Structured Data and Related SEO Best Practices, Part 1

If you’ve had some experience in the search engine optimization world in the past, you may have heard of structured data and the need to implement it on a given business website. There are a few distinct methods for implementing such data, and two of the most common within this realm are Google’s Data Highlighter (found in the Google Search Console) and the direct addition of schema code to your site, known as a schema mark-up.

At SEO Werkz, we’re proud to offer comprehensive SEO services, from on-site optimization areas to link building, content optimization and numerous related areas. We’ve helped numerous clients understand and implement the proper structured data on their sites, and we’re here to do the same for you. This multi-part blog series will dig into what structured data is and why it matters, the look at both these common methods for implementing it to help you determine which is best for your site.

What is Structured Data?

Simply put, structured data is a standardized format that’s used to mark up basic information about a given web page. Basically, it’s code that’s written in a way that’s meant for search engines like Google and others to understand it – such engines read the code and use it to display search results for a given query in more specific, richer formats.

When the engine understands the content of a given page or site, it is now capable of providing proper search queries within it. A common use of structured data, for instance, is within rich snippets meant to make the search experience simpler for those browsing.

Types of Data for Mark-Up

Structured data mark-ups can be completed for a variety of different objects and pieces of information on a website. This information is summarized on Schema.org, which has a list of supported schemas within structured data markup. As an example, items supported by Google search engines for structured data markup include:

• Articles
• Reviews
• Video
• TV and movies
• Products
• Local business
• Music
• Recipe
• Various events

Why it Matters

There are several direct benefits of marking up structured data on your site, including each of the following:

• Ranking improvement: It’s important to understand that while structured data itself is not a ranking factor for any site or search engine, it has the ability to impact this area indirectly. As we noted above, structured data helps the search engine understand the content, which makes the page more relevant and often leads to a rankings boost.
• Improved conversions: Structured data, as we also noted above, brings a better aesthetic to search results, especially in areas like products and reviews. This improves click-through rates, which in turn improve visitor rates and conversions.
• Authority boost: Better search results also make your site look more authoritative to users, an additional benefit.

For more on structured data and the methods to use to implement it, or to learn about any of our SEO, PPC, web design or other online marketing services, speak to the staff at SEO Werkz today.