What is structured data?

How do you ensure a search engine knows what a page is about? And how do you stand out more in the search results? Adding structured data ensures that a search engine understands your page better and that you attract even more attention. But what is structured data? And what are the benefits? We’ll explain it all in our new blog post.

The significance of structured data

Structured data is a standard code that you add to a web page to help search engines better understand what that page is about. By adding structured data to a website, you help search engines to better understand your content. In other words, you provide more context for your content. Furthermore, structured data can boost your CTR (click-through rate), as it makes your listing stand out more in search engine results. Although it is not clear whether structured data influences rankings, your search result does stand out more because it is displayed in a more visually appealing way. As a result, traffic to websites does decrease – a phenomenon we also refer to as ‘zero-click searches ’.

These are the benefits

We’ve already highlighted the benefits of structured data, but we’ll delve a little deeper into this here so that you can get a really clear picture of what it can do for your website.

• Google understands the content better: by adding structured data to your website, the search engine processes and understands your content more effectively.
• You stand out more in the search results: when someone searches for information in the search results, they are likely to find that information on various pages. But how do you ensure that someone clicks on your website? Structured data makes your search result stand out. Structured data consists of enhancements. These are also known as rich snippets, which we’ll tell you more about below.

What are rich snippets?

Rich snippets enhance standard search results. They are search results with highlighted elements, which you can generate by using structured data. There are various types of rich snippets that appear in search results.

• Product information: structured data ensures that Google displays price information immediately in the search results
• Breadcrumb navigation: structured data makes it possible to display both the website name and breadcrumb navigation. This allows users to click straight through from the search results to various key pages on your website. Below is an example of this type of rich snippet.
• Reviews: with structured data, you can also display your reviews. The rating – in the form of stars – instils extra confidence. What’s more, it also acts as an eye-catcher in search results. Below is an example of rich snippets for reviews.

• Events: structured data also makes it possible to highlight specific events.

What are rich cards?

As well as rich snippets, there are also rich cards. These were launched by Google in 2016. With rich cards, the additional information you provide on a page is displayed even more prominently and strikingly. They are, as it were, cards that allow photos to be displayed even more effectively. Rich cards were developed to offer mobile website users more options. They are often used to highlight recipes, films and restaurants.

How do you implement structured data?

Structured data can be implemented in various ways. This can be done using different formats, such as JSON-LD, Microdata and RDFa. It is not the case that one format is better than another. However, we do recommend that you use a single type of format.

Structured data can be loaded in various ways: statically and dynamically. Dynamic content loading is often preferred. This is because the code changes automatically when the page’s content is updated. If you wish to load static structured data, you will need to update the code whenever the content is amended. So, if you already know that the content on a page will not change, then it is perfectly fine to opt for static structured data.

Please note: if you wish to mark up structured data, it is important that you select only unique content. Furthermore, this content must be visible on your website. It is also prohibited to mark up misleading content.

Tools for structured data

There are various tools available for creating structured data. Below you’ll find a number of useful tools you can use:

• Schema.org: this is one of the well-known websites where you can find structured data schemas.
• Rich Result Test Tool: have you created a structured data code? You can easily test the code using the Rich Result Test Tool. This allows you to check whether the code is correct or if it still contains any errors.
• Schema Markup Generator: this tool makes it easier to create basic code.

Want to implement structured data for your website?

Structured data is a great addition to your website. It helps search engines understand your pages better and makes you stand out more in search results. Would you like to implement structured data on your website, but could you do with some help? Then please do get in touch with us. Our specialists will be happy to help you with this!