Utilizing schema microdata on your website is much like prioritizing a healthy lifestyle through good nutrition, regular exercise, or sufficient sleep – you understand its importance, yet consistently implementing it can be surprisingly challenging. However, if you’re already a health enthusiast, please spare us the Crossfit details.

Despite the existence of schema and other structured markup formats for several years, a relatively small number of websites actually incorporate schema microdata, and even fewer individuals possess a clear understanding of what schema is or its purpose. But there’s no need for embarrassment – we’re here to address your queries about schema and explain why it should be an integral aspect of your SEO approach. Stay focused – there’s a test at the end*.

 

*Not really Editor’s note: This article’s content has undergone a thorough review, ensuring it remains current and factually accurate for 2017.

What is Schema?

Schema, a type of microdata, facilitates search engines in effectively parsing and comprehending the information on your web pages, enabling them to deliver highly relevant search results to users based on their search terms.

What is Schema.org?

Schema.org serves as the central hub on the internet for the Schema project, representing a collaborative initiative between Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and the Russian search engine Yandex to establish a standardized approach to structured markup.

How Does Schema Work?

Similar to other markup formats, schema microdata is implemented within a page’s content to explicitly define its essence and how search engines should interpret it. This involves directly adding schema elements and attributes to the HTML code of a webpage, providing search engine crawlers with supplementary information.

To illustrate, consider the example below from schema.org, which centers around content related to James Cameron’s 2009 film, “Avatar.” By incorporating the itemtype attribute to the relevant <div> block, search engines can easily recognize that this content pertains to a movie, as defined by the schema.org type hierarchy. Likewise, the inclusion of the itemscope attribute indicates that all content within that specific <div> block refers to a particular item – in this instance, James Cameron’s $237 million reimagining of “Fern Gully.”

Let’s delve into another example from schema.org:

Accurately interpreting times and dates can be quite challenging for search engines. This difficulty stems from variations in date formatting, discerning whether an event occurred in the past or is slated for the future, and the inherent limitations of search engines (like all computers) in terms of their cognitive abilities. In this particular example, the utilization of the Event itemtype attribute unequivocally conveys that this pertains to an event transpiring on a specific date (as evidenced by the inclusion of the startDate and datetime attributes). Consequently, this facilitates search engines in delivering relevant results to users seeking information about this event. This effectively eliminates any potential confusion for users searching for information about the 1984 film sharing the same title, a film widely regarded as one of the greatest cinematic achievements ever made. Unlike “Avatar.”

Can Schema Improve SEO?

Integrating schema microdata into your HTML code can assist search engine crawlers in more effectively comprehending the content on your web pages. This, in turn, has the potential to enhance your website’s visibility. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to acknowledge that incorporating schema (or any other structured markup format) into your code is not a quick and easy SEO “hack” to achieve instant results. Instead, consider schema as a best practice that simplifies the process for search engines to discover and display your content.

Does Schema Improve Search Rankings?

Currently, the answer is no. Google maintains that the inclusion of schema microdata is not presently factored into their ranking algorithms. However, it does contribute to enhancing your site’s rich snippets, which can lead to your website appearing more prominently in search engine result pages (SERPs).

What Else Can Schema Do for Me?

Beyond simplifying the categorization of your website’s content for search engines, marking up your web pages with schema microdata can also be employed to define and present rich snippets of your content within SERPs. Contrary to popular belief, Google does, in fact, utilize schema markup to populate rich snippets. Clear, concise rich snippets can contribute to higher click-through rates, as users can swiftly and readily ascertain whether the content on your website aligns with their search intent.

Image credit: Google

How Do I Markup My Pages with Schema Microdata?

In the spirit of transparency, marking up your web pages with schema microdata can be somewhat tedious, particularly if your website comprises hundreds (or even thousands) of pages. The markup needs to be added manually to each individual page, which can be labor-intensive for larger sites. However, if your website is still in its developmental stages or if you manage a smaller site (consider yourself fortunate!), incorporating schema microdata will be a less arduous undertaking. To embark on this process, simply adhere to the steps outlined in this guide. Once you’re content with your markup, leverage Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to ensure everything is functioning as intended.

Do I Have to Markup Every Property on Every Page?

While it’s not mandatory to mark up every single property on each page, it’s important to understand that the more properties you apply schema microdata to, the more clarity you provide to search engines regarding the nature and purpose of your website’s content. Furthermore, bear in mind that a certain threshold of schema markup properties must be applied before Google can generate rich snippets using your microdata. You can easily verify the information extracted from your markup by utilizing Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool.

What About Facebook Open Graph and Twitter Cards?

A common misconception among some marketers is that incorporating Open Graph tags (and to a lesser extent, Twitter Cards) is sufficient to ensure optimal shareability of their content. However, schema microdata can be implemented in conjunction with social media tags to furnish search engines with even more granular details about a web page’s content. Therefore, include schema markup alongside your Open Graph tags to make your content both easily shareable and highly optimized for search engines.

Does Schema Support Other Markup Data Types?

Indeed, it does. When Google initially announced the schema.org project, numerous webmasters expressed disappointment upon realizing that information types supported by alternative structured markup formats lacked compatibility with schema microdata. Heeding the feedback, Google made adjustments, and schema now seamlessly integrates with data types featured in RDFa and other formats.

Can I Add to the Schema Vocabulary?

To a certain extent, yes. Schema’s type hierarchy encompasses many frequently used item types, most of which have associated subtypes, although the breadth of these subtypes can fluctuate. In specific scenarios, you might find it necessary to incorporate your own item types into your markup. This can be achieved by utilizing extensions. To establish a custom item type, simply append a forward slash to the end of an existing item type and input the new term.

Person/Engineer/ElectricalEngineer

In the example provided above, Person represents the pre-existing item type, while Engineer and ElectricalEngineer denote the custom item types. Comprehensive information regarding naming conventions and extending existing properties, classes, and enumerated items can be found on schema.org.

Do you currently employ schema microdata or another type of markup format? If not, we’d love to hear your reasoning in the comments section below!