Person schema
Person schema describes an individual in JSON-LD: name, job title, employer, image, profiles (sameAs), expertise (knowsAbout) and credentials. It is most useful on an author or founder profile page marked up as a ProfilePage, and when articles link their author to that profile with author.url, as Google’s Article documentation recommends.
When should you use Person markup?
- Author bylines on articles, as the
authorof an Article.[1] - Profile pages for authors, founders and experts, as the
mainEntityof a ProfilePage.[2] - Founders and staff linked from Organization markup.
What does Google recommend for authors?
Google’s Article guidance says to include all authors shown on the page, use the Person type for people (not Thing or Organization), put only the name in author.name, and use author.url to link to a page that uniquely identifies the author, such as a bio page.[1] Officially documented
Which properties matter?
| Property | Use |
|---|---|
name, alternateName | The name used in bylines |
jobTitle, worksFor | Role and organization (by @id) |
image | A real photo |
sameAs | Official profiles: LinkedIn, ORCID, Wikidata[3] |
knowsAbout | Topics the person is knowledgeable about[4] |
alumniOf, hasCredential | Education and qualifications[5] |
What does an example look like?
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "ProfilePage",
"mainEntity": {
"@type": "Person",
"@id": "https://www.example.com/about/jane-doe#person",
"name": "Jane Doe",
"jobTitle": "Co-founder",
"worksFor": {"@id": "https://www.example.com/#organization"},
"knowsAbout": ["Local SEO", "Structured data"],
"sameAs": ["https://www.linkedin.com/in/janedoe-example"]
}
}
How does this support E-E-A-T?
Google’s helpful content guidance asks whether it is clear who created content, for example through bylines linking to author information.[6] Markup does not create expertise, but it connects real credentials to the content. See E-E-A-T and author entities and AEO.wiki’s E-E-A-T.
Frequently asked questions
Should every article have Person author markup?
If a person wrote it, yes: name the author in visible text and markup, and link to their profile page.
Can I use Organization as the author?
Yes, when an organization is the author. Google asks you to use the correct type: Person for people, Organization for organizations.
See also
References
Pages accessed September 29, 2026 unless a date is given. See all sources and our editorial policy.
- ^ "Article structured data". Google Search Central.
- ^ "ProfilePage structured data". Google Search Central.
- ^ "ORCID". ORCID.
- ^ "knowsAbout property". Schema.org.
- ^ "Person type". Schema.org.
- ^ "Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content". Google Search Central.