Structured Data & Schema
Used to mark up elements on a webpage, structured data (or schema) helps search engines further understand the content which is contained on a website. Structured data is also used to generate further rich results and featured snippets within search results. Our SEO Office Hours Notes below cover recommendations for the implementation of structured data / schema, as well as insights from Google.
To learn more about structured data’s impact on SEO, check out our additional resources:
Mobile Pages Can Have Breadcrumb Markup without Breadcrumbs on the Page
Google hasn’t decided on the requirements for structured data after the mobile-first launch, but Google is considering allowing a simpler UI without breadcrumbs but still include the breadcrumb markup.
Structured Data Contributes to Rich Snippets, Carousels and Relevancy
There are 3 ways google uses structured data. Rich snippets, which are not used for rankings but can increase click-through rates, content carousels which increases visibility, and relevancy, which can help google to understand where a page should rank.
Organisation Schema Only Needs to Be on the Homepage
You should add the organisation schema to your homepage, and not on every page.
Google Algorithm Changes Are Applied Universally to All Languages
When Google makes algorithm changes, they try to make them across all sites regardless of differences like language. Exceptions with rich snippets, structured data, knowledge graph, business related information, streaming services can be trickier for legal reasons so they can’t roll updates out all at the same time.
Structured Data Penalties Don’t Affect Rankings
Penalties for spammy structured data only affects rich snippets, not ranking of site.
Keep the Markup Language Consistent on a Site
Having the same markup using different markup languages (e.g. JSON-LD and Microdata) can make it difficult for Google to know which one to use.
Report Incorrect Structured Data Usage to Google
The Web spam report tool should be used to report when structured data is being used improperly. John reiterated that structured data has no direct impact on ranking positions, only the way Google displays information in search.
Markup Which Isn’t Used by Google in Search Result Doesn’t Help
Google doesn’t take into account types of structured markup that aren’t used in search. The presence of that particular markup on your site won’t have any value for Google.
Company Schema Will Specify a Telephone Number to Appear in a Knowledge Panel
You can’t prevent a phone number showing up in a knowledge panel, but the Company page markup lets you specify which telephone number should appear.
Broken Schema Markup will be Ignored
If Google can’t recognise markup due to errors then it won’t be used, but markup isn’t used for rankings.