# RDFa

Category: [Structured Data & SERP Features](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/structured-data-serp-features/) › [Basics & formats](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/structured-data-serp-features/basics-formats/) · Also known as: Resource Description Framework in Attributes

**RDFa** (Resource Description Framework in Attributes) is a W3C standard for adding structured data to a page through extra attributes in the HTML. The data sits next to the visible content it describes.

## How does RDFa work?

The W3C describes RDFa as markup attributes that augment the visual information on the web with machine-readable hints. The main attributes are `vocab` for the default vocabulary, `typeof` for the type of an item, `property` for a property, `resource` and `about` for the subject or target of a statement, `prefix` for vocabulary prefixes, and `content` for a machine-readable value. The current version is RDFa 1.1, whose Third Edition of the Core specification is a W3C Recommendation.

For SEO, RDFa is one of three formats Google supports for structured data, next to JSON-LD and Microdata. Google recommends JSON-LD where the site setup allows it, because it is the easiest to implement and maintain at scale.

## Example

An organization marked up with RDFa and schema.org:

```html
<div vocab="https://schema.org/" typeof="Organization">
  <span property="name">Example Inc.</span>
  <a property="url" href="https://www.example.com/">Website</a>
```

## Structured data formats compared

| Format | Where does the markup go? | Relation to visible content | Google's position |
|---|---|---|---|
| JSON-LD | in a <script type="application/ld+json"> in the <head> or <body> | separate from the visible text; nested data is easy to express | recommended as easiest to implement and maintain at scale, less prone to user errors; also read when injected with JavaScript |
| Microdata | as attributes on HTML elements, usually in the <body>, also possible in the <head> | nested within the HTML content | supported; equally fine for Google as long as the markup is valid and implemented per the documentation |
| RDFa | as attributes on HTML elements, in the <head> and <body> | attributes on elements with user-visible content | supported; equally fine for Google as long as the markup is valid and implemented per the documentation |

Sources: [Google Search Central: Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search (last updated 2025-12-10)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data); [schema.org: Data model](https://schema.org/docs/datamodel.html). Last checked: October 8, 2026

## Related terms

- [JSON-LD](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/json-ld/index.md)
- [Microdata](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/microdata/index.md)
- [Schema.org](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/schema-org/index.md)
- [Structured data](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/structured-data/index.md)
- [RDF (Resource Description Framework)](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/rdf/index.md)
- [Semantic Web](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/semantic-web/index.md)

## Sources

- [RDFa 1.1 Primer – Third Edition, W3C Working Group Note](https://www.w3.org/TR/rdfa-primer/)
- [RDFa Core 1.1 – Third Edition, W3C Recommendation](https://www.w3.org/TR/rdfa-core/)
- [Introduction to structured data – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data)

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Last updated: October 8, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/rdfa/