---
id: "prereq-structured-data"
type: "prereq"
source_timestamps: ["§ From SEO to GEO", "§ Designing for Machine Customers"]
tags: ["web-development", "data-architecture"]
related: ["concept-machine-customer-first", "action-prepare-ai-customers"]
reason: "Crucial for executing the architectural shift required for a machine-customer-first strategy."
sources: ["geo"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-geo"
originDay: 3
articleStem: "hbr-ext-13-ai-upending-marketing"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/02/ai-is-upending-marketing-on-two-fronts"
sourceTitle: "AI Is Upending Marketing on Two Fronts"
---
# Structured Data

**Prerequisite knowledge.** The author frequently references **"structured data"** and **"dense files"** as the required format for AI agents, assuming the reader understands the difference between **visual web interfaces** (HTML/CSS designed for humans) and **machine-readable data formats** (like JSON-LD, APIs, or database schemas).

**Why it's required:** Crucial for executing the architectural shift required for a [[concept-machine-customer-first]] strategy and the retrofit task [[action-prepare-ai-customers]].

**Enrichment context:** GEO guides emphasize Article, FAQ, Product, and HowTo **schema.org** markup, clean HTML, and avoiding JS-obscured content so AI can "see" key product/information — the technical backbone of both GEO and machine-customer readiness.


## Related across articles
- [[prereq-schema-markup]]
- [[prereq-pim-systems]]
- [[prereq-llm-parsing]]