What are the benefits of structured data and how do I implement it on a website?

Structured data is a great way to improve your website’s visibility and search engine ranking. By adding structured data markup to your site, you can help Google better understand the content on your pages. This can result in improved search results for your site, as well as richer snippets in SERPs. You also  increase click-through rates (CTRs) from organic search traffic.

There are many different types of structured data, so it’s important to choose the right ones for your website. The most common types of markup include:

1) Schema.org – This type of markup is used by Google, Yahoo! and Bing to identify specific types of content on web pages.

It includes a wide range of schemas for articles, products, reviews, events and more. You can use schema mark-up with any HTML tag, but it’s recommended that you use it with the <head> section of your page code.

2) Microdata – This type of markup is designed specifically for adding extra information to HTML tags using the and attributes.

It was developed by W3C as an extension to SchemaOrg mark-up language. You can add microdata anywhere on a page, but it’s usually placed within the <body> section between opening and closing <div> tags.

Once you have added structured data mark-up to your website code, there are several ways you can test its accuracy. One easy way is t o use the Structured Data Testing Tool from Google. Simply enter the URL o f y our page and select the appropriate schemas from the drop-down list. This tool will tell yo u if your mark-up i s correct and offer suggestions for improvement.

There are a number of benefits to implementing structured data on your website:

1. Increased Visibility and Rankings in SERPs:

When you implement structured data correctly, it tells Google exactly what type of content your page contains. As a result, Google can better understand and index your content, which can lead to increased visibility and rankings in SERPs.

2. Increased Click-Through Rates from Organic Search Traffic:

According to recent studies, including rich snippets on search engine results pages can result in an increase up to 30% CTR from organic search traffic!
3. More Engaged Visitors:

By providing more information about your content upfront, you help visitors better understand what they’re clicking on before they visit your page – which leads to more engaged visitors who are more likely to stick around and interact with your content.

4. It Is Easier for Visitors to Find What They’re Looking For:

Structured data also helps make it easier for visitors looking for specific types of information on websites – such as contact details or product prices – find what they need without having to dig through lots of text or clutter on the page.

Need help on how to implement structured data on your website? Get in touch with Francis Waithaka, who has more than 10 years experience in technical SEO.

Digital For Africa

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