With a growing number of consumers searching online for everything from shoes to the temperature of the average volcano, rising in search rank is top-of-mind for every organization.
Using structured data is a keystone SEO technique in raising your search rank and getting seen and heard by your audience. Dominate with SEO is here to help you decode the coding behind structured data, and discover how you can use it on your website for enhanced visibility and click-through-rate.
Dominate with SEO helps business owners make sense of the digital marketing world. Our experienced team of marketers, SEO experts, and content producers are here to provide resources for you to get ahead with your business.
Want to collaborate with us? We’ll review products, accept guest blog submissions, and give referrals for valuable marketing guidance. Contact our friends at Romain Berg to explore the possibilities.
What is structured data?
In a nutshell, structured data is code embedded in your web pages that alert search engines to the precise make-up of your products, services, or company purpose.
Structured data helps the Internet of Things organize information in ways that enhance the user experience, and deliver accurate results to search queries of all kinds.
Structured data also helps the web suggest similar items, articles, or images, so no matter what they were looking for, the user gets a multi-result selection.
You know when you hop on Amazon and look for a product? There’s often a carousel bar at the bottom of the screen that lets you know other products people also purchased who searched the same item. That’s one example of structured data in action.
Let’s talk more about specifics and how structured data is categorized to assist particular sectors.
Schema: there’s a piece of code for that
Structured data must take several different forms to deliver enhanced search results for web users. Schemas are simply packets of tags (microdata) added to websites to improve the way search engines display website information in searches.
The tags represent a collaboration between Yahoo, Google, Bing, and others to decide on a universal tag language. Schema types for best SEO include:
- Organization: This schema uses detailed company information to populate a knowledge panel on the right corner of the search result screen. It’s common to see this panel when you search for large companies or big brands. Organization schema drives brand recognition online.
- Local Business: These microdata tags operate like organization schema, but for local businesses. You can use local business structured data to show location, hours, product examples, or store layout.
- Ratings: You can harness the power of your third-party reviews to show searchers you’re legit and offer high-quality goods and services.
- Events: Place your event in front of more eyeballs in your target region and interest categories.
- Recipe: Show off your food images, cooking and prep time, and reviews with this type of structured data.
- Breadcrumbs: Feature different pages on your site in a search and let visitors know where your pages place in importance.
- Video: Include information like video length and post dates as well as appearing in carousels relevant to your subject matter
- FAQ: One of the most useful structured data schemas for increased click-through-rate, your content can directly answer a search question as well as highlighting more info about your company.
- How-to: Works well for mobile searches, and can allow both images and step-by-step guides to appear in the search results.
Why is structured data so crucial for superior SEO and CTR?
Effective use of structured data could mean the difference between appearing in the top 10 search results, or the bottom of the last page.
Audiences crave complete and relevant information when they type or speak a question into a search bar. Your structured data help the internet provide comprehensive information and enhanced user experience.
As consumers continue to ask more nuanced and sophisticated questions of the internet, the sites that answer those questions in the most detail ultimately win the richest text awards and land nearer the top of the search results.
Which company website are you more likely to click? The one that offers you a name only, or the one that gives you photos, location, hours, price points, ingredients, event times, or brand information after asking only one question?
Yeah, we thought so.
Structured data: to DIY or not to DIY?
So, it’s possible to start adding structured data to your website on your own. Google has a tool for that called the Structured Data Markup Helper. It’s free and relatively easy to use, even if you’re not a tech-head.
Having a rudimentary knowledge of how your website works in “the wild” is a good idea for any business owner.
Though the basics of structured data may be a fine DIY project, there are several reasons to consider outsourcing your structured data strategy.
Why you should consider outsourcing your structured data
Let’s pretend for a moment that you enjoy running your business, making things, providing service to customers, or engaging with your audience. As a busy owner, the last thing you want to learn is how to make structured data work on your website.
Structured data can be somewhat easy to add to your site using Google and other tools. However, you still must test your code additions to make sure they work correctly for the SEO results you desire.
If you’re not tech-savvy, testing and troubleshooting structured data may drive you to drink well beyond the bounds of happy hour.
A competent SEO agency will do all the structured data embedding and testing for you, making sure all your schema function like you want for the CTR and conversion rates you need to succeed.
We recommend our friends at Romain Berg, a full-service digital marketing agency. They embed effective structured data into every client website and blog post they produce, giving your audience the maximum information on the stuff you want to sell, the locations you call home, and the services you provide.
And, information equals curiosity, interest, and eventually trust and loyalty. Make structured data work for you today for increased traffic and conversions that count.
