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How To Use Schema Markup for SEO

Posted in SEO

Guide To Schema Markup for Local SEO

What Is Schema Markup ?

Schema markup is a code that you can add to your website to help search engines understand your content better. It is a form of microdata that allows you to give additional information about your website to search engines, which they can use to display your content in more useful and informative ways.

Schema markup is not visible to visitors of your website, but it can be used by search engines to display additional information about your site in their search results. This can include things like the type of business you have, your address, customer reviews, and more.

Table of Contents

Types of Schema Markups

Schema markup for search engine optimization

There are many different types of schema markup, each with its own set of properties that you can use to describe your content. For a list of common or popular types of schema markup, go to the Schema.org website as it provides a collection of shared vocabularies webmasters can use to mark up their pages in ways that can be understood by the search engines.

Here are the 12 most common schema markups that are used.

  1. Organization: used to markup businesses and organizations. It is the most common type of schema markup.
  2. Local Business: used to markup businesses that have a physical location.
  3. Person: used to markup people, such as authors and celebrities.
  4. Place: used to markup physical locations
  5. Product: used to markup products that are sold online.
  6. Event: used to markup events, such as concerts, festivals, and conferences.
  7. Movie: used to markup movies.
  8. Book: used to markup books.
  9. Recipe: used to markup recipes.
  10. Article: used to markup articles, such as blog posts and news articles.
  11. Video: used to markup videos.
  12. Review: used to markup customer reviews.

Organization schema

The most common type of schema markup is organization. It is used to markup businesses and organizations. The organization schema includes the following properties:

  • name – The name of the organization.
  • logo – The logo of the organization.
  • url – The website URL of the organization.
  • contactPoint – The contact information for the
  • organization.address – The address of the organization.

Local business schema

The person schema is used to markup people, such as authors and celebrities. The person schema includes the following properties:

  • name – The name of the person.
  • url – The website URL of the person.
  • image – An image of the person.
  • sameAs – A list of URLs for other websites about the person.
  • jobTitle – The job title of the person.
  • worksFor – The organization that the person works for.
  • gender – The gender of the person.
  • birthDate – The birth date of the person.
  • deathDate – The death date of the person.
  • nationality – The nationality of the person.

Person schema

The local business schema is used to markup businesses that have a physical location. The local business schema includes the following properties:

  • name – The name of the business.
  • logo – The logo of the business.
  • url – The website URL of the business.
  • contactPoint – The contact information for the business.
  • telephone – The telephone number of the business.
  • address – The address of the business.
  • geo – The geographic coordinates of the business.
  • openingHours – The business’ hours of operation.
  • aggregateRating – Ratings and reviews for the business.
  • priceRange – The price range of the products or services offered by the business.
  • paymentAccepted – The payment methods accepted by the business.
  • image – A photo of the business.

Place schema

The place schema is used to markup physical locations. The place schema includes the following properties:

  • name – The name of the place.
  • image – An image of the place.
  • address – The address of the place.
  • geo – The latitude and longitude of the place.
  • url – The website URL for the place.
  • telephone – The telephone number for the place.
  • amenityFeature – An amenity at the place.
  • openingHoursSpecification – The opening hours for the place.
  • review – A review of the place.

Product schema

The product schema is used to markup products that are sold online. The product schema includes the following properties:

  • name – The name of the product.
  • image – An image of the product.
  • description – A description of the product.
  • sku – The stock keeping unit (SKU) of the product.
  • mpn – The manufacturer part number (MPN) of the product.
  • brand – The brand of the product.
  • aggregateRating – Ratings and reviews for the product.
  • offers – The price and availability of the product.
  • color – The color of the product.
  • size – The size of the product.
  • material – The material of the product.
  • pattern – The pattern of the product.
  • productID – The ID of the product.
  • gtin8 – The Global Trade Item Number (GTIN-8) of the product.
  • gtin13 – The Global Trade Item Number (GTIN-13) of the product.
  • gtin14 – The Global Trade Item Number (GTIN-14) of the product.
  • event – An event that the product is used in.
  • price – The price of the product.
  • currency – The currency in which the price is stated.
  • availability – The availability of the product.

Event schema

The event schema is used to markup events, such as concerts, festivals, and conferences. The event schema includes the following properties:

  • name – The name of the event.
  • description – A description of the event.
  • image – An image of the event.
  • url – The website URL for the event.
  • startDate – The start date of the event.
  • endDate – The end date of the event.
  • location – The location of the event.
  • offers – Ticket prices and availability for the event.
  • performer – The performers at the event.
  • organizer – The organizer of the event.
  • eventStatus – The status of the event.
  • typicalAgeRange – The typical age range of the people who would attend the event.
  • duration – The duration of the event.
  • previousStartDate – A previous start date for the event.
  • doorTime – The time when doors open for the event.
  • endDate -The time when the event ends.

Movie schema

The movie schema is used to markup movies. The movie schema includes the following properties:

  • name – The name of the movie.
  • image – An image of the movie.
  • director – The director of the movie.
  • producer – The producer of the movie.
  • aggregateRating – Ratings and reviews for the movie.
  • duration – The duration of the movie.
  • releaseDate – The release date of the movie.
  • actor – The actors in the movie.
  • writer – The writers of the movie.

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Book schema

The book schema is used to markup books. The book schema includes the following properties:
  • name – The name of the book.
  • image – An image of the book.
  • author – The author of the book.
  • datePublished – The date that the book was published.
  • description – A description of the book.
  • aggregateRating – Ratings and reviews for the book.
  • pageCount – The number of pages in the book.

Recipe schema

The recipe schema is used to markup recipes. The recipe schema includes the following properties:

  • name – The name of the recipe.
  • image – An image of the recipe.
  • author – The author of the recipe.
  • datePublished – The date that the recipe was published.
  • description – A description of the recipe.
  • nutrition – The nutrition information for the recipe.
  • prepTime – The amount of time required to prepare the recipe.
  • cookTime – The amount of time required to cook the recipe.
  • recipeIngredient – An ingredient used in the recipe.
  • recipeYield – The number of servings for the recipe.
  • recipeInstructions – The instructions for the recipe.
  • recipeCategory – The category of the recipe.
  • recipeCuisine – The cuisine of the recipe.
  • suitableForDiet – Diets that the recipe is suitable for.
  • aggregateRating – Ratings and reviews for the recipe.

Article schema

The article schema is used to markup articles, such as blog posts and news articles. The article schema includes the following properties:

  • headline – The headline of the article.
  • image – An image associated with the article.
  • author – The author of the article.
  • datePublished – The date that the article was published.
  • dateModified – The date that the article was last modified.
  • publisher – The publisher of the article.
  • description – A description of the article.
  • articleBody – The body of the article.
  • pageCount – The number of pages in the article.
  • wordCount – The number of words in the article.
  • timeRequired – The amount of time required to read or view the article.

Video schema

The video schema is used to markup videos. The video schema includes the following properties:

  • name – The name of the video.
  • image – An image of the video.
  • description – A description of the video.
  • duration – The duration of the video.
  • contentRating – The content rating for the video.
  • publisher – The publisher of the video.
  • embedUrl – The URL to embed the video.

Review schema

The review schema is used to markup reviews, such as product reviews and movie reviews. The review schema includes the following properties:

  • itemReviewed – The item that was reviewed, such as a product or movie.
  • reviewRating – The rating given to the item by the reviewer.
  • datePublished – The date that the review was published.
  • description – A description of the review.
  • author – The author of the review.
  • name – The name of the review.

Types of Schema Markup Formats

There are three different types of schema markup languages: Microdata, RDFa, and JSON-LD.

  1. Microdata: Microdata is the oldest way to write schema. It is an HTML-based format that uses HTML tags to annotate content with structured data.
  2. RDFa: RDFa is a semantic markup language that uses HTML attributes to annotate content with structured data.
  3. JSON-LD: JSON-LD is a newer format that is not based on HTML. It uses JavaScript to annotate content with structured data.

The preferred type of schema markup is JSON-LD. There are several reasons why JSON-LD is the preferred method of adding structured data to your website:

  • JSON-LD is not based on HTML, so it does not interfere with the rendering of the page.
  • JSON-LD is easier to implement than Microdata and RDFa.
  • JSON-LD is more widely supported by search engines than Microdata and RDFa.
  • JSON-LD is a lightweight format that is easy to read and write.
  • JSON-LD can be used to annotate a wide range of content types, including videos, articles, recipes, and reviews.

How do you use schema markup for SEO

How Important Is Schema Markup For SEO?

Although schema markup is not a ranking factor, it’s still crucial for SEO because it gives additional information about your website, allowing search engines to understand your content better, which can improve the rankings in search results.

In addition, schema markup is used by Google to determine what information to display in rich results. Rich results are special search results that include additional information about your websites, such as reviews, prices, and images. They are also known as featured snippets or enhanced listings. While schema markup will not guarantee that your website will appear in rich results, it does give you a better chance of appearing in them.

Therefore it’s beneficial to add schema markup to your web pages because it enhances the appearance of your listings in the search results thus making your listings more likely to be clicked on by users. For example, if you add schema markup to your product page, your listing in the search results may include the product’s price, rating, and other information. This can help you stand out from the competition and increase your click-through rate. A higher click-through rate (CTR) can lead to a higher ranking in the search results because it signals to Google that your listing is relevant and useful to users.

How to Implement Schema Markup on Your Site

It is not necessary to add schema markup to every page on your website. However, it is generally a good idea to add schema markup to your most important pages, such as your home page and product pages.

Here are a few steps you need to take in order to implement schema markup on your site:

1. Choose the type of schema markup you want to use.

2. Generate the code for your schema markup. The best way to generate the code for your schema markup is by using a tool such as Google’s structured data mark-up helper. Make sure you take advantage of the “Preview” button in order to see how your listing will look in the SERP before you implement the code on your site. Doing so will save you time and ensure that your listing looks exactly how you want it to in the search results.

3. Add the code to your page. Schema markup should be added to thesection of your page. This will ensure that the search engines can easily find and read your website’s schema markup.

4. Test your page to make sure the schema markup is working correctly. This can be done using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool. This tool will allow you to see if your schema markup has been implemented correctly and if there are any errors in your website’s code.

5. Repeat these steps for each page you want to add schema markup to.

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Schema markup generator tools

There are numerous tools that can help you create and validate your schema markup. Some of these tools include:

Schema Markup FAQs

Question: What are the key benefits of using schema markup?

Schema markup can offer a number of benefits for your website, including:

1. Improved organic search results: By helping search engines understand your content better, schema markup can improve your website’s organic search results.

2. Attractive Rich Snippets: Schema markup can be used to create Rich Snippets, which are special search results that include additional information about your content. This extra information can help your website stand out in the search results, and may even help you attract more clicks.

3. Knowledge Graph cards: Schema markup can also be used to create Knowledge Graph cards. These are special search results that provide additional information about a topic from multiple sources. If your website is selected as a source for a Knowledge Graph card, it can be a great way to attract attention and traffic from the search results.

Question: What are the drawbacks of using schema markup?

Schema markup does have a few potential drawbacks:

1. Adding schema markup to your website can be a bit time-consuming, particularly if your site is large or complex.

2. While schema markup can offer some great benefits, there’s no guarantee that it will always produce the results you’re hoping for. In some cases, it may not make much of a difference at all.

3. It’s currently not a direct ranking factor: Unlike other SEO techniques, schema markup is not required in order to improve your website’s search engine results. While it can be helpful, it’s not essential.

Question: Should I use schema markup on my website?

Whether or not you should use schema markup on your website depends on your goals and resources. If you have the time and resources to implement it, and you’re hoping for improved organic search results or attractive Rich Snippets, then it may be worth a try. However, if you’re short on time or you’re not seeing the results you want, then you might want to focus your efforts elsewhere.

 
How do I add schema markup to my website?

If you decide that you want to use schema markup on your website, there are a few different ways to go about it. One option is to use a tool like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper, which can help you generate the code for your pages. Another option is to use a plugin like WordPress SEO by Yoast, which can help you add schema markup to your WordPress site. Finally, if you’re comfortable coding, you can always add the schema markup yourself.
 

Final Thoughts

Schema markup is an important part of SEO because it helps search engines understand the content on your website. In addition, schema markup can also be used to enhance the appearance of your listings in the search results, help you stand out from the competition and increase your click-through rate. A higher click-through rate (CTR) can lead to a higher ranking in the search results.

Implementing schema markup on your site is not difficult, but it is important to add it to the appropriate pages, in the right places, and that it is relevant to your content. it is not necessary to add schema markup to every page on your website. You can start by adding schema markup to your most important pages, such as your home page and product pages.

As important as schema markup is, it’s surprising how few websites and organizations have utilized schema markup. If you have not already implemented schema markup on your website, then you should consider doing so. We provide schema markup implementation service so do not hesitate to give us a call if you need help in this area.

Veronica Lim

Veronica Lim

Veronica is the co-founder of digital marketing agency CEO Solutions and has over 20 years of experience launching successful products for leading Fortune 100 MNCs such as Intel, Motorola Solutions, Honeywell and Philips Lighting. She believes SEO is the most sustainable and cost-effective strategy for many Singapore businesses to attract qualified and ready-to-buy customers, bringing them the revenue they need to make their businesses even more successful.

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