Another debate has been ranging across SEO circles on X, Reddit and LinkedIn about how Schema increases visibility in AI LLMs…
There is a strong and vocal contingent of SEO professionals on Reddit who are highly skeptical of the claimed Schema benefits.
- LLMs Don’t Need It: The primary counterpoint is that modern LLMs are sophisticated enough to understand content without the “training wheels” of schema. These users argue that the most important factor for being cited by an AI is having high-quality, unique, and authoritative content that provides real answers—something schema doesn’t create.
- The “Demand Gen” Myth: A significant portion of the discussion frames the push for “AI SEO” and schema implementation as a form of “demand generation” or “snake oil” from agencies looking to sell a new service. They argue that some are overstating the importance of technical tweaks like schema to create a new, billable field of “Generative Engine Optimization” (GEO).
- Limited Real-World Impact: Skeptics point out that schema is very limited in what it can convey. It can label a price or an author’s name, but it says nothing about the quality, accuracy, or usefulness of the actual content. They argue that for the average business or blog, the practical impact of schema on AI visibility is minimal to non-existent.
- Google’s Own Actions: Some users note that Google itself has deprecated support for certain schema types, suggesting that it’s not a magic bullet for visibility even in traditional search, let alone for LLMs.
