JavaScript Object Notation
Fast track (Summarised definition)
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write and easy for machines to parse and generate. It is the primary format used for transmitting data in web applications, APIs, and tracking scripts (like JSON-LD for SEO), essential for modern marketing technology integrations.
Full lap (Full definition)
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight format for storing and transporting data. Derived from JavaScript syntax, it has become the industry standard for data interchange on the web, largely replacing XML in modern web applications due to its simplicity, smaller file size, and faster parsing speed.
The importance of JSON for marketers lies in its ubiquity in APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and tracking technologies. When a marketing tool connects to a CRM, or when a website loads dynamic content, JSON is typically the language used to pass that information back and forth. It allows disparate marketing platforms to "talk" to each other seamlessly.
A critical application for marketers is JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data). This is the Google-preferred method for implementing Structured Data (Schema markup). By adding JSON-LD scripts to a website header, marketers can explain to search engines exactly what their content is—whether it's a product, an event, a recipe, or a review—enabling Rich Snippets in search results.
JSON is also fundamental to the configuration of modern web tools. For instance, creating custom modules in HubSpot or configuring linter settings in an IDE often involves editing JSON files to define fields and parameters.
For marketing operations and technical SEO teams, a basic understanding of JSON syntax—how data is structured in key-value pairs—is increasingly valuable for troubleshooting tracking scripts, configuring tags in Google Tag Manager, and managing data integrations.