Platform-Specific Schema Optimization

While Schema.org is a universal standard, the major AI engines (Google Gemini, Perplexity, OpenAI, and Bing) have different ways of prioritizing structured data. To win in AEO, you must optimize for these subtle platform differences.

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1. Google AI Overviews (SGE) & Gemini

Google is the most established consumer of schema markup. They rely heavily on your data to build the "Knowledge Graph."

• The Focus: EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust).
• Core Requirement: Linking Person to Article. Google needs to verify the credentials of the author.
• Cheat Sheet: Use the knowsAbout and credential properties in your Author Person schema.

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2. Perplexity AI

Perplexity is an "answer engine" that cites sources in real-time. It prioritizes clarity and factual linkage.

• The Focus: Fact-checking and citation accuracy.
• Core Requirement: Using the about and mentions properties.
• Cheat Sheet: Link your concepts to Wikidata IDs. If you're talking about "Answer Engine Optimization," link it to the SEO Wikidata entry. This makes the answer "factually anchored" for Perplexity's models.

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3. OpenAI (ChatGPT / SearchGPT)

OpenAI uses web crawlers (GPTBot) but also consumes data through partners.

• The Focus: Narrative context and entity identification.
• Core Requirement: Clean, hierarchical @graph scripts.
• Cheat Sheet: OpenAI's models are particularly good at understanding the Review and Pros/Cons properties of the Product Schema. If you provide structured pros and cons, ChatGPT is more likely to include your product in a suggested "comparison" answer.

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4. Microsoft Bing & Copilot

Bing has long supported schema but now uses it to fuel the Copilot experience.

• The Focus: Practical answers and action-oriented results.
• Core Requirement: HowTo and Action schemas.
• Cheat Sheet: Bing is the most aggressive user of HowTo markup. If you have tutorial content, ensure the totalTime and supply fields are filled out; Copilot often uses these to summarize "time to completion" for users.

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Universal Strategy: The "Golden Record"

Instead of creating different schemas for different platforms, aim for the Golden Record:

1. Be Granular: Use the most specific @type available (e.g., FinancialService instead of just Service).
2. Be Linked: Use sameAs for every major entity.
3. Be Fresh: Update dateModified constantly.

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Next Steps

With your platform strategy in place, the next challenge is managing this across a site with thousands of pages.

Continue Reading:

• Schema Implementation at Scale
• Advanced Schema Types for Specialized Content