Schema markup
Structured data that tells search engines and AI systems what your page means, what you do, and where.
Definition
Schema markup is a standardized vocabulary (schema.org) written into a page, usually as JSON-LD, that labels the page's content for machines. Humans see a service page. A crawler sees a declared Service, offered by a declared RoofingContractor, in a declared service area.
The types that matter for roofing
RoofingContractor or LocalBusiness for the organization, Service with an Offer for each service, FAQPage for question sections, BreadcrumbList for hierarchy, and Article for guides. The value comes from these being connected, the same organization entity referenced everywhere, not from adding blocks page by page.
Why it affects AI citation
An answer engine has to attribute an answer to something. Schema removes the guesswork about who is answering, what they do, and where they do it. Without it, a page's claims are unattributed text competing with better-labeled sources.
How Roof-Rank ships it
Schema is specified per template in the audit blueprint, built into every page rather than bolted on, validated before launch, and re-checked in the post-launch crawl so drift shows up as a defect.
Read next.
Google's AI-generated answer at the top of the results page, and what it means when your competitor is the cited source.
Generative Engine Optimization and Answer Engine Optimization: structuring a site to be quoted, not just ranked.
A plain-text file declaring what your site is authoritative about, for AI systems reading it.
Short answers.
Will schema improve my rankings by itself?+
Not directly. It improves how accurately machines understand and attribute your pages, which is a prerequisite for citation.
Can a plugin handle it?+
A plugin can emit blocks. It cannot design an entity model that connects services, roof types, and service areas coherently.
Is your site citable today?
The audit answers that with a crawl, not an opinion.