Schema structure, often referred to as schema markup or structured data, is a form of microdata that you can add to your website’s HTML to improve the way search engines read and represent your page in search engine results pages (SERPs). Schema.org, a collaborative project between Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex, provides a collection of shared vocabulary that webmasters can use to mark up their pages.
Key Aspects of Schema Structure
The primary goal of schema markup is to provide search engines with explicit information about the meaning of the content on your web pages. This helps search engines understand the context of your content better and can result in enhanced listings in the SERPs, known as rich snippets.
2. Types of Schema Markup:
Article: For news articles, blogs, and other written content.
Product: For information about a product, including price, availability, and reviews.
Local Business: For businesses with a physical location, including address, opening hours, and contact details.
Event: For events, detailing dates, locations, and ticket information.
Person: For biographical information about an individual.
Recipe: For recipes, including ingredients, cooking times, and nutritional information.
Review: For reviews of products or services, including ratings.
3. Benefits:
Enhanced SERP Listings: Schema markup can result in rich snippets that display additional information directly in the search results, such as star ratings, event dates, or product prices, making your listing more attractive to users.
Improved ClickThrough Rates (CTR): Rich snippets provide more detailed information at a glance, which can improve the clickthrough rate to your website.
Voice Search Optimization: Structured data is critical for voice search optimization as it helps search engines understand the content better and deliver more accurate voice search results.
Better Indexing: Schema markup helps search engines index your site more effectively, leading to potential improvements in search rankings.
4. Implementing Schema Markup:
JSONLD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data): This is the recommended format by Google. It’s easy to implement and maintain. JSONLD allows you to add the markup within a script tag in the HTML document’s head or body.
Microdata: This involves embedding the structured data directly within the HTML tags. While still supported, it’s more cumbersome compared to JSONLD.
RDFa (Resource Description Framework in Attributes): Similar to Microdata, RDFa is an HTML5 extension that supports linked data by embedding rich metadata within web documents.
Example of JSONLD Schema Markup
Here’s an example of JSONLD markup for a local business:
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “Lenshubb Online Marketing”,
“image”: “http://www.example.com/logo.png”,
“@id”: “http://www.example.com”,
“url”: “http://www.example.com”,
“telephone”: “+1-555-555-5555”,
“address”: {
“@type”: “PostalAddress”,
“streetAddress”: “1234 Marketing St.”,
“addressLocality”: “Marketing City”,
“addressRegion”: “MC”,
“postalCode”: “12345”,
“addressCountry”: “US”
},
“geo”: {
“@type”: “GeoCoordinates”,
“latitude”: 37.7749,
“longitude”: -122.4194
},
“openingHoursSpecification”: {
“@type”: “OpeningHoursSpecification”,
“dayOfWeek”: [
“Monday”,
“Tuesday”,
“Wednesday”,
“Thursday”,
“Friday”
],
“opens”: “09:00”,
“closes”: “17:00”
},
“sameAs”: [
“http://www.facebook.com/lenshubb”,
“http://www.twitter.com/lenshubb”,
“http://www.instagram.com/lenshubb”
]
}
</script>
Steps to Implement Schema Markup
1. Choose the Type: Decide what kind of schema markup is relevant to your content (e.g., product, article, local business).
2. Generate the Markup: Use tools like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper or JSONLD generators to create the markup.
3. Add to Your Website: Insert the generated markup into your HTML. For JSONLD, this is typically placed within a `