How To Use Types of Schema Markup for Better SEO
Schema markup is one of the underrated search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. With the help of a reliable SEO agency, you can choose the right way and implement it correctly.
This guide intends to further assist you in its use. Here, we cover:
- The basics of schema markup, including how it relates to rich snippets, structured data, and knowledge graphs
- The five most popular schema markups and the types of information you should include
- Other tips to make schema markup SEO more successful
Are you ready to learn more about this tactic? Let’s go!
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The Basics of Schema Markup SEO
With millions of pages to deal with and even more impatient users, search engines have a herculean task to
- Quickly provide the right answer
- Present the information in a way that users can easily or immediately understand
They do so through:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Rich results or snippets | - Search results with extra information, such as photos and star ratings
- Are not featured snippets appearing at the topmost part of the search result (also called position zero) - Examples include movies with audience or critic ratings, as well as events, such as concerts with dates and venues |
| Knowledge panel | - The “knowledge box” that appears on the right-hand side corner of the search results
- Contains data, such as company name, location, and social media pages - Most applicable to people, places, events, and objects with enough online information |
| News | - News snippets that appear on the News tab or the search results
- Can be triggered by a query, such as “Who is Elizabeth II?” |
| Local business data | - Usually displayed under Places or Locations
- Triggered by geographical-related keywords, such as “restaurants near me,” “Starbucks,” or “organic cafes in LA” |
All these, however, pull information from structured data, which is how you present information. It is a way of telling Google and Bing:
- What your website or pages are all about
- How these copies relate to one another
Structured data is everywhere. Google, for example, has the Knowledge Graph, which it uses to develop the knowledge panel.
However, the structured data are less effective unless you use the language that search engines, particularly Google, can understand. This is the schema markup, a code you add to your HTML page. It has plenty of benefits.
- Schema markup SEO can trigger a rich snippet for you, potentially increasing your click-through rate (CTR).
- It makes your website crawler-friendly, allowing fast indexing of more of your pages.
- A high CTR can give you many opportunities to generate quality backlinks.
- It improves user experience (UX) because essential data are easier to access.
How to Create a Schema Markup for SEO
Although, you should consider adding schema markup to your HTML page, we highly recommend letting an SEO agency handle it for the following reasons:
- It is easy to mess it up. For example, you end up using it on pages that might not need one in the first place, or you may introduce errors in your HTML code.
- Schema markup comes with terms you may not easily understand. These include objects and properties.
- It needs maintenance. Assessing, monitoring, and editing the code are necessary to ensure that search engines display only the correct and relevant information.
Even so, we can show you the basic steps. This way, you can collaborate more effectively with your team.
1. Pick the Right Markup Language
We have three:
- JSON-LD (Javascript Object Notation for Linked Objects)
- Microdata
- RDFa (Resource Description Framework in Attributes)
Of the three, Google prefers JSON-LD. It adds a code block to the HTML page, so you can modify it without “harming” the other codes.
Remember that the other two may be useful in certain situations. For example, if you want to nest some of the information on your page, Microdata could be a better choice.
You can go to Schema.org or Google to create and copy-paste the codes. However, a good SEO firm can help you pick the ideal language.
2. Know What to Optimize
Google has identified over 30 types of structured data that can benefit from a schema markup. We have the five most common below:
| Data Structure Type | Description | Use Cases | Attributes to Add |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review | - Usually a snippet showing average ratings (such as stars) or a part (or couple of) reviews | - Product
- Recipe - Events - Entertainment, such as movies or music - Restaurants - Local businesses |
- Author (person or organization)
- Object being reviewed (e.g., course or software app) - Aggregate rating |
| Product | - A snippet that enhances the shopping experience
- Appears in the search results, Google Images, and Google Lens |
- Detailed product information that can include photos
- Merchant listing for websites where people can purchase directly (not affiliate sites) |
- Pros and cons
- Offers - Price drops - Audience group (e.g., age or gender) - Aggregate ratings and reviews - Product images |
| FAQ | - A list of questions and answers around a particular topic
- Appears on the search or works with Google Assistant for voice search Displays the full question and answer |
- FAQ page that users can see or access directly on the author’s website
- Product page with FAQs that users cannot edit or contribute to |
Questions and answers (only one answer per question) |
| Local Business | - Creates a knowledge panel or a carousel of related answers to a query (e.g., five options for the keyword “restaurants near me”
- Supplements Google Maps results - Best to pair with local SEO - Works with Bookings API to accept reservations or payments |
- Various businesses, especially restaurants, gyms, and schools | - Business hours
- Business name - Aggregate ratings and review snippets - Price range - Contact details - Images - Menu |
| How-To | - Provides an overview of the steps on how to do things
- Can include images and videos |
- Any page or article that requires users to follow certain steps (e.g, recipes or home improvement) | - List of steps and items (e.g., materials to use)
- Cost of materials - Duration - Video clips or images for every step |
3. Validate and Test the Code
The only way to know if your schema is working well is by validating or testing the code. You can use many tools for this:
- Google Search Results Test, where you enter your URL or paste the code you wish to test. You can also assess how the snippet will appear on mobile devices.
- Site auditing tools, which can check your pages for any errors, including in your schema markup.
- Schema.org, which contains several documents or guides on how to create markups (note that this does not validate your schema on Google).
Summing Up
Schema markup does not always trigger a rich snippet. Still, it is vital to your SEO strategy. It enhances UX, showcases your breadth of knowledge in your niche, and makes your website more accessible to spider bots or crawlers indexing your pages.
Google and Schema.org can help you make the codes for your preferred language. But if you want to avoid costly, time-consuming errors, work with an SEO agency.
Digital Authority Partners (DAP) is a master in schema markups, structured data, and optimization. We can help you design a more targeted approach to ensure your pages are efficient and productive. Call us today to learn more about this.
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