Get found by bots using Schema markup
How Google and AI read your website.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
Get found by bots using Schema markup
Understanding the hidden code that feeds crawling bots like Google’s.
Why it matters
Humans are not the only ones who visit websites. Behind the scenes, thousands of robots crawl the web methodically to gather information for search engines like Google and LLM AIs such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
In an industry where many talents strive to ‘get discovered’, it’s valuable to understand how to please those crawling bots. Especially now, as we enter an era where vibe coding lets anyone create a beautiful website in seconds, the sheer volume of noise makes it harder for bots to distinguish between a legitimate artist and clever growth hackers.
How it works
When an LLM or a Google bot visits your URL, it’s looking for structure. The simplest way to add structure to websites while maintaining brand identity is to use a small piece of hidden code called Schema markup.
Think of schema markup as a direct translator between your website, search engines, and LLMs. It’s like a landing page designed specifically for non-human audiences. Instead of making Google digest your bio text to understand you’re a musician, this code presents the information clearly on a robot-optimised silver platter.
For example, take Knowledge Panels, the large information box that appears on the right side of Google when you search for artists. Schema markup is one of the main ingredients that helps Google connect the dots to create one of these for you.
Using structured data makes your site appear more professional to algorithms, helping your official domain outrank competing domains that publish about you, such as media outlets, DSPs, music stores, venues, and festivals.
Yes, but..
For those of you who find this a bit too technical, stay tuned for a copy-paste example in the next paragraph.
Take action now
I have drafted a simple and generic Schema markup code snippet for artists.
Replace the placeholder text below with your details.
Paste this entire block of code into the
<head>section of your website. If you use a website builder like Carrd or Squarespace, look for header code injection or custom code settings.Once live, use Google’s Rich Results Test to ensure the bots can read it.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "MusicGroup",
"name": "{{YourArtistName}}",
"url": "{{https://yourwebsite.xyz}}",
"image": "{{https://yourwebsite.xyz/your-press-photo.jpg}}",
"description": "{{OneSentenceBio}}",
"genre": [
"{{YourGenre1}}",
"{{YourGenre2}}"
],
"sameAs": [
"https://open.spotify.com/artist/{{ID}}",
"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/{{ID}}",
"https://www.instagram.com/{{ID}}",
"https://www.youtube.com/c/{{ID}}",
"https://soundcloud.com/{{ID}}"
]
}
</script>Go deeper
Besides the MusicGroup code shown above, Schema Markup includes other Schema types that are useful for artists, such as:
MusicEvent for shows.
MusicAlbum for albums.
MusicRecording for songs.
Product for merch.
And many more. Explore the Schema.org documentation, or use AI to create custom Schema codes for your website.
Your thoughts
Further reading
Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search (Google Search Central)
How artists can get recommended more in ChatGPT and Claude (The Fanbase Builder)
Why artists should focus on what they can control (The Fanbase Builder)
Simple things artists can do to attract music supervisors (The Fanbase Builder)
Retrieving catalogue data using the Spotify Web API (The Fanbase Builder)