Structured data is a description of your article that software can read. It should agree with the article a person sees. If the markup names a different author, uses an unrelated image or claims a date you cannot explain, fix the discrepancy before adding more fields.
Begin with the visible article
Write down its headline, author, main image, permanent address and any real publication or revision date. Those facts are your starting point. A page without an assigned publication date should not silently acquire today’s date every time your website rebuilds.
Google documents Article, NewsArticle and BlogPosting for article content. Its guidance explains how headline, image, author and date information can describe the page. See the official Article documentation.
Keep an author attached to a real identity
Use the person or organisation responsible for the content. Do not create an expert persona to make a page look more authoritative. A genuine author profile can explain relevant experience, editorial responsibility and commercial relationships.
If a new article is an AI-assisted draft awaiting review, say that in the editorial workflow. Do not automatically attribute it to the author of neighbouring articles. A consistent template cannot replace a correct byline.
Review five fields together
| Field | Check against the page |
|---|---|
| Headline | Describes the same article as the visible heading |
| Author | Matches the byline and responsible author |
| Image | Uses an accessible, relevant article image |
| URL | Points to the permanent article address |
| Dates | Reflect actual publication or substantive revision |
Keep ownership clear as well. The publisher and author may be different entities. A business blog can name the company that publishes it while identifying the person who wrote a particular guide.
Validate the rendered page
Test a real article URL, not just a snippet of example code. Google recommends validating structured data and checking how an accessible page is seen through Search Console. A valid result is useful evidence of correct implementation; it is not a promise of a special search appearance.
Repeat the check after a template change. Common editorial checks include whether an image URL still resolves, whether the page has accidentally inherited another post’s headline, and whether draft content has received a public canonical URL.
Avoid decorative claims
Do not add ratings that have no matching review process, FAQ answers that are not present on the page, or an impressive job title the author does not hold. Structured data is most useful when it makes an honest page easier to interpret.
For this publication, that means article and breadcrumb descriptions, clear ownership and readable text. It also means leaving unassigned dates out rather than manufacturing a publication history.
