Employing structured data facilitates the communication of explicit signals to search engines regarding your business and content, enhancing the search engine’s comprehension of your site’s content. This improvement can lead to increased visibility in search results through enriched snippets, featured snippets, and Knowledge Graph entries. Structured data, such as schema markup, is instrumental in generating more search engine-friendly signals, potentially indirectly influencing search rankings.
John Mueller of Google has indicated that structured data markup could become a factor in search rankings, underscoring its growing importance in search engine optimization strategies. However, selecting the appropriate schemas for implementation on a website can be challenging due to the variety available.
Organization Schema Markup
The utilization of Organization Schema Markup across all types of websites is recommended to bolster brand signals, improving Knowledge Graph entries and presence in search engine results pages (SERPs) through the specification of logos, social profile links, and corporate contact information.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{ "@context" : "http://schema.org",
"@type" : "Organization",
"legalName" : "Elite SEM",
"url" : "http://elitesem.com/",
"contactPoint" : [{
"@type" : "ContactPoint",
"telephone" : "+1-646-350-2789",
"contactType" : "customer service"
}]
"logo" : "http://elitesem.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Elite_SEM_Logo_2014.png",
"sameAs" : [ "http://www.facebook.com/EliteSEM",
"http://www.twitter.com/elitesem",
"http://plus.google.com/+Elitesem",
"https://www.youtube.com/user/EliteSEMInc",
"http://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-sem",
"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20736641"]
}
</script>WebSite Schema Markup
Similarly, WebSite Schema Markup is advocated for all sites to facilitate the Sitelinks Search Box feature for brand SERPs, enhancing the site name’s appearance in search results, contingent on the presence of a site search function.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context" : "http://schema.org",
"@type" : "WebSite",
"name" : "Elite SEM",
"url" : "http://elitesem.com/",
"potentialAction" : {
"@type" : "SearchAction",
"target" : "http://elitesem.com/?s={search_term}",
"query-input" : "required name=search_term"
}
}
</script>Breadcrumbs Markup
Breadcrumbs Markup is beneficial for annotating site breadcrumbs, enabling the generation of breadcrumb rich snippets in the SERPs, thereby augmenting navigation clarity for users. (Example in microdata)
<ol itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/BreadcrumbList">
<li itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope
itemtype="http://schema.org/ListItem">
<a itemprop="item" href="https://example.com/">
<span itemprop="name">Home</span></a>
<meta itemprop="position" content="1" />
</li>
›
<li itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope
itemtype="http://schema.org/ListItem">
<a itemprop="item" href="https://example.com/activewear/">
<span itemprop="name">Activewear</span></a>
<meta itemprop="position" content="2" />
</li>
›
<li itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope
itemtype="http://schema.org/ListItem">
<a itemprop="item" href="https://example.com/activewear/tops/">
<span itemprop="name">Tops</span></a>
<meta itemprop="position" content="3" />
</li>
</ol>SiteNavigationElement Schema
The SiteNavigationElement markup is proposed to enhance search engines’ understanding of site structure and navigation, potentially influencing the presentation of organic sitelinks. (example using microdata)
<ul itemscope itemtype="http://www.schema.org/SiteNavigationElement">
<li itemprop="name"><a itemprop="url" href="http://www.travelstore.com/our-advantage">Our Advantage</a></li>
<li itemprop="name"><a itemprop="url" href="http://www.travelstore.com/our-travel-experts">Travel Experts</a></li>
<li itemprop="name"><a itemprop="url" href="http://www.travelstore.com/destinations">Destinations</a></li>
<li itemprop="name"><a itemprop="url" href="http://www.travelstore.com/cruises">Cruises</a></li>
<li itemprop="name"><a itemprop="url" href="http://www.travelstore.com/interests">Interests</a></li>
<li itemprop="name"><a itemprop="url" href="http://www.travelstore.com/explore-your-world/interests/hotels-and-resorts">Hotels</a></li>
<li itemprop="name"><a itemprop="url" href="http://www.travelstore.com/travel-guides">Travel Resources</a></li>
</ul>VideoObject Schema
For sites featuring video content, VideoObject schema is suggested to aid in the display of video rich snippets, especially in Google Video Search, notwithstanding Google’s propensity to feature YouTube videos predominantly. (example using microdata)
<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/VideoObject">
<link itemprop="url" href="http://www.ted.com/talks/boaz_almog_levitates_a_superconductor">
<meta itemprop="name" content="The levitating superconductor" />
<meta itemprop="description" content="How can a super-thin 3-inch disk levitate something 70,000 times its own weight? In a riveting demonstration, Boaz Almog shows how a phenomenon known as quantum locking allows a superconductor disk to float over a magnetic rail — completely frictionlessly and with zero energy loss. Experiment: Prof. Guy Deutscher, Mishael Azoulay, Boaz Almog, of the High Tc Superconductivity Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University." />
<meta itemprop="uploadDate" content="2015-02-05T08:00:00+08:00" />
<meta itemprop="duration" content="PT10M25S">
<img itemprop="thumbnailUrl" src="https://tedcdnpi-a.akamaihd.net/r/tedcdnpe-a.akamaihd.net/images/ted/b9693798223a4101be834398af15df5560d3f25c_1600x1200.jpg?quality=95&w=480" />
</div>SoftwareApplication Schema
SoftwareApplication markup is recommended for software apps to enable app rich snippets, with the inclusion of specific properties like AggregateRating and Offers enhancing the likelihood of rich snippet display.
Product/Offer Schema
For e-commerce platforms, Product and Offer markups are crucial for the presentation of product information in SERPs, including price and availability status, with the Offer markup being essential for price display. (example using microdata)
<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/MobileApplication">
<meta itemprop="url" content="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elitesem.calculator">
<h1 itemprop="name">SEM Calculator 2.0</h1>
Updated: <span itemprop="datePublished">September 3, 2014</span>
Size: <span itemprop="fileSize">1.9M</span>
Requires <span itemprop="operatingSystem">Android 2.3 and up</span>
Category: <span itemprop="applicationCategory">Business</span>
Rating:
<div itemprop="aggregateRating" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/AggregateRating">
<span itemprop="ratingValue">4.0</span> (
<span itemprop="ratingCount">1</span> rating )
</div>
<div itemprop="offers" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Offer"><meta content="0" itemprop="price"></div>
</div>Rating Schema
Rating schema, particularly AggregateRating for items with combined ratings, is crucial for generating star rating rich snippets in the SERPs, beneficial for e-commerce and local business sites alike. (example using microdata)
<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Thing">
<h2 itemprop="name"> Super Book </h2>
<div itemprop="description">Ultra interesting. Super impressive.</div>
<div itemprop="aggregateRating" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/AggregateRating">
<div>Book rating:
<span itemprop="ratingValue">9</span>
<meta itemprop="bestRating" content="10"/>
<meta itemprop="worstRating" content="1"/>
based on <span itemprop="ratingCount">20</span> ratings
</div>
</div>
</div>NewsArticle or BlogPosting Schema
Publishers are advised to employ NewsArticle or BlogPosting schemas, depending on their content, to facilitate the appearance of their content in Google News and in-depth article search suggestions. (example using JSON)
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "http://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Emmys 2015: The 5 categories we're most excited to see",
"image": "http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA5LzIwLzQ0L2YyOGFiZmM5NmNkLmQ5ZjgxLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4NjI3IwplCWpwZw/418b1a9e/940/f28abfc9-6cd9-217b-8bc7-fd48dd3621a9_MM714-21.jpg",
"keywords": ["television","emmys","uncategorized","entertainment","tv","emmys-2015"],
"datePublished": "2015-09-20T13:39:38Z",
"articleSection": "entertainment",
"creator": "Sandra Gonzalez",
"author": "Sandra Gonzalez",
"articleBody": "The 2015 Emmy Awards are upon us, and while television's biggest night has in several years etc....",
"mainEntityOfPage": "True"
}
</script>LocalBusiness Schema
LocalBusiness and PostalAddress schemas are essential for sites with physical locations, aiding in the display of critical business information such as address, opening hours, and accepted payment types. (example using microdata)
<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/LocalBusiness">
<h1 itemprop="name">Elite SEM</h1>
<p itemprop="descripton">A performance-driven digital marketing agency.</p>
<p>Open: <time itemprop="openingHours" datetime="Mo-Fi 09:00-17:00">Monday-Friday 9am-5pm</time></p>
<p>Phone: <span itemprop="telephone" content="+16463502789">646-350-2789</span></p>
<address itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/PostalAddress" itemprop="address">
<span itemprop="streetAddress">142 W 36th St, Fl 11</span>
<span itemprop="addressLocality">New York</span>,
<span itemprop="addressRegion">NY</span> <span itemprop="postalCode">10018</span>
</address>
</div>Event Schema
Event markup is recommended for sites organizing events to generate event rich snippets, enhancing event visibility. (example using JSON)
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "http://schema.org",
"@type": "MusicEvent",
"name": "AC/DC",
"image": "http://s1.ticketm.net/tm/en-us/dbimages/199365a.jpg",
"startDate": "2015-09-25T19:45:00-07:00",
"url": "http://www.ticketmaster.com/acdc-san-francisco-california-09-25-2015/event/1C004E43C5D25EDC?artistid=1170951&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=200",
"location" : {
"@type": "Place",
"name": "AT&T Park",
"sameAs": "http://www.ticketmaster.com/AT-T-Park-tickets-San-Francisco/venue/229585",
"address" : {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "24 Willie Mays Plaza",
"addressLocality":"San Francisco",
"addressRegion":"CA",
"postalCode":"94107",
"addressCountry":"US"
}
},
"offers" : {
"@type" : "Offer",
"url":"http://www.ticketmaster.com/acdc-san-francisco-california-09-25-2015/event/1C004E43C5D25EDC?artistid=1170951&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=200"
}
}
</script>Recipe Schema
Recipe schema markup is suggested for recipe websites to enable rich snippets, with properties like prepTime, cookTime, and ingredients being pivotal for inclusion. (example using microdata)
<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Recipe">
<link itemprop="url" href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/12682/apple-pie-by-grandma-ople/" />
<meta itemprop="mainEntityOfPage" content="True" />
<img src="http://images.media-allrecipes.com/userphotos/720x405/736203.jpg" alt="Apple Pie by Grandma Ople" title="Apple Pie by Grandma Ople" itemprop="image" />
<h1 itemprop="name">Apple Pie by Grandma Ople</h1>
<div itemprop="description">"This was my grandmother's apple pie recipe. I have never seen another one quite like it. It will always be my favorite and has won me several first place prizes in local competitions. I hope it becomes one of your favorites as well!"</div>
Prep Time: <time itemprop="prepTime" datetime="PT30M">30 min</time>
Cook Time: <time itemprop="cookTime" datetime="PT1H">1 hour</time>
Total Time: <time itemprop="totalTime" datetime="PT1H30M">1 hour 30 min</time>
Yield: <span itemprop="recipeYield">1 9" pie (8 servings)</span>
Ingredients:
<span itemprop="ingredients">1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie</span>
<span itemprop="ingredients">1/2 cup unsalted butter</span>
<span itemprop="ingredients">3 tablespoons all-purpose flour</span>
<span itemprop="ingredients">1/4 cup water</span>
<span itemprop="ingredients">1/2 cup white sugar</span>
<span itemprop="ingredients">1/2 cup packed brown sugar</span>
<span itemprop="ingredients">8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced</span>
<ol itemprop="recipeInstructions">
<li>Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).</li>
<li>Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste.</li>
...
</ol>
</div>
In monitoring and optimizing structured data implementation, tools such as the Structured Data Testing Tool and the Structured Data Markup Report in Google Search Console are indispensable. Adherence to Google’s guidelines is crucial to avoid penalties related to structured data misuse.