How can a video identify its creator and profile URL?

Definition: A VideoObject can identify the person or organization that created or published a video with creator or author. Nest that value as a Person or Organization, then provide name and a url that identifies the creator's profile or homepage.

Key facts

• Google's VideoObject documentation lists creator or author as a recommended property whose value is a Person or Organization.
• The property describes the person or organization that created or published the video.
• creator.name or author.name supplies the creator or organization's name. When a person or organization is specified, Google requires either name or alternateName.
• creator.url or author.url points to a web page that uniquely identifies the creator or organization, such as a profile page or homepage.
• Schema.org defines VideoObject as a video file and makes it a subtype of MediaObject.
• Schema.org describes creator as the creator or author of a CreativeWork and says it is the same as the author property for that type.

What should the nested creator object contain?

Google's example uses a nested Person object. The same shape can identify an organization by changing @type to Organization and keeping the nested name and url fields.

"creator": {
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Jane Doe",
  "url": "https://www.example.com/users/janedoe"
}

The name value is the person or organization's public name. The url value should resolve to a page that uniquely identifies that entity. Google gives a profile page or homepage as the relevant kind of destination. A video page can therefore point to an author profile, an organization's homepage, or another dedicated identity page that represents the named entity.

Should you use creator or author?

Google documents both property names for this part of VideoObject and presents the example with creator. Schema.org's creator property accepts an Organization or Person and states that it is the same as the Author property for a CreativeWork. Its author property also accepts an Organization or Person; the Schema.org description says HTML 5 authorship through the rel tag is equivalent and may be used interchangeably.

For a JSON-LD implementation, use one property consistently across your video objects and keep the nested identity data aligned with the visible creator information. The documented Google shape is a single nested entity with a type, name, and URL. The url belongs inside that entity, so it identifies the creator rather than the video file.

What should you check on the page?

Google places creator or author among the recommended VideoObject properties, while name, thumbnailUrl, and uploadDate appear in its required-properties table. The creator object adds identity information to a markup record that already needs the required video fields.

Validate the structured data with Google's Rich Results Test and fix critical errors. Then inspect a deployed URL with the URL Inspection tool. Google's documentation says the page must be accessible to Google and must not be blocked by a robots.txt file, a noindex tag, or login requirements. Confirm that the nested name matches the creator shown on the page and that the url resolves to the intended profile or homepage.

Related terms

• What thumbnail data does Google require for VideoObject markup?
• How do contentUrl and embedUrl differ in VideoObject?
• Author profile page

FAQ

Can the creator be an organization?

Yes. Google's property definition accepts Organization as well as Person. Use the organization's name in the nested name field and its identifying homepage or profile URL in url.

Is the creator URL the video URL?

No. The creator URL identifies the person or organization. The video itself has separate VideoObject properties for its content and page context.

Can author replace creator?

Google documents author as an alternative property name. Schema.org also describes creator and author as interchangeable for this CreativeWork relationship.

Sources

1. Google Search Central, "Video (VideoObject, Clip, BroadcastEvent) structured data", 2026-09-24
2. Schema.org, "VideoObject", 2026-09-16

---

Check how a page reads to answer engines. Open the GEO score analyzer