Just like when I first looked at the target The Matrix , when I first heard the term “schema markup”, I was intimidated by the technical know-how I needed to figure it out.
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However, just like the movie, understanding the schema markup is not as difficult as you might think.
As a marketer, schema markup is important because you want to make it as easy as possible for your website to crawl for search engines.
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The easier it is for Google to understand your site, the poorer your websitet show up in the search engines.
Below, let’s take a look at what a markup schema is, where to add it, and how it can improve the structure of your website.
What is schema markup?
Schema markup is code that you can add to your website that helps search engines get better results for users. Essentially, it provides search engines with vital information to include in your ad that can improve online visibility as well as click-through rates.
In 2011, major search engines including Google, Yahoo, Bing and Yandex collaborated to create schema.org , which is a “collaborative community activity whose mission is to create, maintain, and promote schemas for structured data on the Internet, on web pages, in e-mail messages and beyond. ”
Ultimately, the markup ofschema is a form of microdata. According to Wikipedia , “Microdata is an HTML specification used to embed data within existing content on web pages. Search engines, crawlers, and browsers can extract and process microdata from a web page and use it to provide a richer browsing experience for users. ”
For example, schema markup will create an enhanced deion – sometimes called rich snippet – which will appear in search results.
Following Using microdata, The structure of your website will be simple and easy for search engines to crawl, making it easier for search engines to show up in search results .
Examples of schema markup
Schema markup can include notes, reviews, events, etc. You can use schema markupto include important information in your listing on search engines like Google and Yahoo. This will make it easier to display snippets in search results. For example, if you are selling a product, you can include the number of stars in your listing.
This is an example of a search engine results page that contains listings with and without schema markup data. As you can see, three of the top four results for the iPhone 11 have schema markup data, including ratings, reviews, and price.
Although T-Mobile and Tom ‘s Guide are the third and fourth lists down, using schema markup microdata can improve its click-through rate. Plus, it makes the list stand out from the crowd.
In the example below, there are three listings of Betabrand yoga pants on Google. Those of Betabrand and Good Housekeeping do not include additional information.
However, the one from Amazon does include ratings and reviews.
Again, including this type of information helps search engines provide more information that is likely to persuade users to click on your ad.
In the example below you can see Booking .com was using schema markup to include ratings, reviews, price, and frequently asked questions for an Orange County hotel. In their list, they include a drop-down menu, which answers questions a user may have. ask.
If someone is looking for and maybe staying at this hotel, they can know how close it is to the airport, the average cost, and the ratings.
Where to add Schema markup
You can add a variety of microdata depending on your service or product.
For example, you can include:
- Reviews
- Star rating
- Pricing
- Availability
- Events
- Location
- Price range
- Payment options
- Opening hours of store
The options are endless. No matter what service or product you are selling, you can use schema markup to improve your search engine listings.
So how do you add schema markup to your site?
The process is actually quite simple.
Step 1: Navigate to structured data markup from Google Help
Step 2: Select the type of list to which you want to add schema markup. Then copy and paste the url into the form field.
Step 3: Add schema markup data in the right pane by filling in theinformation you want to display.
Step 4: Click on the “Create HTML ” button.
Step 5: Copy and paste the highlighted yellow code. This is your schema markup code. You can also click the “Download ” button to retrieve the code.
Step 6: Paste the code into your content management system.
Once you have gone through this process, you will next want to test your schema markup to make sure it displays correctly in search engines. Below, we’ll see how to test your listing.
Schema markup tester
Now that you’ve added the schema markup code to your site, it’s time to test it. You can do this using the Google Structured Data Testing Tool .
You can test your schema markup in two ways: by URLor by code.
To test the URL, all you need to do is copy and paste the URL of the webpage you want to see. Then, the tool will present a preview of your file.
To test the code, you can copy and paste the code that the structured data markup tool generated for you. Again, a preview of your list will appear.
While schema markup can be technically intimidating, it’s actually a straightforward process. By using schema markup code, you can increase the visibility of your search engine listings and improve click-through rates.
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