Local SEO on Steroids: What Is Schema and How Will It Help You Get More Traffic?
If a business or website owner is searching for a way to improve organic rankings and SEO, something to look into is schema markup. While it may sound like some type of jargon that only industry pros use, what many people do not realize is schema markup is not that hard to understand or take advantage of.
Schema markup is an important part of Local SEO efforts. It is also easier than it may sound to implement. With a free online tool, it is possible to mark up all website pages without having to learn any new code. Also, schema markup can provide an immediate boost to organic traffic coming to a website. Keep reading to learn more about schema markup and how to use it to benefit any business and grow traffic.
Schema Markup Defined
Put simply, schema is a type of microdata that provides search engines with a better understanding of what a website is about. Remember, search engines such as Bing, Yahoo, and Google cannot actually read and understand the content on a web page. While it recognizes phrases and words, the web browsers do not know what the words mean.
This is why markup is used. For example, if a website contains the word “apple,” it is possible to use schema markup to tell the search engines if the word refers to the technology company Apple, or the fruit. This has a significant impact on what results are shown.
When search engines have more information about a page, it makes it easier to display content that is relevant to the user’s search. It also allows a website to display additional information on SERPs, which will help the site stand out from the others.
How Schema Markup Works
When used properly, schema markup allows individuals to add more information and new functionality to organic results in the top search engines. It is possible to use schema markup for all types of topics and items. Some of the most common ways that schema markup is used include reviews, organizations, recipes, events, creative works, events, videos, articles, videos, people, products, places, and people. There are full lists related to schema markup online.
By adding schema to the HTML on a web page, web crawlers have a much easier time finding it. This is something to keep in mind when trying to decide if schema markup should be used.
Creating Schema Markup
To begin the process in Google, open the Structured Data Markup Helper. The second step is to select the type of data to be marked up from the given list. Enter the URL of the page where the information should be added and then highlight an element on the left side of the page. Next, it is necessary to select the type of the highlighted item and repeat the steps until everything has the proper schema markup on the page.
Getting Help with Schema Markup
Schema markup is going to help ensure people who are interested in what you offer find your page. While it can seem confusing at first, there are professional services that can help ensure the desired results are achieved. For some busy business owners, allowing the pros to handle this process is best.