Schema.org sameAs

Definition: Schema.org defines sameAs as the URL of a reference web page that unambiguously indicates an item's identity. It links the entity being described, such as a person or organization, to an identifying page, with Wikipedia, Wikidata and an official website as examples.

Key facts

• Schema.org's sameAs definition specifies a URL value and permits the property on Thing.
• As of 17 October 2026, Google's organization documentation lists sameAs among recommended properties and permits multiple URLs, including social media and review-site profiles.
• Schema.org defines url as the URL of the item; sameAs adds a reference page identifying that item.

Which pages identify the same entity?

An entity is the item described by the markup. Schema.org's worked example describes a film and the book on which it is based. They share the name The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but each has its own Wikidata link. The nested author, Douglas Adams, has a separate identifying link too.

This example illustrates the selection rule: the linked page identifies the particular entity represented by the surrounding object. A matching title alone is insufficient to choose between the film and the book. For an organization, Google's property description gives the organization's own profile on a social media or review site as an example. The relevant target is the organization's profile page, rather than the platform's general homepage.

What does sameAs look like in JSON-LD?

JSON-LD is a format for expressing structured data in JSON. Google's organization example places it in a script element with the type application/ld+json. This reduced version preserves the example's name, website and identifying profile URLs:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Example Corporation",
  "url": "https://www.example.com",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://example.net/profile/example1234",
    "https://example.org/example1234"
  ]
}
</script>

These are documentation placeholders. The array holds multiple identifying pages for the same organization. Google describes url as the organization's website and sameAs as pages on other websites with additional information about it.

Where does the markup go, and how is it checked?

Google's technical guidance for organizations recommends the homepage or a single page describing the organization, such as an about page. The same guidance recommends the most specific applicable organization subtype.

As of 17 October 2026, Schema.org's validator documentation describes checks using either a page URL or directly supplied markup. The validator extracts structured data, displays a summary of its graph and identifies syntax mistakes. For sameAs, a separate content check follows from the property's definition: each destination must identify the entity described by its containing object.

Related terms

• Structured data
• JSON-LD
• Organization structured data
• Schema.org @id

FAQ

Do I need a Wikipedia page to use sameAs?

Schema.org's definition also gives a Wikidata entry or an official website as examples. The defining criterion is that the reference page unambiguously indicates the item's identity.

Can I include several social profiles?

Google's organization documentation permits multiple sameAs URLs. You can include the organization's profiles on different sites when they identify that organization.

Sources

1. Schema.org, "sameAs", undated
2. Google Search Central, "Organization (Organization) structured data", 8 September 2026
3. Schema.org, "url", undated
4. Schema.org, "Schema.org Markup Validator", undated

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