AI overviews? Yes it does, now officialy!

Recently, Google confirmed that structured data plays a role in AI Overviews and AI Mode. This means that even if website owners restrict their content from being used in search snippets, Google can still leverage structured data like JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa to generate AI-driven search results.

What Google Said

In Google's documentation, they clarify that limiting snippet length does not prevent Google from using structured data:

“However, this limit does not apply in cases where a publisher has separately granted permission for use of content. For instance, if the publisher supplies content in the form of in-page structured data or has a license agreement with Google, this setting does not interrupt those more specific permitted uses.”

This statement confirms that structured data is exempt from snippet restrictions, allowing Google to use it freely for AI-powered search features.

How Structured Data Impacts AI Overviews

Google’s AI Overviews aim to summarize content dynamically. Since structured data provides a machine-readable format for key information, Google can use it to:

• Generate AI-driven summaries from your website.
• Enhance rich search results (such as featured snippets, knowledge panels, and product listings).
• Provide more accurate responses in Google Assistant and AI-powered search tools.

Can You Control Google's AI Usage of Your Content?

Yes, but restricting snippets alone is not enough. Here’s what you can do:

1. Control Structured Data Usage – If you want to prevent Google’s AI from using structured data, consider:
2. Removing or modifying structured data from your pages.

3. Ensuring sensitive content is not included in JSON-LD or Microdata.

4. Use Robots Meta Tags – You can specify:

5. max-snippet:0 (limits search snippets, but not structured data)
6. max-image-preview:none (restricts images in search results)

7. noindex (prevents a page from being indexed entirely)

8. Manage Google Agreements – If you have a content license agreement with Google, check its terms to see if structured data usage can be restricted.

SEO Implications: Should You Keep Structured Data?

For most websites, structured data remains highly beneficial for SEO. It helps: - Improve search visibility - Increase click-through rates (CTR) - Enable rich results and featured snippets

However, if you want to minimize AI-generated summaries of your content, you may need to balance structured data usage with content control strategies.

Final Thoughts

Google's reliance on structured data for AI Overviews shows the growing importance of machine-readable content. While structured data enhances SEO, it also provides AI systems with direct access to website information. Website owners must decide whether to embrace structured data for visibility or limit it to control AI-generated results.

Want to adjust your structured data strategy? Try Our Free Structured Data Generator

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