An introduction to structured data - How Google learns to understand your website better
In SEO, there are many ways you can optimize your content so that search engines can better understand it. In fact, there are over 200 factors that influence your rankings. Alt-texts, images, right-sized headlines and internal link structure are all factors that search engine algorithms can read - but how does a search engine learn to understand exactly what your website is about?
The answer is: Structured data!
In today's digital world of 2019, where businesses are fighting for organic traffic, it's important to differentiate yourself from your competitors. A catchy meta description or SEO title is no longer enough. In fact, more than 50% of all Google searches now end without a click on the search result.
So what does that mean? Well, it means that the user actually finds the answer to their query in the Google search itself. Google retrieves the information from the structured data of the highest ranking search query.
The visual expression in the the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) is still a great opportunity to increase your CTR (Click Through Rate ) and differentiate your website from the competition - you need structured data to do this. After all, there are still users clicking on search results. Read on to find out what structured data is and how you can implement it on your website today.
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1) What is structured data?
Structured data is organized in a certain way so that search engines, including Google, can read and understand what a given page contains. Approximately 92% of all search engine traffic comes through Google, so it makes sense to implement structured data on your website.
It consists of an HTML code that is placed in the source code of your website. In the HTML code, there are different definition types that are associated with a wide range of data. These definition types, or ''rules'' if you will, can be read by web crawlers and browsers, which means that search engines will understand the information that is definable via one or more rules.
In terms of SEO, it makes a lot of sense to use structured data as you can visualize reviews, prices, inventory, etc. directly in the search results - and thus increase the CTR to your landing pages.
Let's take an example from our customer permild-rosengreen.dk.
The structured data is especially important when you need to tell Google and other search engines what your website is about.
Without defining to the search engines what it is about, it is not possible to get it displayed in the search results. Through specific 'tags' in the structured data, you signal to search engines what information should be displayed in the SERP - this is also called a 'markup', which is something we'll get to later.
What is the difference between unstructured and structured data?
Unstructured data is data that has not been organized or locked down by a set of rules in a given coding language. Examples include images, infographics, videos, documents or presentations.
Structured data, on the other hand, is organized via one or more rules in a coding language - either Microdata, RDFa or JSON-LD, with Google recommending the latter but still understanding the other two.
2) How does structured data work?
As mentioned earlier, structured data is a 'language' that can be understood and read by search engines, web crawlers and the browser you are reading this blog post on right now.
In order to understand and read a language, not only in a human context but also when it comes to search engines, two variables must be met.
- Grammar of the language
- Vocabulary of the language
When you talk to someone else, whether it's a computer or another human, you need to use your vocabulary (words that have a specific meaning) and grammar (a set of rules that define how you can use words and their meanings). The same applies when, for example, Google needs to understand your website. You need to make it clear to the other party what it's all about.
Is there a specific vocabulary we should use when we 'talk' structured data? Yes, there is!
Schema. org is the most universal structured data vocabulary. Created by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Yandex, its purpose is to promote schema in structured data. It is also community-based and is updated with new words several times a year, which you can easily implement in your existing HTML code. Smart, right?
But what does Schema code look like? Below you can see a code created based on this blog post. ↓
"@context" : "http://schema.org",
"@type" : "Article",
"name" : "Sådan lærer Google at forstå din hjemmeside bedre – En introduktion til struktureret data"
"author" : { "@type" : "Person",
"name" : "Peter Karlsen" },
"datePublished" : "2019-09-12",
"image" : "https://amplify.dk/wp-content/uploads/logo-black.svg",
"url" : "https://amplify.dk/en-introduktion-til-struktureret-data",
"publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization",
"name" : "Amplify"
In this code snippet we tell Google what this blog post is about, who is the sender and when it was published. When it comes to the grammatical angle, there is actually a free choice on all shelves. However, Google recommends JSON-LD, but recognizes the other two just as well as the first. It's basically a matter of what you or your IT manager is most comfortable with.
3) Examples of structured data
The average internet user is unfamiliar with the concept of structured data, but still experiences it on a daily basis. Automatically creating calendar events when booking flights, pricing products in search results and expanding information about your search are just some of the things you can do by structuring your data for Google. Structured data can affect the SERP in two different ways - via content features and Rich Snippets.
Rich Snippets/Enriched Search Features
Sitelinks and Sitelink Searchbox - Let users search your site via Google
Sitelinks allow you to display multiple links under one of your search results. This allows the user to quickly and easily navigate to one of your subpages. Of course, Google may not give you the option to create sitelinks directly in the search results, but to increase the chances, you can benefit from correct alt texts, anchor texts and a good URL structure on the page.
Sitelink Searchbox is an extension of the former, where a search box is included in the search result. This means that the user can search for a specific product on the website directly in the search result. However, it should be noted that the search box only appears when the user performs a search for a brand. ↓
For more information on how to create a Sitelink Searchbox for your website, take a look at the Google guidelines right here.
Reviews and product information
If you have an online store, service business or any other type of business where reviews are crucial to getting potential new customers, then this example is a must-have for you.
You can display reviews of your company, products or anything else directly in the search results. This allows you to be visually stronger than your competitors and perhaps get more clicks to your site.
Below is an example from the bicycle retailer, Saxil Cykler. ↓
4) How do you create structured data in an easy way?
To put it simply, it's actually surprisingly easy to create your own schema code. It's even easier as a webshop owner, as many plug-ins (e.g. Woocommerce or Shopify) can generate schema code for your product pages themselves.
Creating schema code may seem overwhelming, especially when it comes to implementing and setting up the code snippet - but Google is your savior. Their Structured Data Markup Helper is a fantastically easy way to create schema code - especially if your site is already published or you have the HTML code for the upcoming site.
Alternatively, you can use this Schema Markup Generator, which basically works the same way. However, you do not have the option to select the data from a website, it must be entered manually.
When you enter it yourself, you can actually customize the entire code snippet yourself. For example, you can choose what type of business you have, your opening hours, upcoming events and much much more. It's therefore more 'open' in terms of freedom and choice when it comes to criteria compared to Google's own.
5) How to test and implement your schema code
To test if your schema code works, you can use Google's Structured Data Testing Tool. On this page, you can check your schema code for any errors and omissions. If there are no errors, you can safely add it to your website via the backend system.
This blog post is just a small introduction to structured data and Schema codes in general. In fact, you can go even deeper and specify what kind of data you want search engines to read - down to the smallest detail. If you stay tuned to our blog, there will be an in-depth blog post about this in the near future.
So in short... STAY TUNED!
6) Why should you use structured data?
It might seem a bit nerdy, and you might even wonder if structured data is really relevant to you and your business. Especially if your time can be spent elsewhere.
... However, the answer must still be a a resounding yes from here.
Because we see more and more searches where the user in many cases doesn't click on the search result, but actually gets the answer to their search query already in the search engine. This is exactly what happens when you use structured data, which is why you should start thinking about how you want to implement it now.
Get help with your SEO strategy
A good start is half done. A bad start is.... well, not good. If you don't have the resources to create a well-thought-out SEO strategy, you are always welcome to send me an email at seo@amplify.dk or contact one of my colleagues at info@amplify.dk.
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