How to Use Schema Markup Correctly to Boost Your SEO

Schema markup is essentially special code that search engines read to determine the context of your content and how to display it properly on the SERP.

You will have seen the effects of properly coded schema markup in the featured snippets section of the results page, where some information is given priority and displayed as a series of expandable questions.

These often give your site the potential to achieve greater traffic and these snippets are known to have high rates of clickthrough. However it’s not just about how the information is displayed, it can be used in a variety of ways to give your SEO a boost. Schema markup ties in closely with the Knowledge Graph created by Google, which acts as a database to help the search engine make positive relationships.

The data used for this tool comes primarily from websites' schema markup. Having proper schema markup is imperative because it allows Google to understand your company and its offerings, allowing you to be pushed to the forefront when queries mention something relevant. In essence, schema markup allows the URL and code of a website to let Google know exactly what your content is geared towards as it ‘talks’ to Googlebot.

How To Configure Your Website’s Schema Markup

If you are just starting out in the world of search optimising your website, then schema markup is something you should put on the backburner for just now, and instead focus on the many other aspects of SEO. You should only delve into configuring and optimising schema markup if your website is already doing well when it comes to ranking in Google, and you already boast a solid brand identity on the internet.

You should pay a visit to schema.org and become familiar with the content there and get to grips with the way it works on a deeper level. It can appear difficult to comprehend at first, but once you know the basics it’s surprisingly easy to understand. What you are aiming for is to deliver your content to Google in a way that can be easily digested and parsed. So you have types and content blocks where you can add this information to.

If you are writing a personal bio, then you’ll be able to add information about who you work for, what your social media account links are so you can be found easily, as well as any other information that links you to an organisation. That would look something like this:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://thedigitalmarketingman.co.uk",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Davy Knowles",
  "url": "https://thedigitalmarketingman.com/blog/author/davy-knowles/",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://twitter.com/davyknowles72",
    "https://www.linkedin.com/in/davyknowles/",
  ],
  "jobTitle": "Digital Marketing Manager",
  "worksFor": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Digital Marketing Solutions Ltd"
  }  
}
</script>

The aim is to gain a deeper level of interconnectivity and present it to Google accurately in a way it understands, so when it comes to connecting the dots about what your content is about, it has the weight of context.

Examples of different markups include ‘how to’ information, types of products, software information and frequently asked questions – so that they can then be used in Google’s featured snippets section.

As you are trying to help Google build its Knowledge Graph and make connections between pieces of data which are connected, the ‘sameAs’ code is especially useful. This allows your name and your social media profiles such as LinkedIn, as well as any Wikipedia pages, to be linked together.

If you are creating information on your company, remember to link it to authority sources such as Bloomberg. Ensure that you pay special attention to the way your schema is presented as if Google has incorrect data, it makes it that much harder to be added successfully into the Knowledge Graph.

Second, make sure that information about your entity on the web is consistent and unified. Not paying attention to this could lead to Google storing the wrong information about your entity, making it difficult to get included in the Knowledge Graph.

How Is Schema Markup Actually Implemented?

Even those familiar with the SEO aspects of a website can still find schema markup quite a scary concept as there is so much at stake if it’s done incorrectly. However, if you understand the basics of coding and have a mind towards SEO it shouldn’t be anything too daunting. To implement your own markup for a certain website you need to:

• Create the markup – you can code this yourself, or if you are a WordPress user then there are specific plugins which can do this for you. There are even special tools which are able to generate your markups for you. It should be done in a JSON-LD format as Google prefers this, but you can also use Microdata or RDFa.
• Ensure the code is tested – if you’re not already using a plugin via a CMS, testing the markup is always advised. You can use a variety of tools provided by Google to do this, ensuring that they are validated properly.
• Allow the markup to go live on your site – this can be done in many ways depending on the CMS or website you’re using. It can be done by adding it directly to the HTML of your website, via a plugin, or by using a helpful tool called Tag Manager.

If you want to monitor the markup, this can be done by using Google Search Console, as it will display all of the markups via the Enhancements section. Just click on any of the schemas to view a report. If everything was validated properly before launching it on the site then there should be no issues.

Conclusion

Don’t be thrown off altering your schema markups just because you lack the coding experience, it’s something that can be done with minimal effort but really allows your content and data to be found and used by featured snippets on the results page. You can even subcontract this aspect to someone more comfortable with the coding aspect. What’s more, your brand will also be incorporated into Google’s Knowledge Graph, boasting even more advantages for your business.

At Key Business Marketing, we offer a range of services, including content creation, SEO, PPC and social media management. Get in touch with us today to discuss your marketing needs and unlock your business' potential.