Implementing structured data for rich snippets
If you’ve ever wondered how some websites have star ratings in their search results, then that’s because of a little something called Schema Markup. When you have great content on your website, you don’t want to hide it away, and that’s where Schema Markup comes in.
Here at Embryo, we believe that technical SEO is crucial if you want long-term, sustained success. We hold technical SEO in high regard and understand the importance of making sure that your website and overall web presence are as technically proficient as they can be.
In this blog, we will tell you all you need to know about schema markup tools, and how to implement structured data into your website. Keep reading to find out more details.
What is schema markup and its types?
First of all, you might be wondering what schema markup actually is. Essentially, Schema Markup is code that helps search engines understand the information on a page. Google can use it to show rich results (also known as rich snippets), which can earn a page more clicks.
By using structured data, you can provide search engines with additional information to better understand the content and present it in different ways within search results.
Unlike words on a page, schema is a form of structured data and its standardised format means that there’s no chance of Google misinterpreting it.
Schema can be used to enhance many different types of content. At the moment, there are around 800 types of schema listed on Schema.org, but Google only supports a handful of these.
Here are a few examples of the types of markups that Google supports that you can add to your website:
- Article
- Breadcrumb
- Carousel
- Course
- Event
- Fact check
- FAQs
- How to
- Job posting
- Local business
- Movie
- Product
- Recipe
- Review
- Video
Choosing the right schema type all comes down to relevance. When a brand implements the wrong schema type, they are being inconsistent with Google. Schema is essentially its own language, so when it’s added incorrectly then you’re not making it easier for the search engine to understand.
It is worth noting that schema markup is not a ranking factor, however, your webpage becomes eligible for rich snippets in SERPs only when you use markup.
What are rich snippets?
Rich snippets, or rich results, generally show up above the first organic result (or above the first blue link). Rich results are any visually-enhanced search result with information powered by relevant structured data.
For example, if we Google ‘cupcake recipe’, this is the rich snippet for this search query:
They highlight essential details in search results and can often include images that take up more space in the SERP. Rich snippets only appear for pages with certain types of information, and they can be limited by device type. For example, ‘how to’ rich snippets are only shown on mobile devices.
Here are 8 of the most common types of rich snippets:
- Reviews – display a star rating out of 5
- Recipes – a special type of structured data that only applies to recipes
- Music – give Google information on things such as album release dates
- Product markup – gives search engines information about a specific product
- Organisation – helps Google understand key information on an organisation
- Top stories – allows a site to appear in the ‘top stories’ box in the search results
- Video – helps search engines understand what your video content is all about
- Events – includes information on dates, times, locations and more
Do rich snippets have benefits for your SEO?
Yes, they do!
Rich snippets are much more eye-catching than normal search results, which can lead to a higher organic click-through rate. While not a direct ranking factor, it’s useful for tracking performance and showing how successful your site is in gaining organic traffic.
Another benefit is their impact on visibility. You’re likely to catch a user’s eye as you’re giving them useful information before they’ve even clicked on your site- you have the opportunity to showcase yourself during a user’s scrolling.
All in all, structured data helps both users and Google understand what your site is about by providing additional information. Context matters and this will be valued by customers and the crawlers.
How to use schema markup for SEO
Now that you have a better understanding of how schema markup works and what rich snippets are, the next step is to implement it. Follow these steps to ensure you are using schema markup for SEO correctly:
- Go to Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper
- Select the type of data
- Paste the URL you want to markup
- Select the elements to markup
- Continue adding markup items
- Create the HTML
- Add schema markup to your site
- Test your schema
For more in-depth instructions, check out this thorough step-by-step guide.
To ensure your structured data is as optimal as it can be, there are a few things to consider:
Accuracy and relevancy: Google states that if structured data does not represent what your page is about, or could be seen as potentially ‘misleading’, then you run the risk of not appearing in the search results.
Make sure content is optimised: The content itself must be high-quality, up-to-date, and unique- all these things mean your content is valuable for the user.
Location: Make sure the structured data is on the correct page and on the page that it describes.
Implementation: All technical requirements must be fulfilled, such as using the correct format and allowing full access to Google for it to crawl and recognise the structured data.
Images: Coming back to the point of relevancy, images must be relevant to whatever your page is and labelled in the correct way for Google to recognise both its content and URLs.
Testing: Testing the functionality of your structured data is vital. You don’t want to have missed a small, but vital step that stops your rich snippets from being displayed by Google. You can use Google’s Structured Data testing tool to either put your mind at ease or swiftly solve any issues.
Work with the experts today
It’s obvious that adding schema markup to your pages helps you to stand out in the SERPS and increases your return on investment. Implementing this SEO technique will put your business ahead of the curve and give you a leg up on the competition.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our award-winning team and contact us today. Or, check out some of our similar blog posts below for all things digital marketing.
