# The language behind your markup

Types, properties and the difference between a vocabulary and a search feature.

By CheckMySchema. Reviewed 2026-09-22.
Canonical page: https://checkmyschema.com/learn/schema-org-foundations

## Describe the things on your page

Schema.org supplies names for entities and their relationships. A Product can have a name, an image and an Offer. A Person can be the author of an Article. The vocabulary gives machines a more explicit account of what your page describes.

## Choose a format

JSON-LD places the description in a script block. Microdata attaches properties to HTML elements. RDFa expresses relationships through HTML attributes. These formats can describe the same underlying information.

## Check more than syntax

Start with a type that accurately describes the entity, then add relevant properties. A parseable document can still describe the wrong thing. Vocabulary compatibility and a search engine’s feature requirements are separate checks.

## Official sources

- [Schema.org getting started](https://schema.org/docs/gs.html)
- [Documentation hub](https://schema.org/docs/documents.html)