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
   

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4. Source: https://about.google
   

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5. 1. Website Content
   

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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
   

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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
   

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9. Corporation
   •History
   •Headquarters
   •Community
   Involvement
   •Social Media
   

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10. Location
    •Address
    •Hours (lol)
    •Phone
    •Services
    •Fuel Price
    Corporation
    •History
    •Headquarters
    •Community
    Involvement
    •Social Media
    

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11. Location
    •Address
    •Hours (lol)
    •Phone
    •Services
    •Fuel Price
    Menu
    •Nutrition
    •Price
    •Discounts
    •Availability
    Corporation
    •History
    •Headquarters
    •Community
    Involvement
    •Social Media
    

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12. 2. Structured Data
    1. Website Content
    

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13. How Does Google Use Structured Data?
    

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14. Source: https://about.google
    

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15. 3. Rich Results
    2. Structured Data
    1. Website Content
    

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16. Rich Results
    

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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
    

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18. Here are some highlights
    

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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.
    

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20. FAQ Structured Data
    

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23. Product
    Can provide useful
    data on inventory,
    price, and rating. Can
    also integrate
    organically with
    Google Shopping.
    

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24. Product
    

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25. Recipes
    Rich results are packed
    with information,
    including:
    • Photo
    • Prep time
    • Ingredients
    • Reviews
    

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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.
    

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27. Image License
    Add licensing
    information to your
    images, so users can
    see how they can
    use your image.
    Announced July 30,
    2020
    

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28. Jobs
    Can be hosted on your
    site or leverage
    existing job platforms
    that mark up postings.
    

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29. Event
    Google can show
    contextual results
    based on location,
    date, interest,
    and event type.
    

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31. Benefits of Rich Results
    

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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.
    

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33. Meet Business Goals
    Rich results can help you
    meet your business goals
    within digital space.
    • Communicate with
    audience
    • Highlight changes
    

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34. Challenges with Rich Results
    

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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
    

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36. Data Accuracy
    3rd party sources can
    mark up data, so make
    sure it is accurate.
    • Events
    • Job Posting
    

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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
    

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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:
    

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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.
    

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40. Tips & Tricks for Rich Results
    

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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
    

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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
    

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43. Combine Results FTW
    Not limited to a single rich result
    per listing. Try out different
    combinations!
    • Product & FAQ
    • Reviews & FAQ
    • Events & Reviews
    

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44. Make Sure It Works
    Your website won’t win
    rich results if the
    structured data is
    broken.
    

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45. Testing & Validation
    

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46. Structured Data Testing Tool: RIP
    

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48. Rich Results Test
    

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51. Google Search Console
    

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55. Additional Tools
    WordPress Plugins
    • WooCommerce
    • Yoast
    Schema Generator
    • Schema.dev
    • TechnicalSEO.com
    Crawlers/Testers
    • Schema.dev
    • SiteBulb
    • Screaming Frog
    

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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
    

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57. Thank You!
    Questions?
    Feel free to reach out.
    

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