Standing Out on Google with Structured Data (Philly WordCamp 2020)

Presentation given as part of WordCamp Philadelphia 2020.

As Google continues to change and adjust the search results page, structured data has become a key way to influence these changes for your listing. Markup like FAQ, Q&A, How To, and other formats can be a great way to draw attention to your website, provide more information to the user, and push your competition further down the page.

Watch a recording of the talk: https://wordpress.tv/2020/11/17/brandon-schmidt-standing-out-on-google-with-structured-data/

https://philadelphia.wordcamp.org/2020/session/standing-out-on-google-with-structured-data/

Transcript

1. Standing Out on Google with Structured Data WordCamp Philly 2020 Brandon Schmidt Director of Digital Strategy @ YDOP
4. Source: https://about.google
5. 1. Website Content
6. “Google Search works hard to understand the content of a page. You can help us by providing explicit clues about the meaning of a page to Google by including structured data on the page. “ - Google Search Guide for Developers Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/guides/intro-structured-data
7. What is Structured Data? Structured data is a standardized system for classifying and organizing website content. Shared Language: • Schema.org Different Methods: • Microdata • JSON-LD • RDFa
9. Corporation •History •Headquarters •Community Involvement •Social Media
10. Location •Address •Hours (lol) •Phone •Services •Fuel Price Corporation •History •Headquarters •Community Involvement •Social Media
11. Location •Address •Hours (lol) •Phone •Services •Fuel Price Menu •Nutrition •Price •Discounts •Availability Corporation •History •Headquarters •Community Involvement •Social Media
12. 2. Structured Data 1. Website Content
13. How Does Google Use Structured Data?
14. Source: https://about.google
15. 3. Rich Results 2. Structured Data 1. Website Content
16. Rich Results
17. Google Uses 30 Structured Data Types • Article • Book • Breadcrumb • Carousel • Course • COVID-19 Announcement • Critic Review • Dataset • Employer Aggregate Rating • Estimated Salary • Event • Fact Check • FAQ • Home Activities • How-To • Image License • Job Posting • Job Training • Local Business • Logo • Movie • Product • Q&A • Recipe • Review Snippet • Sitelinks Search Box • Software App • Speakable • Subscription/Paywall Content • Video
18. Here are some highlights
19. FAQ FAQ rich result takes up a ton of real estate in the SERP. Plus, it allows you to add more text and links to your listing.
20. FAQ Structured Data
23. Product Can provide useful data on inventory, price, and rating. Can also integrate organically with Google Shopping.
24. Product
25. Recipes Rich results are packed with information, including: • Photo • Prep time • Ingredients • Reviews
26. Articles Best way to show up for breaking news and top stories for brand queries. Can also help if your articles are in AMP.
27. Image License Add licensing information to your images, so users can see how they can use your image. Announced July 30, 2020
28. Jobs Can be hosted on your site or leverage existing job platforms that mark up postings.
29. Event Google can show contextual results based on location, date, interest, and event type.
31. Benefits of Rich Results
32. Stand Out on SERP Rich results help you stand out on the SERP, so people are more likely to consider your website/brand instead of another.
33. Meet Business Goals Rich results can help you meet your business goals within digital space. • Communicate with audience • Highlight changes
34. Challenges with Rich Results
35. Doesn’t Always Show in SERP Just because you have proper structured data doesn’t mean Google will show rich result. • Never for Homepage • Some are limited by SERP • Some only show on Page 1 • Some are mobile only
36. Data Accuracy 3rd party sources can mark up data, so make sure it is accurate. • Events • Job Posting
37. May Need Approval Some structured data types are limited to approved providers or needs to be submitted using special tool. • Books • COVID-19 Announcements • Critic Reviews
38. Google Gives & Takes Away Reviews - Available for 3rd party sites, but removed from local businesses & orgs (September 2019) 3rd Party Website: 1st Party Website:
39. Don’t Cheat the System Follow Google’s guidelines. If you try to cheat the system, you can get hit by a manual penalty. • Must reflect visible content on your site. • Choose the right type for your structured data.
40. Tips & Tricks for Rich Results
41. Test Everything Don’t add structured data to every page on your website; start with a few small tests. • See if it appears • Measure impact on rankings & CTR
42. Study the SERP Google is constantly changing the SERP to best align with search intent. • Use rich results that align with SERP & intent • Try to stay ahead of competition or keep up with competition • Get ideas from other websites
43. Combine Results FTW Not limited to a single rich result per listing. Try out different combinations! • Product & FAQ • Reviews & FAQ • Events & Reviews
44. Make Sure It Works Your website won’t win rich results if the structured data is broken.
45. Testing & Validation
46. Structured Data Testing Tool: RIP
48. Rich Results Test
51. Google Search Console
55. Additional Tools WordPress Plugins • WooCommerce • Yoast Schema Generator • Schema.dev • TechnicalSEO.com Crawlers/Testers • Schema.dev • SiteBulb • Screaming Frog
56. For Further Information • Google’s Structured Data Guides • Shows exactly how Google turns structured data into rich results • Schema.org • Helpful at showing what’s coming up in the world of structured data • SEO Twitter • Plenty of people sharing what’s working & not working. • Who to follow: @izzionfire, @lilyraynyc, & @brodieclark
57. Thank You! Questions? Feel free to reach out.