← DictionaryStructured Data
also called schema, JSON-LD
Data marked up in a defined format machines can interpret reliably.
Labelling your content so machines understand it.
What It Is
In the BWH map, Structured Data lives under Technology — Search Tech. What it actually refers to is data marked up in a defined format machines can interpret reliably.
It is a mechanism rather than an opinion: set up properly it behaves predictably, and set up badly it fails just as predictably. Keep it that plain and it will still be true in twelve months.
How It's Used
Most of the time Structured Data is used in build decisions, tooling and the plumbing behind a working system. It is usually discussed together with Schema Markup. The practical test is whether it is configured, documented and actually working.
Why It Matters
Ignoring Structured Data rarely fails loudly — it fails slowly. When it is unclear, small technical debts compound into a rebuild. It is worth pinning down before anyone builds on top of it.
Think of plumbing. Nobody admires it, everybody notices when it leaks. Labelling your content so machines understand it.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
Practitioners use Structured Data as shorthand and expect no explanation — data marked up in a defined format machines can interpret reliably.
Outside the industry, most people would just say: labelling your content so machines understand it.
The Bottom Line
Keep Structured Data plain: labelling your content so machines understand it. That is the version that holds up in a real project.