Why many profile pages underperform

How SwiftSchema helps

How it works

What is Person structured data?

Person structured data describes an individual’s identity for profile pages—name, image, job title, employer, education, expertise, and official profiles—so search engines can reliably understand who the page is about.

Why profile markup matters

• Disambiguation: Links to employers and verified profiles help differentiate people with the same name.
• Author/story mapping: Structured Person entities tie authored articles, talks, and podcasts back to the right person.
• Recruiting and PR: Accurate bios with awards and qualifications boost trust for prospective clients, donors, or hires.
• Governance: A consistent template keeps staff pages aligned when titles or headshots change.

Essential properties to include

• name
  (and
  alternateName
  for nickname/stage name).
• image
  : High-quality, crawlable portrait.
• url
  : Canonical profile page.
• jobTitle
  and
  worksFor
  (Organization).
• sameAs
  : Verified profiles (LinkedIn, GitHub, personal site, ORCID).
• alumniOf
  ,
  knowsAbout
  ,
  knowsLanguage
  : Expertise and background.
• description
  : Short bio matching on-page copy.
• Optional:
  contactPoint
  ,
  award
  ,
  honorificSuffix
  , pronoun info (in copy or additionalProperty).

Preparing profile content before generating schema

1. Confirm bio details with the person (name spelling, pronouns, preferred title).
2. Gather media: High-resolution headshots on a stable CDN.
3. Document affiliations: Current employer, boards, notable projects.
4. List profiles: Official social, portfolio, publication pages.
5. Capture expertise: Degrees, certifications, focus areas; ensure they appear in page copy.
6. Plan review cadence: Decide how often bios are audited (quarterly/annually).

Implementation workflow inside SwiftSchema

1. Select Person in the generator.
2. Enter
   name
   ,
   image
   ,
   url
   ,
   jobTitle
   , and
   worksFor
   .
3. Add
   sameAs
   links and optional
   alumniOf
   ,
   knowsAbout
   ,
   award
   .
4. Include
   contactPoint
   or
   email
   if the person shares public contact info.
5. Export JSON-LD, embed it on the profile template, and validate via the Rich Results Test.

Troubleshooting & QA

• Outdated roles: Update
  jobTitle
  /
  worksFor
  when people change roles.
• Unofficial links: Include only verified profiles in
  sameAs
  .
• Low-quality images: Provide clear, crawlable portraits.
• Duplicate profiles: Ensure each person has one canonical URL referenced via
  mainEntityOfPage
  .
• Mismatch with page copy: Schema should mirror visible information; automated scripts can compare.

Maintenance and governance

• Audit bios regularly to keep titles, headshots, and contact info current.
• Update schema when someone joins/leaves; remove outdated entries promptly.
• Keep
  lastReviewed
  metadata current and assign ownership (People Ops/Marketing).
• Store profile data in a CMS or HR system to regenerate schema automatically.

On-page parity checklist

• Name and title on-page match
  name
  and
  jobTitle
  ; employer mentions align with
  worksFor
  .
• Headshot shown on-page matches the
  image
  URL and is crawlable.
• Bio content aligns with
  description
  ,
  knowsAbout
  , and
  alumniOf
  .
• Profile links displayed (LinkedIn, personal site) match
  sameAs
  ; remove stale accounts.
• Each profile uses one canonical URL;
  mainEntityOfPage
  matches the page URL.

Content depth ideas (avoid thin bios)

• Add recent projects, publications, talks, or patents and link to them.
• Include awards, certifications, and specialties; cite issuing bodies when relevant.
• Provide location/time zone and languages spoken if helpful for contact.
• Link to authored articles or podcasts and backreference the Person from those pages.
• Offer a short personal statement or mission to differentiate similar roles.

Privacy and compliance considerations

• Only publish contact info the individual approved; avoid personal addresses/phones unless intended for public use.
• Remove profiles promptly when someone departs; update
  worksFor
  and titles during transitions.
• Keep accessibility in mind: add descriptive alt text to headshots and ensure bios are readable without images.

Localization and authorship

• For multilingual sites, set
  inLanguage
  on localized profile pages and translate the bio.
• Use the same Person entity (via
  @id
  ) across authored content to tie articles and podcasts back to the profile.
• When people maintain multiple roles (advisor, board), reflect them in on-page copy and
  hasOccupation
  or
  affiliation
  if modeled separately.

Portfolio, press, and speaking

• Link to selected talks, press quotes, or conference appearances and ensure those pages reference the same Person
  @id
  .
• If the person hosts or appears on podcasts/videos, cross-link VideoObject/PodcastEpisode pages to reinforce authorship.
• Include downloadable headshots or media kits when appropriate; ensure usage rights are noted in page copy.

Internal data governance

• Store canonical Person data (titles, pronouns, bios, headshots, verified links) in one system; drive schema and UI from it.
• Add pre-publish checks to catch outdated headshots, stale titles, or broken
  sameAs
  links.
• Keep role change logs so promotions or team moves are reflected in
  jobTitle
  /
  worksFor
  quickly.
• If the person authors content, ensure Article/BlogPost schema references the same
  @id
  and that bylines match the Person
  name
  .
• Rotate featured work samples or talks periodically to keep the page substantial and current.
• Add a short “Currently focused on” section to show recent initiatives; keep it refreshed to avoid stale, thin content.
• Note preferred pronouns in on-page copy when approved by the individual; keep them consistent across schema and bios.
• If the person mentors or volunteers, add a short section with links to those programs for extra depth.