Common Types of Schema for Your Website
Aug 01, 2022 • 5 Minute Read • Brandon Connolly, SEO & AI Search Solutions Practice Lead
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What is Structured Data?
Feb 11, 2019 • 2 Minute Read
How Structured Data Can Help You Stand Out in Search
Search engine optimization (SEO) has changed so much in just the past few years, especially with the rise of AI-powered features like Google's AI Overviews. But while the search landscape keeps evolving, some fundamentals still matter, and one of the most overlooked is structured data.
Showing up above the fold on Google’s search engine results pages seem pretty daunting when you consider everything that goes into it: on-page SEO, off-site authority, Core Web Vitals, plus competition from paid ads, map packs, and shopping results.
However, one way to help your site stand out and differentiate your brand is to start using structured data.
What is Structure Data?
Structured data is the code that you add to individual page of your website that allows search engines like Google to better understand what each page is about and how it should appear in results. Think of it as enhanced meta data with more context.
It's based on a standardized vocabulary, most notable Schema.org, that major search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo all support.
How Search Engines Use Structured Data
Google and other search engines can use structured data to generate rich snippets, which are your search results with a few lines of extra information that can help potential visitors better understand who you are and how you can help them.
These rich snippets can turn your plain old result (just a title, URL, and description) into an engaging experience with an image, a rating, reviews, and so much more. Suddenly your search result becomes more informative and eye-catching.
A Regular Ol’ Result
A Result Using Structured Data
Much better, right?
Why Structured Data Matters
Structured data is by no means a guarantee that your website will appear in featured snippets or a top-ranking result, even for search queries that include your own brand name. But it helps in a few important ways:
- It provides search engines with a clearer understanding of your business as a whole, your content, and what you offer, and the services/products you provide.
- It influences how your brand appears on the search engine results page (SERP), which matters even more as the SERP continues to get more crowded with different features, becoming more visual and interactive.
- If all goes well, you may help you “jump” competitors by earning a featured snippet or other prominent placement.
- It can improve organic visibility, even if you don't make any other changes to your site's content.
We’ve seen multiple client sites gain visibility from schema implementation along, without new content or redesigns.
The Schema Standard
The good news is that Google, Bing, and Yahoo have all agreed to use Schema markup as the shared "language" for structured data. There are many types of schema you can use, covering everything from organizations and local businesses to products, events, recipes, people, places, and more.
The tough part is knowing which schemas are right for your site, and how to implement them properly so they don't break with future updates.
If you're new to structure data, start small and implement is in a stable manner. Add basic schema for your organization, products or services, events, and articles or blog posts. Each one helps add clarity and structure to your content in a way that search engines and searchers can use.