We all have heard the term “Content is King”. The better your content is, the higher the traffic Google provides. Being the best quality content, if it doesn’t rank on Google, then something is wrong with your content. Have you ever thought about structured data? One of the most necessary concepts to make a stronghold on Google is Structured Data. It is not wholly deniable that the structured data helps to rank your website indirectly on Google. How much effort you put into your content will lose its potential audience until you check structured data.
Data is now a sensation to all. It has the same value, either offline or online instead; an online platform is being more data-driven. Google has also considered data as the inextricable part of the internet. The company frequently updates the algorithm every year. As structured data helps Google to understand your better, all the top brands are inclining towards it. Are you also using it? Today’s topic is structured data and its importance on Google.
Everyone wants their website to perform effectively on Google. Structured data works efficiently to suggest the machine understand your content better.
What is Structured Data?
Structured data provides a particular format to Google to better understand your content. It includes information about the content. It’s a well-organized structure of your content made by Schema markup. When do you want to know something about a topic, how Google almost exactly gives you the information? Google likes the pattern or properties of the content. Schema.org is a universally recognized format for properly structuring data on the web. One must need to follow the correct syntax to make sense of your content on Google. It’s a powerful tool to provide quality content to Google.
Formats to Use in Making Structured Data
Structured data can be formatted in three ways – JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa. Let’s know each topic in detail.
JSON-LD
Recommended by Google, this is one of the easiest ways to implement because you don’t need to make HTML elements. You can place the script anywhere you want. It might be in the <head> or <body> tags.
Microdata
In contrast to JSON-LD, where organized information is in one major edible square, Microdata is sprinkled all through the page to markup content on the fly. You increase everything as it shows up on the page. That is fine for basic markup. However, it can get extremely chaotic and close difficult to oversee for complex applications. Some SEO modules use Microdata to produce your mapping markup and accomplish the work for you, however.
RDFa
RDFa works as same as Microdata works. You markup HTML components on the page instead of giving markup in one major square like JSON-LD. It’s most likely the most un-utilized blueprint schema syntax. However, you will, in any case, incidentally experience it since it’s what Facebook’s Open Graph meta tags depend on.
Now the next point to consider is testing. Before proceeding further, one must test if it properly works or not. Structured Data Testing Tool or Rich Result Testing tool can help you with this. This gives you an overview of the markup, which is valid or not.
Benefits of Structured Data
Structured Data can be fruitful for everyone. Be it a big brand or an individual just starting out. Google works by providing rich snippets according to your structured data so that people don’t face any kind of issues. Some of the remarkable benefits of structured data are –
Increase Click-through Rate
Having rich snippets appear for your items in the SERPs is an extraordinary method to build click-through rates and draw more attention to your postings, particularly on the off chance that you have incredible item surveys.
A better understanding of your content
Structured Data is beneficial to understand the content better on Google.
Helpful for developers
A developer can easily understand the code because it is well structured and properly organized. So, it is undoubtedly helpful for developers or programmers.
Increase the chance of more conversions
As structured data helps get better click-through rates, it is more likely to increase the chances of getting more leads. Your potential buyers are now near to buying a product.
Customization of PPC Searched or Automated Ads
You can customize your PPC Ads or automated Ads by adding properly structured data. The ads will be relevant to your search.
Improve search engine visibility
As your adequately structured data, Google will understand your content in an automated way. When the machine understands something and works according to it properly, you get a better result. So, your blog or website gets more visibility and attracts potential customers.
How to Fix Structured Data Errors
As we create something, we make lots of mistakes. And by correcting those mistakes, we make ourselves better. But how can we fix errors when making structured data?
- Structured Data testing tool helps you to find errors through which you can make a valid markup. This is very easy to use. You can use it by log into Google Search Console> Web Tools> Testing Tools> Structured Data Testing Tool. Another way you can check errors by using Rich Result Testing Tools or any third-party tools.
- There are two types of common errors – Missing fields and Missing Ratings. To solve Missing Fields errors, click Data Highlighter and fill in the schema information.
- You can fix pages by manual actions. Some manual actions like incorrect page markup, misleading structured data markup, and hidden marked-up content can solve structured data-related issues.
- Use Structured Data Markup Helper to optimize your pages.
As you actively work on SEO to rank higher on Google, you should check the structured data regularly to get a rich result on SERPs.