How AI Overviews May Change the Importance of Schema Markup
Written by
SoftPrudence
Published on
September 18, 2025
Read time
10 minute read
The way people search on Google is now changing. In the past, search results were mostly links and snippets. Today, Google has introduced AI Overviews, which are short summaries created by artificial intelligence that appear right at the top of the search results page.
Instead of clicking on different links, users can instantly see a complete answer pulled from different websites. Now, website owners, bloggers, and marketers are asking:
- Will my content still show up?
- Does schema markup still matter?
- How can I make my website visible?
These are real concerns. In the past, structured data (schema markup) helped search engines better understand your content. But the rules are changing by AI Overviews.
At Soft Prudence, we help businesses and website owners understand these changes and prepare smart strategies. Let’s break this down step by step.
What is the role of Schema Markup?
Schema markup is a word related to technical but simple words. It’s the information that is added to our site and makes Google understand what our content is. Search engines don’t read like humans as they need clear signals. Schema markup provides those signals.
For example, let’s say you write a blog about “Best Chocolate Cake Recipe.” Without schema markup, Google just sees text. With schema markup, Google is told:
- It’s a recipe.
- 30 minutes is the cooking time.
- Servings: six
- 4.5 stars
This additional data aids Google in presenting your material in rich results, such as displaying prep times, stars, or even pictures.
It looks like:
|
Without Schema Markup |
With Schema Markup |
|
Chocolate Cake Recipe – Ready in 30 minutes |
Recipe Schema shows: prep time = 30 mins, calories = 250, rating = 4.5, serves 6 |
Schema markup, then, is similar to labeling your stuff. Instead of leaving Google to guess, you give it a neat package that says, “Here’s exactly what this is about.”
How do AI Overviews actually pick up content?
Google’s new AI Overviews don’t just depend on schema markup. They use a mix of many factors to build summaries.
AI Overviews scan the web, gather information from multiple sites, and then create a quick answer to show users. They don’t always show the original site right away, which is why many businesses are worried about losing clicks.
But, while schema markup helps structure your data, AI Overviews go further. They read the entire content, check the context, and decide what seems most useful.
- Schema markup may help Google understand details.
- AI Overviews use those details but also judge the bigger picture.
Think of schema as a dictionary entry, and AI Overviews as a book review. One is structured, the other is more about overall meaning.
Where schema seems to help (and where it doesn’t)
Does schema markup still help with AI Overviews? The answer is: sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Schema markup seems to be most useful when the search involves structured information. For example:
- Recipes: Schema clearly labels ingredients, prep time, and ratings.
- Products: Schema highlights price, availability, and reviews.
- Events: Schema can show date, location, and ticket info.
- FAQs: Schema makes it easier to pull direct Q&A pairs.
But in cases where the topic is more general, such as opinion blogs or informational articles, schema markup alone doesn’t guarantee anything. AI Overviews may pull sentences directly from the content itself, even if schema is missing.
So, schema is like an assistant. It supports visibility but cannot replace strong, high-quality content.
What we learned from testing different schema setups
Marketers have been experimenting with different schema setups to see if they influence AI Overviews. The results show a mixed picture.
- Websites that had detailed schema markup performed slightly better, especially in categories like recipes and products.
- But schema markup did not guarantee that a site would appear in AI Overviews.
- In some cases, AI Overviews pulled information from sites with weaker schema simply because their content was more in-depth or more trusted.
Here are some examples:
|
Schema Type Used |
Results in AI Overviews |
Notes |
|
Recipe Schema |
High chance of inclusion |
Structured info works well |
|
Product Schema |
Moderate to high chance |
Depends on reviews & trust |
|
FAQ Schema |
Useful but not always shown |
Works better for rich results than AI Overviews |
|
Article Schema |
Low impact |
AI Overviews prefer content depth over schema |
Why “good schema” is not the same as “guaranteed visibility”
The reality is that even perfect schema markup doesn’t guarantee your site will appear in AI Overviews. Google’s system looks at many things beyond schema:
- Depth of information
- Freshness of content
- Trustworthiness of the website
- How clearly the answer solves the searcher’s question
Schema markup is one signal among many. Consider it this way: bringing a tidy uniform to a job interview is analogous to having a schema. It gives you a polished appearance, but it doesn’t guarantee a job.
As we tell our clients at Soft Prudence, schema is like wearing a neat suit to an interview – it makes you look professional, but it doesn’t guarantee the job.
How site owners can still make schema work for them
So should you give up on schema markup?
Absolutely NOT.
Schema markup continues to play a valuable role, especially in:
- Boosting your chances of getting rich results (stars, ratings, snippets).
- Helping Google organize your content more efficiently.
- Supporting your presence across different platforms, not just search.
If you’re a site owner, here are a few practical ways to make schema markup work for you in the AI Overviews era:
- Always use the correct schema type for your content (Recipe, Product, FAQ, Article).
- Test your schema regularly with Google’s Rich Results Test tool.
- Avoid fake or misleading schema data, which can harm trust.
- Update the schema whenever you update your content.
By doing this, you make your site “AI-ready,” even if AI Overviews don’t always show it right now
Schema’s role in an AI-first search world
Search is moving into an AI-first era. AI Overviews are just the beginning. Over time, we can expect Google and other platforms to depend more on structured data to feed their AI systems.
While schema markup may not always guarantee inclusion in AI Overviews today, it may become a bigger factor in the future. Think of a schema as a long-term investment. Even if you don’t see instant results, it helps keep your content organized, trustworthy, and ready for the next big shift in search. At Soft Prudence, we see schema as a long-term investment.
Without schema markup, your site risks being harder for machines to understand. With schema, you at least ensure your content is clearly labeled and accessible for AI tools.
Final thoughts on schema and AI Overviews
AI Overviews are changing how people get information online. Instead of scrolling through links, users are shown instant summaries. This makes visibility even more competitive.
In short:
- Schema markup is still worth using.
- AI Overviews care about schema, but also about bigger signals like trust and depth.
- Future search will likely depend even more on structured data.
keep using schema markup, keep improving your content, and prepare your site for the AI-first search future.
FAQ's
Schema markup is a type of code. With the help of that code, Google understands your content better, like labels for your web pages.
No, schema markup helps but doesn’t guarantee anything. AI Overviews look at many signals beyond schema.
Indeed. Schema markup helps your site get ready for the future, enhances rich results, and supports AI technologies.
Google offers a free Rich Results Test that you may use to evaluate how well your schema is implemented.
Definitely. LocalBusiness schema can make your reviews, address, and services more visible in search.