schema.org properties that identify an organization or person
The definitions are schema.org's own. The usage column is schema.org's figure for how many domains use each property, from Google's web index in August 2026. The last column is what Google's Organization structured data guide says, where it covers the property.
| Property | On | schema.org definition | Used on | Google's Organization guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| name | any Thing | The name of the item. | 10M+ domains | Recommended. Use the same name as your site name. |
| alternateName | any Thing | An alias for the item. | 1M to 10M | Recommended, for another common name. |
| legalName | Organization | The official name of the organization, e.g. the registered company name. | 1M to 10M | Recommended, if different from name. |
| url | any Thing | URL of the item. | 10M+ | Recommended. Helps Google uniquely identify the organization. |
| logo | Organization, Brand, Place and others | An associated logo. | 10M+ | Recommended. At least 112 x 112 pixels, crawlable and indexable. |
| sameAs | any Thing | URL of a reference web page that unambiguously indicates the item's identity, e.g. its Wikipedia page, Wikidata entry or official website. | 10M+ | Recommended. A page on another website, such as a social media or review site profile; several allowed. |
| description | any Thing | A description of the item. | 10M+ | Recommended. |
| address | Organization, Person, Place and others | Physical address of the item. | 10M+ | Recommended. Several addresses allowed. |
| telephone | Organization, Person, Place, ContactPoint | The telephone number. | 1M to 10M | Recommended, with country and area code. |
| foundingDate | Organization | The date that this organization was founded. | 1M to 10M | Recommended, in ISO 8601 format. |
| founder | Organization | A person or organization who founded this organization. | 1M to 10M | Not listed. |
| iso6523Code | Organization | An organization identifier as defined in ISO 6523(-1). | 1K to 10K | Recommended. Prefix 0060 for DUNS, 0088 for GLN, 0199 for LEI. |
| leiCode | Organization | An identifier that uniquely identifies a legal entity as defined in ISO 17442. | 1K to 10K | Recommended; Google encourages iso6523Code with prefix 0199 instead. |
| taxID and vatID | Organization, Person | Tax or fiscal ID; VAT ID with national prefix. | 100K to 1M each | Recommended. taxID should match the country in address. |
| worksFor | Person | Organizations that the person works for. | 1M to 10M | Not covered (Person property). |
| jobTitle | Person | The job title of the person. | 1M to 10M | Not covered. |
| knowsAbout | Person, Organization | A topic that is known about, suggesting possible expertise but not implying it. | 1M to 10M | Not covered. |
| alumniOf | Person | An organization that the person is an alumni of. | 100K to 1M | Not covered. |
@id is not a schema.org property but a JSON-LD keyword. The JSON-LD 1.1 standard (W3C Recommendation, 16 July 2020) says a node is identified using the @id keyword, and that for nodes to be truly linked, dereferencing the identifier should return a representation of that node. In practice: one @id per entity, used on every page, ideally a URL on the page that describes the entity. The JSON-LD generator builds markup that way.
Profiles commonly listed in sameAs
| Profile | URL form | What the official source says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikidata item | wikidata.org/wiki/Q followed by digits | An item is acceptable only if it meets at least one of three notability criteria (table below). | Wikidata:Notability |
| Wikipedia article | [language].wikipedia.org/wiki/... | schema.org names the Wikipedia page as an example of a sameAs value. | schema.org/sameAs |
| LinkedIn Page (organization) | linkedin.com/company/... (P4264) | Free to create. You need a LinkedIn account and must confirm you have the right to act on behalf of the company. | LinkedIn Help: Create a LinkedIn Page |
| LinkedIn profile (person) | linkedin.com/in/... (P6634) | Wikidata's identifier property for a person on LinkedIn. | Wikidata P6634 |
| Crunchbase | crunchbase.com/organization/... (P2088) or /person/... (P2087) | Crunchbase's help pages refused automated access when checked, so their rules are not summarized here. | Wikidata P2088 |
| Google Business Profile | Google Maps listing | For a business with a physical location customers can visit, or one that travels to customers. One profile per business; virtual offices are not eligible; the name must match the real-world name. | Business Profile guidelines |
| Google knowledge panel | g.co/kg... or google.com/search?kgmid=... (P2671) | Panels are generated automatically from public information; Google doesn't manually create or delete them. Verified users can suggest edits, including links to social profiles. | Knowledge Panel Help |
Wikidata notability criteria
Wikidata:Notability (last edited 1 November 2026) says an item is acceptable if and only if it meets at least one of these three criteria.
| Criterion | What the policy says | What it means for a business |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sitelink | The item contains at least one valid sitelink to a page on Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Wikisource, Wikiquote, Wikinews, Wikibooks, Wikidata, Wikispecies, Wikiversity or Wikimedia Commons. | A business with a Wikipedia article qualifies on this criterion alone. |
| 2. Serious references | It refers to an instance of a clearly identifiable conceptual or material entity that can be described using serious and publicly available references. | The usual route for a business without a Wikipedia article: published, independent sources that describe it. |
| 3. Structural need | It fulfils a structural need, for example it is needed to make statements made in other items more useful. | Applies when other Wikidata items need to point to the business. |
| Sitelinks that don't count | Talk pages, user and draft pages, special pages and files are not valid; a sitelink to a redirect does not count towards notability. | A user-space draft about the business is not enough. |
| Disputes | The guidelines are "intentionally left a bit vague"; disputed items go to a request for deletion, and the final decision is up to the community. | An item can be deleted after it is created. |
| If an item doesn't qualify | Data outside the guidelines won't be accepted; the policy points to Wikibase Cloud and Wikibase Suite instead. | Don't create an item the business can't support with references. |
The policy page also notes an ongoing discussion about changing it, so check it before you rely on these criteria.
Sources
All checked 13 November 2026.
- schema.org: the property pages linked in the first table (version 30.1, 16 September 2026; usage figures from Google, August 2026)
- Google Search Central: Organization structured data (last updated 8 September 2026)
- W3C: JSON-LD 1.1, section 3.3 Node Identifiers
- Wikidata: Wikidata:Notability (last edited 1 November 2026) and identifier properties P4264, P6634, P2088, P2087, P2671
- LinkedIn Help: Create a LinkedIn Page
- Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Google Knowledge Panel Help: Submit feedback on content about you
Next step
Build consistent Organization and Person markup with the JSON-LD generator, or see what an entity audit delivers.
Want an entity audit? Book a 30-minute call with Neural Command, or email [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
- Which schema.org property links a business to its profiles?
- sameAs. schema.org defines it as the URL of a reference web page that unambiguously indicates the item's identity, such as its Wikipedia page, Wikidata entry or official website.
- Does Google require any properties for Organization markup?
- No. Google's Organization guide lists no required properties. It recommends showing real-world presence, such as address or telephone, and online presence, such as url or logo.
- Can any business get a Wikidata item?
- No. Wikidata accepts an item only if it has a valid sitelink to a Wikimedia page, refers to a clearly identifiable entity described in serious and publicly available references, or fulfils a structural need.