Whenever you check with the updated SEO checklists, you can see Schema markup prominently features there year after year. And no wonder as structured data markup improves search visibility and increases CTR.
So, continuing our SEO series, we would like to introduce you to key considerations that should help you add schema markup error-free and make the most of it in terms of SEO. On top of that, we’ll focus on specifics of Schema implementation in Webflow websites and highlight the go-to approaches that can save you loads of time. Well, let’s get started.
What Is Schema Markup, and How Does It Help Your SEO?
Shema Markup is a microdata in a form of code snippet allowing search engines to identify the type of web page content, categorize it, and deliver more informative search results. Shema.org library of structured data appeared as a result of collaboration between major search engines to instruct webmasters on how to implement structured data code into HTML.
Schema markup follows a certain vocabulary and contains specific identifiers to add machine-understandable context to HTML code:
- ItemScope. This tag conceals the subject of an HTML container.
- ItemType. It’s an attribute that extends the ItemScope and specifies the type of item. Such can be “Product”.
- ItemProperty. Property attribute defines a particular feature of an item. For “Product” items, we can set aggregateRating, brand, size, and many other attributes.
As the outcome of global Schema implementation, we can now see search results filled with rich and featured snippets like knowledge graphs, product carousels, Local Business snippets and others. Their power is immense as they allow site owners to deliver immediate value in response to user’s search queries.Â
How Does Schema Implementation Benefit SEO?
Schema implementation drives the appearance of featured and rich snippets on SERP. These are essential contributors to overall SEO performance as they deliver:
- Improved brand exposure. Featured snippets occupy SERP Position Zero above the rest of the organic results. When your page makes it to Rich Results, it is a fairly advantageous position that yields massive impressions.
- Improved CTR. While structured data markup isn’t one of the ranking factors, it fosters a higher click-through rate, which contributes to SEO rankings directly. A study from the Search Engine Journal found that rich snippets got a 58% higher than average CTR. Those containing branded keywords did slightly better with 60% higher CTR.
- Higher search visibility. Search visibility is an essential SEO metric indicating to which extent your website owns the SERP. It is directly proportional to the number of:
- TOP-ranked domain URLs
- total number of indexed web pages
- number of pages with high rankings for keywords with high search volume.
Since featured snippets occupy top positions in SERP, website visibility will go up immediately in case of correct schema implementation. If you complement it with properly placing frequently searched keywords and well-laid link building, visibility gains would be even better.
- Increased site traffic. More click-throughs mean more organic site traffic, meaning more people discover your brand, engage with your content, and embark on their online buying journey. Get additional insights on how to make the latter seamless from our digital marketing funnel optimization guide.
How Does It Benefit Users?
Apart from that, there are the associated benefits of Schema implementation for website visitors:
- Eye-catching results. Search snippets built from Schema markup code make your links stand out among other search results. Take, for instance, rich results based on Product markup. These contain non-textual elements like slideshow images, star ratings based on Google reviews, and delivery options. Those are both visually appealing and informative.
- Disclosure of site features and contents. Featured snippets with Google Site Links inform users of what they can find on the website and navigate directly to the category that interests them. Note that this type of featured snippet is triggered strictly by branded keywords and demands a unique brand name.
- Improved user experience. The search engine results page provides an initial impression of your website. Therefore, Schema implementation contributes to the user experience from the start, and you can enhance it before they even enter your website. As for fine-tuning your website UX, you can properly optimize the conversion funnel by adopting our CRO guidelines.
Key 9 Types of Shema Markup Entities
As of 2023, Google supports 32 types of structured data markup entities. But let's focus on those of particular interest for B2B companies.
1. Product
Product markup backed by Schema implementation informs users about products in your online store directly on the search results page. Note that Review markup can boost the CTR of product cards featured in SERP, and a high user ranking can prompt purchase decisions.
2. Local Business
With Local Business structured data, a knowledge panel appears when people google your organization's name online or search it via Google Maps. This featured snippet includes:
- Physical address
- Work hours
- Link to the website
- Star rating from Google Business ProfileGMB and list of top-rated reviews
*Since July 2022, Google My Business was replaced by Google Business ProfileÂ
Here’s an example of a perfectly structured and informative Local business panel by a commercial cleaning company:
3. Learning Video
With Learning video structured data, your educational content can achieve unparalleled visibility in SERP. Apart from the video link, this rich snippet displays a sequence of video chips representing the chapters and subtopics covered in this material.
Learning Video snippets are great for growing your website visibility and relevancy for mid and low-volume keyword phrases, allowing you to meet narrow user intents. However, you should note that Google displays Learning Video snippets only for English search queries.
4. Sitelinks
Sitelinks markup adds extra navigational links to search snippets. As we mentioned before, this featured snippet gets triggered by brand searches. Therefore, first-timers instantly grasp what products and services you have and click on the category link right away.
5. FAQ / HowTo
FAQ Schema implementation backs up rich snippets with a drop-down answer section related to common questions. Well, it used to before Google rolled out a new algorithm update that allows the appearance of FAQ rich snippets only for “a limited number of well-known, authoritative government and health websites.”
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The visibility reduction is now applied to HowTo structured data as well. It backed up featured snippets that appeared as text excerpts with direct answers to questions from a search query.
According to Search Engine Land findings, HowTo snippets will only appear in desktop browsers.
That said, you shouldn’t let go of the structured data markup types. They are still going strong when it comes to informing search engines about the structure and relevance of the webpage content. Â
6. QAPage
Although the rich snippet of the QA page looks similar to the FAQ page, these use different structured data markups.
QA pages contain topic threads where users can submit answers to other users’ or administrators’ questions. The common case of QAPage markup implementation is using product support pages to dispel customer concerns.
Google provides comprehensive guidelines for implementing QA pages, so it’s generally a no-brainer.
7. Article
The template for Article structured markup is rather flexible. It can be applied for blog posts, news, and announcements. It helps search engines build more informative snippets by differentiating titles, article body text, images, authors' names, and publishing dates.
8. Service
Although Service Schema markup isn’t listed in Google’s structured data guide, it is widely used in e-commerce and B2B segments. Along with Local Business markup, this Schema item allows you to provide more details on your business location, specialization, and contact information.Â
The main difference is that the properties of the Service entity mainly inform search engines on service specifics, so they consider your web pages relevant for commercial and navigation queries. However, property values won’t necessarily be rendered in rich results.
If you wish to delve into Schema implementation for Service entities, you can check the simple and concise guide from SchemaApp.
9. Organization Logo
Implementing Logo markup lets you connect brand search results with your company identity. In particular, displaying the company’s logo in the Knowledge Graph is necessary.
10. Breadcrumb
Breadcrumb navigation bar is displayed in the search snippet right below the blue clickable link text. It represents the path to the indexed page from the main one, explaining the internal hierarchy of a website.
Breadcrumb Schema markup in Webflow and similar website builders is generated automatically. However, you’ll need to create proper taxonomies and connect them. You can find out more about that from Webflow’s guide on building a breadcrumb navigation.
