Structured data is usually some markup on a website’s page to give additional detail on the page’s information. This information helps SE bots understand your content better.
Unstructured data example: Don’t forget to pick up Johnny from soccer practice on Monday at 5!
Structured data example: picking up date time location
Johnny Monday 5pm soccer practice
Why should I use structured data?
Structured data gives your SE benefits like rich search results, rich cards, knowledge graphs, breadcrumbs, carousels, and rich results for AMP (accelerated mobile pages; for carousels).
What are those?
Knowledge graph:
Rich cards/snippets: caption that tells you a bit about articles, reviews, recipes, etc.
Carousel: a good example is the shopping list at the top of google filled with paid ads
Breadcrumbs: a list of links through a website to show you your progression (think my.gcc)
Some Side Notes:
Implementing structured data doesn’t guarantee you’ll get rich snippets. In fact, it’s not even a direct ranking signal. However, don’t think Google can figure it out without doing the extra work because structured data does help you rank indirectly. This is because structured data creates a better experience for the users, which Google is all about.
Want to learn more? Go to Moz.com to discover a more in-depth read!
3 Responses
Hi there, I very much enjoyed your post about structured data. I think that by adding in what it exactly is helps the reader know exactly what we are talking about and the example of the snapshot was also very useful.
This was a very informative post on structured data. it helped me to understand more clearly what structured data is specifically and why it is important to implement it into my website.
Absolutely, structured data is a game-changer for how search engines interpret and present your content. It’s interesting that while it doesn’t directly impact rankings, the improved user experience it offers can still give a nice SEO boost indirectly.