Will using AI to automatically generate schema markup at scale be a trend or trash?

Summary

Voices of Search Podcast: Episode Summary

Title: Will using AI to automatically generate schema markup at scale be a trend or trash?

Release Date: June 19, 2025

Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Martha Van Berkel (SCHEMA App)
Network: I Hear Everything Podcast Network

---

In this insightful episode of the Voices of Search podcast, host Jordan Cooney explores the contentious topic: Will using AI to automatically generate schema markup at scale be a trend or trash? The discussion delves deep into the capabilities and limitations of AI in the realm of SEO, particularly focusing on schema markup—a crucial component for enhancing website visibility and search engine performance.

Introduction to the Topic

Jordan Cooney sets the stage by presenting the central question of the episode: the viability of leveraging artificial intelligence to automate the generation of schema markup on a large scale. This topic is increasingly relevant as businesses seek efficient methods to optimize their websites without extensive manual intervention.

Expert Opinion: AI's Role in Schema Markup

Martha Van Berkel from SCHEMA App introduces the debate, prompting the guest expert to share their perspective. The unnamed expert offers a critical view on the subject:

[02:13] Unnamed Expert: "I obviously think it's trash because I think like part of it is, I think like anything. Like I think gen AI is good at creating drafts. I think they'll be good at creating a good start for page, but I don't think they're going to be good to sort of understand the nuance of what the business wants to articulate and sort of like connect the dots with. Right? Like the business concept of like I'm looking for, you know, the human is saying I'm looking for a physician who speaks Spanish who knows about Lyme disease who practices within five miles of my house and by the way, has an appointment available on Tuesday."

The expert emphasizes that while AI can generate preliminary drafts of schema markup, it falls short in capturing the specific nuances and intricate relationships that reflect a business's unique offerings and customer needs.

The Necessity of Human Insight

Continuing the discussion, the expert elaborates on the indispensable role of human expertise in defining effective schema structures:

[02:51] Unnamed Expert: "And the data isn't just data. Right? Like the data is to answer questions for humans. So I think like we're still gonna have to be using our brains and saying like, okay, that's great. That's like how the minimum viable piece. But like how do I want to create those relationships? I don't think it's going to be able to necessarily define all those relationships. Can we use AI to help us then define how those relationships should be defined? Absolutely. Like anything that's sort of like a specific task, like AI is good at. But I think like if you're thinking of this is my data model, like this is my knowledge graph and how I want my business understood, like there's going to be some crafting that has to be done with that. So I think that's trashy."

Here, the expert acknowledges that AI can assist in defining relationships within schema markup but insists that the foundational understanding of the business's data model and knowledge graph requires deliberate human crafting. This input is crucial to ensure that the schema accurately represents the business's objectives and meets user intent effectively.

Conclusion: The Balance Between AI and Human Expertise

The episode culminates in a consensus that while AI tools can offer valuable support in generating and managing schema markup, they should complement rather than replace human expertise. The nuanced understanding of business needs, customer interactions, and specific data relationships necessitates a hands-on approach to ensure that schema markup is both accurate and effective.

[03:34] Martha Van Berkel: "That's a great response."

Martha acknowledges the expert's stance, wrapping up the discussion by reinforcing the idea that human insight remains indispensable in optimizing schema markup for SEO purposes.

Final Thoughts

This episode of Voices of Search underscores the importance of balancing technological advancements with human intelligence in the field of SEO. While AI presents promising tools for automating various aspects of search engine optimization, the intricate and nuanced nature of schema markup generation still relies heavily on human expertise to achieve optimal results.

For listeners seeking to enhance their SEO strategies, the takeaway is clear: Embrace AI as a supportive tool, but continue to leverage human creativity and understanding to drive meaningful and effective schema implementations.

---

Connect with Martha Van Berkel:

• LinkedIn Profile
• SCHEMA App Website

Subscribe for More Insights:
Stay updated with daily SEO and content marketing knowledge by subscribing to the Voices of Search podcast on your preferred platform or visit thevoicesofsearch.com.

---

Special thanks to our sponsors: Ahrefs and Pre Visible for supporting this episode.

Remember: The answers are always in the data.

Transcript

[Jordan Cooney]

The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast. A member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network, ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts. Sit back, relax, and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search Podcast, Jordan Cooney.

[Martha Van Berkel]

Trend or Trash? While using AI to automatically generate schema markup at scale, be a trend or trash.

[Ahrefs Sponsor]

This podcast is also sponsored by Ahrefs.

[Pre Visible Sponsor]

What if I told you that you.

[Ahrefs Sponsor]

Could monitor your website's SEO, health backlinks and organic rankings at no costs? Sounds too good to be true. Well, it's not, because my friends at Ahrefs just launched Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. Ahrefs new Webmaster Tools product quickly helps you improve your site's visibility by pointing solutions to over 100 technical issues that might be holding your search performance down. Plus AWT monitors for backlinks so you'll know the most linked to pages and and how those links are affecting your rankings. And AWT shares what keywords your website ranks for and compares how you stack up against competitors for key metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty and traffic value. Look, monitoring your website used to require multiple expensive tools and now, thanks to Ahrefs, that's not the case anymore because AWT will help you monitor your SEO, health backlinks and keywords for for free. And no, it's not one of those 14 day free trial offers. It's a powerful site audit tool that will keep working for you for free. So check out Ahrefs webmaster [e-mail] that's a H R E F S.comAWT well.

[Unnamed Expert]

I obviously think it's trash because I think like part of it is, I think it's like, like anything. Like I think gen AI is good at creating drafts. I think they'll be good at creating a good start for page, but I don't think they're going to be good to sort of understand the nuance of what the business wants to articulate and sort of like connect the dots with. Right? Like the business concept of like I'm looking for, you know, the the human is saying I'm looking for a physician who speaks Spanish who knows about Lyme disease who practices within five miles of my house and by the way, has an appointment available on Tuesday. Like we are the ones that understand the nuances of the type of questions that the humans are going to ask.

[Martha Van Berkel]

Yes.

[Unnamed Expert]

And the data isn't just data. Right? Like the data is to answer questions for humans. So I think like we're still gonna have to be using our brains and saying like, okay, that's great. That's like how the minimum viable piece. But like how do I want to create those relationships? I don't think it's going to be able to necessarily define all those relationships. Can we use AI to help us then define how those relationships should be defined? Absolutely. Like anything that's sort of like a specific task, like AI is good at. But I think like if you're thinking of this is my data model, like this is my knowledge graph and how I want my business understood, like there's going to be some crafting that has to be done with that. So I think that's trashy.

[Pre Visible Sponsor]

Time for a one minute break to hear from our sponsor, Pre Visible. So you're looking for SEO help and you got a couple of options. You could start replying to spam from agencies that claim they can get you to rank number one on Google. You can pay an hourly rate for a consultant who will inevitably nickel and dime you with hourly charges. Or you can work with a cookie cutter agency to quickly launch a strategy less project with low success rate. None of those sound very good now do they? Well, that's where Pre Visible's integrated consulting model comes in. Pre Visible draws From a collective 40 years of SEO and digital marketing experience to unlock your organic growth opportunities. They build custom solutions that combine strategy, technical expertise, content and reporting to effectively operationalize SEO for your business. Pre Physical's four stage approach ensures that your SEO programs thrive by starting off with a strategy first approach. Then they support you in your efforts to create quality content, help you identify technical issues, and most importantly, they'll work with your cross functional teams to integrate your SEO strategies to make sure that your SEO budget actually drives results, not just your agency's bottom line. So join brands like Yelp, eBay, Canva, Atlassian Square, all who rely on the SEO consultants at Pre Visible. For more information, go to Previsible IO. That's Pre Visible. P R E V I S I B L E I O. I love that.

[Martha Van Berkel]

That's a great response. And that wraps up this episode of the Voices of Search podcast. A big thank you to Martha Van Berkel from SCHEMA App for joining us. If you'd like to connect with Martha, you can find a link to her LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on thevoicesofsearch.com for more information about schema app, visit schemaapp.com if you haven't subscribed yet and want a daily stream of SEO and content marketing knowledge and a.

[Ahrefs Sponsor]

Special thanks to Ahrefs for sponsoring this podcast. Monitoring your website used to require multiple expensive tools, but that's not the case anymore thanks to Ahrefs because they just launched their Ahrefs Webmaster Tools product, which monitors your SEO health, helps you keep track of your backlinks, and gives you the insight into what keywords are performing for free. So check out Ahrefs webmaster [e-mail] awt that's Ahrefs a h r e f s.com awt in your podcast feed.

[Martha Van Berkel]

Hit the subscribe button in your podcast apply or on YouTube and we'll bring you back to our feed. Okay, that's all for today and until next time. Remember, the answers are always in the data.