Structured Data (Schema) Markup in Google Search
Structured data is a standard format for providing information about your website page and letting Google recognise the page content. For example, if you add an event schema on your website it will help users find events through Google Search.
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What is Schema in SEO?
Schema markup is a collection of tags (also known as structured data) that you can add to the HTML of your page to give search engines more details about the relevance, context, and content of your page.
This extra layer of data supports search engines in understanding the complexity of your material, including the connections between various data points and their applicability to particular search terms.
Schema can therefore improve how your pages are indexed and shown in search results, increasing the likelihood that they will stand out and draw in relevant visitors.
The search engine’s ability to read the search query and match it with pages it thinks are relevant determines your rankings. Therefore, the more accurately Google processes your content, the more likely it is that your domain will appear higher in the results pages for relevant queries.
Rich snippets, or enhanced search listings, are displayed by search engines thanks to the information provided by schema tags.
Types of Schema Markup
Article Schema
Schema markup for articles is a specific type of structured data used to help search engines understand and categorise written content on your website. This is particularly important for news articles, blog posts, and other types of written material.
For Google News features like Top Stories, there’s no markup required, but you can add article schema to inform Google more specifically what your content is about (e.g., that it’s a news story, who the author is, or what the title of the article is).
Breadcrumb
Effective navigation and understanding of a website can be facilitated by providing users with a breadcrumb trail, which shows the page’s structure within the site.
Carousel Schema
Rich results from a single website that appears as a list or gallery. One of the following features has to be paired with this feature: Recipe, Course list, Restaurant, and Movie.
Use the Carousel object if you have more than one restaurant listed on your website and you would like them to be capable of hosting a carousel. Make sure your Carousel object has the name, address, images, and cuisine that the restaurant serves, attributes defined in addition to the regular ones.
Event Schema
With Schema and other Google products, such as Google Maps, the event experience on Google makes it simpler for users to find and attend events. There are several options when it comes to events, you can implement schema for location-based or online events.
Job Posting
By incorporating JobPosting structured data into your career pages, you may enhance the experience of job seekers. Your job listings may be eligible for a unique user experience in Google Search results by incorporating structured data.
Local Business
When consumers search businesses on Google Search or Maps, the results can include a prominent Google knowledge panel containing information about the business that matches their query.
When customers search for a specific sort of business (for example, “best London restaurants”), they may get a carousel of businesses that match the query. You can use Local Business structured data to notify Google about business hours, different departments within a company, reviews, and more. If you want to assist users make reservations or placing orders right in Search results, you may utilise the Maps Booking API to enable bookings, payments, and other actions.
FAQ Schema
A Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) page includes a compilation of questions and answers about a specific topic. Properly tagged FAQ pages may be eligible for a rich search result and an Action on Google Assistant, allowing your site to reach the right users.
Product Schema
Product details may show up in Google Search results in more detailed ways when you incorporate structured data into your product pages (including Google Images and Google Lens). In search results, for instance, visitors can check price, availability, review ratings, delivery details, and more.
Typically, your product pages may also qualify for product snippets if you supply the necessary product information features for merchant listings. Read more about organic shopping listings here.
Video
People can find and view videos using Google Search as a starting point. Although Google attempts to automatically extract information from your video, you can add information yourself by using VideoObject to mark up your video. If you use Video Schema your videos can show up in Google Discover, Google Images, Google Search, and Google Video Search results.
Importance of Schema Markup
Improved Search Engine Understanding – this helps search engines understand the content and context of your pages.
Enhanced Search Results – makes your listing stand out with additional information like ratings, prices, and event dates.
Increased Click-Through Rates (CTR) – rich snippets can attract more clicks by providing users with more relevant information at a glance.
Voice Search Optimisation – structured data is crucial for voice search as it helps search engines understand and provide direct answers to voice queries.
Better Local SEO – local business schema helps improve visibility in local search results and on platforms like Google Maps.
Content Discoverability – Helps content appear in relevant search features like carousels, knowledge panels, Q&A, and recipe cards.
Testing Schema
When implementing schema on your site, there are a few things that you and your development team should be aware of.
Appropriate Use of Schema Types: Adding markup to highlight items that do not belong on the page is one of the most frequent structured data errors we come across. Similarly, be careful not to apply the incorrect kind of schema to the incorrect pages. Both of these errors have the same outcome: a drop in rankings.
Testing Schema: it is important to test your schema before publishing it on your website, this will allow you to minimise any errors and gain rich results for your website sooner.
Increase Your Website Visibility with Structured Data
Schema markup is a powerful tool for enhancing your website’s visibility in search engine results. These visually appealing snippets make your website pages stand out, attracting more clicks and improving your click-through rate (CTR).
By providing a clearer context and detailed information, schema markup not only makes your site more appealing to users but also more accessible and understandable to search engines, ultimately driving more organic traffic to your website.
If you’re ready to implement schema to your website and improve its performance. Get in touch with us today.