Schema markup helps search engines better understand the content of your website. Adding schema markup code to your website can improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results, leading to more traffic and potential customers. This blog will explore schema markup, how it works, and why it’s important for your website. Keep reading to learn more!
Do you prefer watching videos? Check out Amir Heydari’s (SEO Specialist) live presentation on schema markup and how it can benefit your website:
What is Schema Markup?
Simply put, schema markup is code that helps identify what is on your page (schema.org) that can be added to your website’s HTML. Defining each element on your web pages to Google and other search engines gives them the ability to understand information about your business, products, and content on your website. This allows Google and other search engines to better understand what is on your page, and hopefully rank you for more relevant queries and rank your website for position zero.
For example, if you have a restaurant website, you can use schema markup to provide information about your menu, location, hours of operation, and more. This information can then be displayed in search results, helping users find your restaurant and decide whether to visit it.
There are many different types of schema markup, including:
- Product
- Event
- Recipe
- Video
Each type of schema provides specific information relevant to that type of content. For example, product schema can provide details about the price, availability, and reviews of a product, while recipe schema can provide information about the ingredients, cooking time, and nutritional information of a recipe.
Below is an example of what schema markup looks like. RankMath, a popular SEO plugin, makes it quite easy to create and implement different types of schema.
Why Is Schema Markup Important For SEO?
Schema markup is what powers rich snippets, which are featured results on search engines. If you don’t implement schema markup, your site will never gain rich snippets on the search results page. It also helps Google understand your information which helps them rank your site better for related queries. As previously mentioned, rich snippets often have higher CTRs, especially if your competitors are using schema markup. The end result is that your website will receive more traffic.
Using schema also makes the website eligible to be included in voice search results. This includes Alexa, Google Home, Siri etc.
So, schema markup doesn’t just help get more traffic to your website but also helps search engines provide users with more relevant search results.
What are Rich Snippets?
Rich snippets are Search Engine Result Page (SERP) features that happen as a result of sites using structured data (schema) which also increases the chances of showing up in SERP with featured snippets. Below is an example of a featured snippet that can be achieved by implementing FAQ schema. This schema includes frequently asked questions on the search result with drop down options for the answers. There are different types of rich snippets suitable for different web pages.
Usually, these rich snippets have higher click-through rates (CTR). So, if you are looking to increase your CTR, this is a great way to do it!
Types of Schema
There are many different types of schema out there!
Some of the most commonly used schemas are:
- Article: used for blog posts and articles
- FAQ: used for frequently asked questions
- Howto: for more detailed questions with step by step explanation
- Local Business: highlights the elements of a local business
- Q&A: similar to FAQ, however with Q&A, each question can have multiple answers, rather than one
- Review: any webpage that receives user-generated content (e.g. product reviews from customers), it’s a must to be using product schemas, otherwise you’ll be at a great disadvantage
- Click here to see a list of common schemas
How to Add And Generate Schema Markup Using RankMath
- Make sure RankMath is installed on your website and the schema module is activated.
- Rank Math > Titles & Meta > and select the preferred schema type that you wish to use by default for each post type post types.
- You can edit the pages individually to add one of the available schemas and fill in the required fields.
- Open the single post editor & click on the SEO score shown by Rank Math.
- Navigate to the schema tab as shown below.
- Choose the schema types that you want to add to your post & fill out any of the fields Rank Math’s Schema Generator prompts you to complete.
Importing Schema
With Rank Math PRO, you can create your own schema templates or even import Schema from other web pages. Follow these steps to import schema:
- Click on Schema Generator. This will show you a list of schemas that are available and you can add multiple schemas if needed.
- Open the Import tab.
There are 3 options to import schema:
- URL: Pull schema from live web pages.
- HTML code: Useful for scenarios where the live web page is not an option.
- JSON-LD: To import templates when using schema generator tools.
Example:
Clicking on the Use button, you can either apply the schema to the current post or save it as a template to be used later.
You can also edit this template by adding or deleting properties to create a custom template.
Code Validation
It’s important to check whether the schema code has any errors. Why is it important to validate schema?
- Google will not consider your page for rich snippet results if there are errors
- If Google encounters errors in your schema markup, it will be more apprehensive in giving you rich snippets even for the pages that have the correct schema.
- Even with the correct schema, Google won’t immediately consider your page for rich results
- In rare cases, you can get penalized. If Google finds an error in the schema which is against its policy, you can get penalized. For example, if you try to manipulate Google by having inconsistent information on the front end and what Google sees on the schema.
RankMath built-in code validation feature that allows you to validate the code before publishing. This is helpful so you can avoid warnings and errors from Google before going live.
Make sure that your post is saved as a draft at least; otherwise, you won’t see the complete code.
Click on Test with Google to validate.
Schema Best Practices
- Provide up-to-date information. Google won’t show a rich result for time-sensitive content that is no longer relevant.
- Provide original content that you or your users have generated.
- Don’t mark up content that is not visible to readers of the page.
- Don’t mark up irrelevant or misleading content, such as fake reviews or content unrelated to the focus of a page.
- Your structured data must be a true representation of the page content. Example of irrelevant data:
- A sports live-streaming site labelling broadcasts as local events.
- A woodworking site labelling instructions as recipes.
Practice
If you would like to practice implementing schema code, you can sign up for a free Devsite at wordify.com. Make sure to install RankMath and enable Schema Module. Play around and see what works and what doesn’t before implementing it on your website.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, schema markup is a valuable tool for improving the visibility and ranking of your website in search engine results. By adding schema markup to your website, you can provide additional information to search engines, helping them better understand your content and display it more effectively in search results. Whether you’re a small business owner, a content creator, or an online marketer, schema markup is worth considering as a way to improve your website’s performance in search.
Ready to improve your website’s search engine visibility and increase your conversion rates? Still not sure what to do? Contact us today and start seeing the results!