What is structured data?
Structured data code, also known as Schema.org code, is written in such a way that search engines can read the code and display search results in a rich format.
Let’s look at an example to try and clear that up. Imagine you have a website with products for sale, Amazon, for example. Adding “Product” structured data to the pages displaying your products will result in the search engines changing the display results for your products. It will be much “richer” regarding content that’s shown. Additionally, you can show in the Google Shopping tab.
See below as an example:
In continuing with the Product structured data example, it uses Product Name, Product Price, Price Currency, Availability, Review, etc. It is easy to see how this “richer” search result can start to have positive impacts on your online presence. All you need to do is add structured data to your web page to potentially get a rich snippet.
Structured data is always added in a code format. There are many kinds, for example, for books, reviews, movies, posts, pages, breadcrumbs, and many more. They all add more details to your snippet in the search results. Google’s structured data testing tool will give you some insights into your website’s schema data. This is one of the tools we use in our site audit.
Unfortunately, Google does not always create a rich snippet of your webpage, even when there is structured data. Still, if Google does pick up your content, the results are worth the effort.
Is structured data important for SEO?
So, now I have run through what it is, let’s talk about why it’s crucial.
Structured data is essential for SEO because it makes it easier for Google to understand what your website is about. Google is trying to discover what your websites and pages are about to show it in search results. Using structured data is like talking to Google, telling Google what your site is about.
Structured data will change the way your website search results appear. It shows richer and fuller content. It provides your potential audience with a more detailed and informative result on their search. As a result, it will increase the likelihood of customers clicking on your search result. And more clicks is more customers! That’s what we are all chasing with improved SEO, more attention, and better results.
How do i add it?
Implementing structured data can be hard if you are manually adding the code to your website. However, many web programming platforms, WordPress for example, offer plugins that can assist. In short, you have to get the right code, adapt that code, and put it on your site.
There are plenty of resources available to assist you with implementing schema data into your site like Google or JSON-LD. Alternatively, please contact KirkLloyd to improve SEO and assist you.