It’s Time to Start Using Structured Data | Schema Markup Technical SEO
We’ve been talking about structured data for a while now, and if you haven’t already started using it, now’s the time to start.
Structured data is no longer just nice to have – it helps Google understand your content better.
It is also an important factor if you want your site to be visible within search features and stand out in the SERPS.
The results can include rich results, enhanced discoverability, and even more clicks.
What Is Structured Data?
Your website is full of content, but does Google understand what you mean? If it doesn’t, your site won’t show up for certain searches or maybe even at all.
Most webmasters know about rich snippets—searches where Google displays additional information in search results besides just a list of links—but not many know how to get their sites included in rich snippet listings.
Structured data is one way to ensure your site appears in more relevant search results.
It works by adding markup to existing HTML content on your pages that tells Google what each piece of information is and how it should be interpreted.
The result can be expanded search listings with richer information displayed alongside normal organic results.
Why Should I Care About Schema Markup?
You should care about structured data because it provides search engines with more information about your content, which helps them understand it better.
This can lead to richer search results, increased discoverability of your site, and even more clicks.
To create markup that benefits both users and search engines, you must be very thoughtful about how you structure your data.
Keywords will help your pages rank higher in searches on Google, but if they are not structured correctly they can hurt your rankings rather than help them.
Another benefit of marking up data is that it makes it easier for people with disabilities to find relevant information on your website by surfacing more information in search results.
Getting Started With Schema Markup
There are multiple approaches you can take for marking up your structured data.
If you’re not familiar with how it works or want to see examples of schema markup, check out our two-part tutorial on Getting Started With Schema Markup.
You can also use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool (SDTT) to validate your code before implementing it on your site.
Technical SEO Importance
With more than 200 factors Google uses for its search algorithms, it’s hard to keep track of which ones are important.
But if you focus on technical SEO (in addition to user experience, content marketing, and backlinks), you’ll be on your way to getting more traffic.
SEO means many things; but at its core, it’s about how search engines understand websites.
A big part of that is structured data (and rich snippets).
Getting started with technical SEO is like learning a foreign language; it will take some time and effort before you’re fluent.