Schema markup is a form of microdata that helps Google, Yahoo, Bing and Yandex to understand the content on webpages. It is a type of coding language that enables webmasters to indicate the context of their pages – so when it appears in search results, it stands out with an enhanced description or ‘rich snippet’. This has become increasingly important in the age of Hummingbird, RankBrain, ChatGPT and Bard, as these technologies rely on understanding website content to deliver accurate results.
Does Schema Improve Your Search Rankings?
Circumstantial evidence suggests that leveraging Schema.org markup to add rich snippets to your webpages can help them appear more prominently on search engine result pages. Studies have also shown that it can lead to higher click-through rates, with research showing that only a third of Google results include a rich snippet using schema. SEO is constantly changing but adding Schema.org markup to your webpages is one of the few things you can do quickly to make an impact on your rankings.
Uses of Schema Markup
Schema can be used to provide structured data on many different topics, such as businesses, events, people, products, recipes, reviews, and videos. Effectively it provides a way to code web content so that search engines can better understand what your website is about. It helps search engines to make sense of your webpages in order to rank them more accurately and also display Rich Results (such as star ratings) in the SERP’s search engine results page. It is best to have a schema markup strategy way before implementing any schema on your Webpages.
Adding Schema to Your Webpages
Using Microdata
Microdata is a fantastic option, though you may find it tedious since you’ll have to mark up every element. Before getting started, figure out the relevant item type – whether it’s food, music, or tech – which will help determine how you tag them up. Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper is a helpful tool that makes tagging easy; all you need to do is select the item type, paste in the URL of the target page or content, and highlight elements for tagging.
Using RDFa
RDFa stands for Resource Description Framework in Attributes, an extension to HTML5 designed to facilitate the marking of structured data for users. It has been adopted as a W3C recommendation and is a web standard that can help users combine different kinds of structured data vocabularies. Unlike Microdata, which requires special tags to be incorporated into the existing HTML code of your webpage, RDFa allows semantic elements to be displayed directly within existing text. For help with implementing RDFa correctly, Schema.org provides examples and reference material, while Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool also helps.
Benefits Using Schema Plugins
Looking to reduce time and effort while increasing the effectiveness of your website’s SEO? Schema plugins are an increasingly popular way of doing this. With a schema plugin, you can easily add schemas to multiple pages and products on your site without having to manually input code. When selecting the right plugin for you, it must be easy to use for both novice and experienced users, with a simple UI that still covers all necessary aspects of adding schema markup. However, it is wise to look for those schema plugins that will allow you to custom schema to your website based on your overall markup strategy.
Conclusion
To conclude, creating schemas on your website might seem like a daunting task at first. However, it is worth investing time and energy into this practice to reap the rewards later. With some effort and dedication, you can ensure that your webpages are well-structured with schema markup. Get your free SEO audit today to see if your website has the proper schema implemented.
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