publisher

publisher · Not mentioned by Google

Appears in

Article

What is it?

publisher identifies the organization or person that published the article. While author credits who wrote the content, publisher credits who made it publicly available. A freelance journalist is the author; the newspaper that runs the piece is the publisher.

Why this matters for AEO

AI answer engines evaluate publisher reputation when selecting sources for answers. A well-known publisher with structured data linking to its Organization entity carries more weight than an anonymous source. When multiple articles answer the same query, AI systems factor in publisher authority alongside content quality to determine which source to cite.

What the specs say

Schema.org: Organization or Person. The publisher of the creative work. schema.org/publisher

Google: Not formally listed as required or recommended in the Article structured data properties table. However, publisher appears in Google's author markup best practices section as an example distinguishing publisher from author. Google Article docs

The Google docs example shows: "publisher": {"@type": "Organization", "name": "The Daily Bug", "url": "https://www.example.com"}.

How to find your value

• Blog — The site name or company operating the blog
• News site — The masthead or footer copyright holder
• Company blog — The company name and logo
• Webflow — The site name in Site Settings

Format and code

Type: Organization or Person

Organization publisher (most common):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Breaking News: Major Event Unfolds",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Example News",
    "url": "https://example.com",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://example.com/logo.png"
    }
  }
}

Using @id reference (when Organization is defined elsewhere in the graph):

{
  "@type": "Article",
  "publisher": {
    "@id": "https://example.com/#organization"
  }
}

Minimal publisher:

{
  "@type": "Article",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Example News"
  }
}

Webflow implementation

Static pages

In Page Settings > Custom Code > Before </head>:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Your Article Title",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Your Company Name",
    "url": "https://yoursite.com",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://yoursite.com/logo.png"
    }
  }
}
</script>

CMS template pages

The publisher is usually the same across all articles on a site. Hardcode it in the CMS template:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "{{wf {&quot;path&quot;:&quot;name&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;PlainText&quot;} }}",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Your Company Name",
    "url": "https://yoursite.com"
  }
}
</script>

In Schema HQ

The publisher field populates the publisher field using the Organization schema already configured for the site. It references the Organization entity via @id, keeping the Article markup connected to the site-wide Organization data.

Real examples

nystudio107 (nystudio107.com):

{
  "@type": "Article",
  "publisher": {
    "@id": "https://nystudio107.com/#creator"
  }
}

Uses an @id reference to an Organization defined elsewhere in the page's structured data graph.

Mocono (mocono.io):

{
  "@type": "NewsArticle",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Example News",
    "url": "https://example.com",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://example.com/logo.png"
    }
  }
}

Related fields

• author
• headline
• logo
• name
• webFeed — RSS or Atom feed URL for the publication

FAQ

Is publisher required for Article schema?

No. Google does not list publisher as required or recommended for Article structured data. However, including it is a best practice for establishing organizational authority and is widely used in production Article markup.

What is the difference between publisher and author?

author is who created the content (usually a Person). publisher is who made it available to the public (usually an Organization). A single person can be both author and publisher on a personal blog.

Should publisher include a logo?

Including a logo as an ImageObject is optional but recommended. It provides additional branding context and was previously required by Google for Article markup (that requirement has since been removed).