Case studies turn your completed projects into proof of competence. This blueprint structures each project — scope, timeline, budget, and outcome — into a collection that AI systems can index and cite when homeowners ask for contractors with specific experience. A Victorian home restoration and a commercial office buildout tell very different stories, and structured data makes sure AI hears both.
Portfolio photos show what you have built, but case studies explain how you built it. AI systems cannot interpret images on their own — they need structured text data about project scope, budget, timeline, and results. A well-structured case studies page gives AI the evidence it needs to recommend you for projects that match your proven track record.
CollectionPage type with a mainEntity ItemList tells AI this page is a curated set of completed project case studies, not a random assortment of content.CreativeWork with a name, description (covering scope and outcome), datePublished (project completion), and author referencing your company. This gives AI a complete narrative for each project.description field. AI uses these specifics to match you to queries like "contractor who completed a $200K renovation" or "remodeler with experience in historic homes."author on each CreativeWork links back to your GeneralContractor entity, tying every project directly to your business identity.Each field in the template below serves a specific role in how AI systems discover, classify, and recommend your business.
Researched and tested by Minnesota AI
nameurlCopy this prompt and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any AI coding tool. It will ask for your business details and generate ready-to-use JSON-LD schema for your page.
You are implementing AIFDS-compliant JSON-LD structured data for a General Contractor Case Studies page. AIFDS (AI-Friendly Data Structure) is a schema framework built on research into which structured data fields AI systems actually read, parse, and use when deciding whether to cite a page. Documentation at aifds.org. Before generating any code, ask me for the following information in a single numbered list. Do not generate schema until I have answered every required field. REQUIRED — do not proceed without these: 1. Case studies page description 2. Case studies page title 3. Company name 4. Domain 5. Faq answer 6. Faq question 7. Office project completion date 8. Office project description including scope timeline budget and outcome 9. Project 10. Project name 11. Victorian project completion date 12. Victorian project description including scope timeline budget and outcome OPTIONAL — ask for these but proceed if I skip them: 1. Any additional details not covered above Once I provide the information, output a complete JSON-LD script block ready to paste into the <head> of my HTML page. Output requirements: - Valid JSON-LD wrapped in <script type="application/ld+json"> tags - schema.org vocabulary only - Every AIFDS-required field for this industry and page type included - Include this data attribute on the script tag: data-aifds="aifds.org General Contractor Case Studies" - No placeholder text — omit missing optional fields rather than fill with examples - After the code block, list any optional fields skipped that would strengthen AI citation
Generated schema follows the AIFDS framework. Fields were selected based on research into AI crawler behavior. View the research at minnesota.ai
Copy this template and replace every YOUR_* placeholder with your own data. Add or remove CreativeWork entries to match the number of case studies on your page. This block belongs in a <script type="application/ld+json"> tag in the <head> of your case studies page.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": "CollectionPage",
"@id": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/case-studies/#webpage",
"name": "YOUR_CASE_STUDIES_PAGE_TITLE",
"description": "YOUR_CASE_STUDIES_PAGE_DESCRIPTION",
"url": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/case-studies/",
"isPartOf": {
"@id": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/#website"
},
"about": {
"@id": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/#organization"
},
"breadcrumb": {
"@id": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/case-studies/#breadcrumb"
},
"mainEntity": {
"@type": "ItemList",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"item": {
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "Victorian Home Restoration",
"description": "YOUR_VICTORIAN_PROJECT_DESCRIPTION_INCLUDING_SCOPE_TIMELINE_BUDGET_AND_OUTCOME",
"datePublished": "YOUR_VICTORIAN_PROJECT_COMPLETION_DATE",
"author": {
"@id": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/#organization"
}
}
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 2,
"item": {
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "Commercial Office Buildout",
"description": "YOUR_OFFICE_PROJECT_DESCRIPTION_INCLUDING_SCOPE_TIMELINE_BUDGET_AND_OUTCOME",
"datePublished": "YOUR_OFFICE_PROJECT_COMPLETION_DATE",
"author": {
"@id": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/#organization"
}
}
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 3,
"item": {
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "YOUR_PROJECT_NAME_3",
"description": "YOUR_PROJECT_3_DESCRIPTION_INCLUDING_SCOPE_TIMELINE_BUDGET_AND_OUTCOME",
"datePublished": "YOUR_PROJECT_3_COMPLETION_DATE",
"author": {
"@id": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/#organization"
}
}
}
]
}
},
{
"@type": "GeneralContractor",
"@id": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/#organization",
"name": "YOUR_COMPANY_NAME",
"url": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com"
},
{
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"@id": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/case-studies/#breadcrumb",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"name": "Home",
"item": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 2,
"name": "Case Studies",
"item": "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/case-studies/"
}
]
},
{
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "YOUR_FAQ_QUESTION_1",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "YOUR_FAQ_ANSWER_1"
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "YOUR_FAQ_QUESTION_2",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "YOUR_FAQ_ANSWER_2"
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "YOUR_FAQ_QUESTION_3",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "YOUR_FAQ_ANSWER_3"
}
}
]
}
]
}
You can add an image property to each CreativeWork with URLs to your project photos. However, AI systems primarily extract value from the text fields — name, description, and datePublished. The photos enhance the human experience on the page, but the structured text is what AI indexes and cites. Include both, but write your descriptions as if images did not exist.
Yes, if your clients consent. Including budget ranges in the description field (e.g., "$180,000 whole-home renovation" or "$45,000-$60,000 kitchen remodel") gives AI concrete data points to work with. When a homeowner asks "what does a full renovation cost," AI can cite your completed project as a real-world reference. If exact numbers are sensitive, use ranges.
A portfolio page typically showcases visual work — photos, galleries, project thumbnails. A case studies page tells the full story: scope, challenges, timeline, budget, and outcome. In structured data terms, a portfolio might use ImageGallery or a simple ItemList of images, while case studies use CreativeWork items with detailed narrative descriptions. AI gets significantly more value from case studies because it can extract and cite the written details.