Introduction to the structure of data and their marking for search engines in Google

Introduction to the structure of data and their marking for search engines in Google

Google Search is constantly working to understand the content of the page. You can help the search engine by providing clear instructions on the value of the page by adding structured data to the site. Structured data is a standardized format for providing information about the page and its classification. For example, on the page with the recipe you can specify the ingredients, time and temperature of the cooking, calorie content and other data.

Why add structured data to the pages of your site for Google search engines?

Adding structured data can help make the search results more attractive to users, which will increase involvement with your site, and such results are called rich results. Here are a few examples of sites that have implemented structured data:

  • One of the sites added structured data to 100,000 unique pages, which led to an increase in clickability by 25% on the pages with markings.
  • Another site converted 80% of its pages to include in search functions and increased traffic by 35%.
  • Other users noticed that on pages with structured data, users spend 1.5 times more time and interact with content 3.6 times more often.
  • Also, pages with markings showed 82% more clicks compared to pages without structured data.

How the structured data marking in Google Search works

Google uses structured data to understand the content of the page and collect information about the web, including data about people, books or companies. For example, if on the recipe page there are structured JSON-LD data, which describe the name of the recipe, author and other details, the search engine can show “rich” results for this recipe:

Since the structured data marks each element of the recipe, users can look for your recipe for ingredients, calorie content, cooking time and much more.

If you use the content management system (CMS), such as WIX, WordPress or Shopify, you may not be able to edit directly. Instead, your CMS may provide the search engine settings or the ability to install a plugin to add structured data. Look for instructions on the addition of structured data in your CMS, for example, by requesting “structured data in Wix” or “structural plugin for WordPress”.

Structured data are encoded by marking inside the page on which these data are applied. Do not create empty or empty pages exclusively for placing structured data, and do not add markings about invisible information, even if it is accurate.

How to check the correctness of structured data on your website in Google

To verify the correctness of your structured data, you can use the Rich Results Test tool. This tool helps you not only check the correctness of the marking, but also see how it will be displayed in Google Search.

What is a data structure and what format is used for your Google site?

Google Search uses structured data using the Schema.org dictionary. However, it is important to rely on the Google Search Central documentation, and not on the Schema.org documentation itself, since not all Schema.org elements are required to work in Google Search.

It is also worth remembering that the marking of the Data-Vocabulary format is no longer supported in the search for Google. Learn more about the termination of support for this format.

Check your data using Rich Results Test in the development process and use reports to track status after deployment.

Recommendations for the use of structured data on the site for searching for Google

The inclusion of mandatory properties for objects is necessary for the appearance of your pages with an improved display in the search for Google. Using as many recommended attributes as possible increases the likelihood that your information will be displayed with improved results.

In addition to the described elements, Google can use attributes, such as Sameas, to improve the quality of search. These elements can be useful for future search functions.

Supported data markup formats for your site in Google Search

Google Search supports structured data in several formats. It is recommended to use a format that will be easier for you to implement and support, but all three formats are suitable for use in Google if the markup is valid and correctly implemented.

  • Json-ld (recommended): This is a format in the form of a JavaScript-renewal, which is introduced into the tag