Schema. Structured data. Microdata. Oh my!
As online marketing experts, we know that staying on top of SEO best practices requires continual learning – lots and lots of it.
And we’re here to help.
Today, we’re going to demystify schema, providing some straight talk and practical advice to help you get to page 1 of search results.
What is schema?
In simplest terms, schema (also known as schema markup or structured data) is the language of search engines. When you include this type of code in your website’s HTML, search engines can correctly understand, index and rank your content.
How can schema markup help me with my SEO?
Search engines, like Google, need to make sense of your website and all the content it contains so they can properly serve results that accurately answer users’ queries. Adding schema to your website tells Google where important information like star ratings, locations, products, prices, events and more are on your site, so it displays that information properly when people search for it.
Ultimately, schema markup helps search engines provide users with better – and more accurate – information in those little rich snippets displayed beneath the page title in search results.
Here are two other SEO advantages schema markup offers:
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- Better search results for human readers. The more descriptive and informative your snippets are to humans, the easier it is for them to decide if your content answers their query (Hey, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for!). Ultimately, this is what great SEO is all about: getting more of the right types of people to your site.
- Schema markup helps your site rank better for all types of content. One study determined that websites with markup rank an average of four positions higher in search results than those without. And while it’s not totally clear whether this advantage is due to schema markup alone, it is clear that the practice makes sense.
How can I speak schema – and add it to my site?
Do you need to learn coding skills? Nope! Thankfully, Google provides a free interpreter of sorts, its Structured Data Markup Helper. This tool allows you to select elements of your website you want to be “marked up” (i.e., have the appropriate code added). Once you add and test the schema markup, you can update your site’s HTML, so search engines can properly index and serve your content.
Need a smarter SEO strategy?
SEO is continually evolving, and schema markup is becoming an even more important factor in ranking well. How can you stay dialed in – and crush your competitors?
Trust our experts! BARQAR uses a strategic, 6-step approach to ensure your SEO stays on target. Contact us for a free SEO audit today.
