Organization Schema
Organization schema is the Schema.org type that declares a page is about an organization (business, company, nonprofit, government agency). It's the foundational schema for any business website — wired with name, URL, logo, address, contact, social profiles (sameAs), and identity properties (Wikidata QID, Google KG MID). Required for Knowledge Panel eligibility.
Also called: Organization JSON-LD, Schema.org Organization · Last updated: May 27, 2026 · By Joseph W. Anady
Why it matters.
Organization schema is the entry point for getting your business recognized as an entity in Google's Knowledge Graph. Without it, your business is just a website. With it, properly wired, your business becomes a graph node with verifiable properties — name, address, founder, employees, services offered, awards, reviews, and most importantly, sameAs links to other authoritative web sources.
How it works.
Organization schema is typically placed in a JSON-LD block at the homepage and replicated (or @id-referenced) on every page. Required properties: @context, @type, name, url. Recommended: logo, description, sameAs (the canonical identity chain), address, telephone, email, founder, foundingDate, identifier (with Wikidata QID, Google KG MID, SAM.gov UEI for federal-eligible orgs).
2026 reality check.
Organization schema with a full sameAs chain is now a measurable ranking factor for AI Overview citation. Microsoft confirmed schema helps LLMs disambiguate entities. Pages where the Organization schema clearly identifies a verifiable real-world entity outperform pages with ambiguous or missing organization identity in our 2026 testing.
Data points
- Schema.org Organization documented at https://schema.org/Organization
- sameAs chain is the entity-resolution backbone for Knowledge Graph linkage
- Required properties: @context, @type, name, url
- Recommended for federal-eligible orgs: identifier array with SAM.gov UEI, NAICS codes
- Knowledge Panel eligibility requires Organization schema + external verification (Wikipedia, Wikidata, GBP)
First-hand insight from ThatDeveloperGuy.
ThatDeveloperGuy's Organization schema at https://thatdeveloperguy.com/#org is the canonical reference for the TDG entity graph. It includes core identity and contact properties, service area, founder, supported public-profile links, and the public Google Maps profile URL. Page-level WebPage and Person nodes reference the canonical Organization @id for entity continuity without repeating unsupported credential or rating claims.
How TDG approaches it
TDG's current Organization schema includes its name, URL, logo, contact details, address, area served, founding date, founder, and supported sameAs links. Public registry links are lookup references, not proof of current status. The schema deliberately omits self-serving aggregateRating and unverified credential fields; pages reuse the canonical Organization @id for entity continuity.
Common mistakes.
- Missing sameAs chain (no external identity verification = weak entity signal)
- Inconsistent NAP (name/address/phone) across web mentions
- Publishing sensitive or unsupported identifiers instead of linking to authoritative public records
- Using image URL for logo instead of a verified logo file (1-1 aspect ratio, transparent PNG preferred)
- Adding self-serving aggregateRating markup to a business's own Organization schema
FAQ.
Where should Organization schema appear?
Homepage at minimum. Best practice: include on every page either inline or via @id reference to the canonical homepage Organization. Entity continuity across pages reinforces Google's recognition.
What's the difference between Organization and LocalBusiness schema?
LocalBusiness extends Organization with location-specific properties (geo, hasMap, openingHours, areaServed). Use LocalBusiness for any business with a physical service area. Organization is fine for purely-online entities.
How many sameAs entries should I have?
Minimum 5-10 for credibility. TDG uses 14+. Each sameAs is an independent verification of your entity by an external source — more is better up to a point.
Can I have multiple Organization schemas on one site?
Yes if you have multiple distinct organizations (parent + subsidiary). Use unique @id values and parentOrganization references.
Does Organization schema help with Knowledge Panel eligibility?
Yes — it's prerequisite. Combined with Wikipedia presence + Wikidata QID + consistent NAP across the web, it's the path to Knowledge Panel display.
Maintained by Joseph W. Anady at ThatDeveloperGuy. Back to glossary · Suggest a term