What Is Schema Markup & How Do You Implement It for SEO?

If you’ve been in the SEO game for a while, you’ve likely heard the term “schema markup” thrown around. But what exactly is it, and why should you care?

Schema markup is data you add to your website to help search engines better understand your content. Think of it as a translator between your website and search engines. By implementing schema markup, you’re giving search engines a roadmap of your content, making it easier for them to categorize and display information about your page in search results which often leads to more engaging results in SERPs.

How does schema markup work?

Schema markup works by adding a layer of structured data to your page’s code. When search engines like Google or Bing crawl your website, they read and interpret schema markup for deeper insights into your content’s context and purpose. This provides them with more accurate data on whether your content is a product page, a recipe, an event listing, or any other type of content.

Is schema markup important for SEO?

Schema markup can significantly boost your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) because providing search engines with more data about your content often leads to higher rankings and advanced SERP features.

With the right schema markup, your pages become eligible for various SERP features, such as knowledge panels, carousels, featured snippets and rich snippets, which can dramatically increase your visibility and click-through rates from SERPs.

Schema markup also improves the search experience for users by helping them find the search results they need quickly and providing additional information before they click on a result, like like event dates, product prices, or review ratings.  Although this might seem counter-productive if you’re trying to encourage clicks from search results, this easy access to relevant details actually makes the user more likely to click on your page in their search results, with rich results increasing click-through rates by 17%. 

Types of Schema Markup

There are currently more than 800 types of schema markup to provide more data on organizations, products, events, recipes, places, people and more. Below, we’ll break down the most commonly used types of schema markup, but for the full list, you can visit Schema.org.

Product Schema

Product schema provides detailed information about your products, including:

• Price
• Availability
• Product ratings
• Brand

Review Schema

Review markup helps display star ratings and review counts in search results. This can be used for:

• Products
• Recipes
• Local businesses
• Movies and books

Article Schema

Article markup is ideal for news articles, blog posts, or written content. It helps search engines understand the:

• Article headline
• Author information
• Publication date
• Featured image

Course Schema

Course markup is ideal for educational content, including online and offline courses. It helps search engines understand the:

• Course name
• Description
• Provider
• Course duration
• Offering mode (online, in-person, etc.)

Organization Schema

Organization markup provides key information about your company or organization, such as:

• Name
• Logo
• Contact information
• Social media profiles

Event Schema

Event schema is used for any time-based happening, such as concerts, webinars, or festivals. It helps search engines understand:

• Event name
• Date and time
• Location (physical or virtual)
• Performers or speakers
• Ticket information
• Event description

Local Business Schema

For businesses with a physical location, this will benefit your local SEO. It provides information like your:

• Address
• Phone number
• Operating hours
• Accepted payment methods

Choosing the Right Schema Markup

Deciding which schema markup you need will depend on your content and business goals. Here’s a simple process to help you choose:

1. Identify your content type: What kind of information are you sharing? Is it a product, an article, an event, or something else?
2. Consider user intent: What information would be most valuable to your users in search results? For a recipe, it might be cooking time and ratings. For a product, it could be price and availability.
3. Check search engine guidelines: Review Google’s structured data guidelines to ensure you’re using schema markup in a way that search engines approve of and find valuable.
4. Use multiple schema types when appropriate: You don’t have to limit yourself to just one type of schema. A blog post about a product could use both article and product markup for different parts of the page.
5. Prioritize high-value pages: When implementing schema markup, start with your most important pages, like your best-selling products, most popular blog posts, or highest-converting landing pages.

Schema Markup Code Examples

You can include schema markup on your page using three different methods. Each option has its own advantages, and the best one depends on your specific needs and tech abilities.

JSON-LD Schema

Google currently recommends JSON-LD for implementing schema markup. If you’re new to schema markup, start with JSON-LD, as it’s the most straightforward and widely supported method.

Pros	Cons
Easy to implement and maintainCan be added directly to the HTML <head> sectionDoesn’t interfere with your visible content	Requires a basic understanding of JSON syntax

Here’s an example:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Recipe",
  "name": "Chocolate Chip Cookies",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Jane Doe"
  },
  "prepTime": "PT20M",
  "cookTime": "PT30M",
  "recipeYield": "24 cookies",
  "description": "A classic chocolate chip cookie recipe"
}
</script>

Microdata

Microdata involves adding schema vocabulary to the HTML tags themselves. Consider microdata if you prefer to keep your structured data closely tied to your visible content.

Pros	Cons
Integrates directly with your HTML contentSupported by all major search engines	It can be more challenging to implement and maintainMay clutter your HTML

Here’s an example:

<div itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Recipe">
  <h1 itemprop="name">Chocolate Chip Cookies</h1>
  <p>By <span itemprop="author">Jane Doe</span></p>
  <p>Prep time: <meta itemprop="prepTime" content="PT20M">20 minutes</p>
  <p>Cook time: <meta itemprop="cookTime" content="PT30M">30 minutes</p>
  <p>Yield: <span itemprop="recipeYield">24 cookies</span></p>
  <p itemprop="description">A classic chocolate chip cookie recipe</p>
</div>

RDFa (Resource Descriptive Framework in Attributes)

RDFa is a W3C recommendation that adds a set of attribute-level extensions to HTML for embedding rich metadata within web documents. RDFa is a good choice if you need to markup complex, nested information or if you’re working with XML documents.

Pros	Cons
Highly flexible and extensibleIt can be used with HTML, XHTML, and XML	It can be more complex to implementLess commonly used for schema markup

Here’s an example:

<div vocab="https://schema.org/" typeof="Recipe">
  <h1 property="name">Chocolate Chip Cookies</h1>
  <p>By <span property="author">Jane Doe</span></p>
  <p>Prep time: <span property="prepTime" content="PT20M">20 minutes</span></p>
  <p>Cook time: <span property="cookTime" content="PT30M">30 minutes</span></p>
  <p>Yield: <span property="recipeYield">24 cookies</span></p>
  <p property="description">A classic chocolate chip cookie recipe</p>
</div>

How to Implement Schema Markup on Your Website

Implementing schema markup on your website is easier than it sounds and there are various tools available to help you. Follow the method below step by step and you’ll be on your way to rich snippets and increased rankings in no time!

1. Go to Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper Tool

Start by visiting Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper. The tool will provide you with JSON-LD code. 

2. Select a Data Type

Select a Data Type From the dropdown menu, choose the type of content you want to markup. This could be articles, local businesses, products, events, etc. Pick the one that best matches your content. 

3. Paste Your URL

Enter the URL of the page you want to add schema markup to. Alternatively, you can paste the HTML code of your page if it’s not yet live. 

4. Start Marking Up Your Page

The tool will load your page on the left side of the screen. You’ll see a list of data items you can tag on the right. Highlight elements on your page and select the appropriate tags for them. For example:

• Highlight the article title and select ‘Name’
• Highlight the author’s name and select ‘Author’
• Highlight the publication date and select ‘Date Published’

5. Generate HTML

Once you’ve tagged all relevant elements, click ‘Create HTML’ at the bottom right of the page. The tool will generate the appropriate schema markup code.

6. Add Schema Markup to Your Page

Copy the code and paste it into the <head> section of your HTML page. If you’re using a website platform like Shopify or WordPress, you can find various apps or plugins to help you with this. Once you’ve implemented schema markup, it’s time to test to make sure it’s worked.

How to Test & Verify Schema Markup

Implementing schema markup is only half the battle. Below are the different methods you can use to test and verify your markup, which you should do after you’ve implemented it and again at regular intervals to ensure it’s still accurate. 

Use Google’s Rich Results Test tool

Use Google’s Rich Results Test tool by visiting their website and entering your URL or pasting your code snippet. The tool will show you if your page is eligible for rich results and highlight any errors.

Check Google Search Console

To check Google Search Console, log into your account and go to the ‘Enhancements’ section. Here, you’ll find reports on various rich result types such as Products and FAQs. These reports will show errors, warnings, and valid items, giving you a detailed view of your schema markup performance.

Use Schema Markup Validator 

Another useful resource is the Schema Markup Validator at validator.schema.org. Simply enter your URL or paste your HTML, and the tool will provide a detailed breakdown of all schema types it detects on your page.

Monitor Your Search Appearance

Regularly monitor your search appearance by using incognito mode to avoid personalized results. Try different search queries related to your content and look for rich snippets like star ratings, prices, or other enhanced features.

Schema Markup Best Practices

These guidelines will help ensure your structured data is accurate, useful, and compliant with search engine standards.

Be Specific and Accurate

Use the most specific schema type possible for your content. For example, if you’re marking up a news article, use ‘NewsArticle’ instead of the more general ‘Article’ type. Always provide accurate information – don’t try to game the system with misleading data.

Implement Markup on all Relevant Pages

Don’t limit schema markup to just your homepage or a few key pages. Although it’s best to prioritize your key pages first, you should aim to apply relevant markup across your entire site for consistency and maximum benefit.

Use multiple schema types when appropriate

When appropriate, many pages can benefit from more than one type of schema markup. For instance, a product page might use both product and review schemas. Or a local business may use local schema and organization schema.

Keep Your Markup Updated

Make sure your schema markup reflects the current content of your page. If you change your content, update your markup accordingly. Alternatively, make sure the tool you’re using to implement schema markup, make sure it regularly updates your page’s code so that when Google crawls the page, it can read the updated data. 

Don’t Mark Up Hidden Content

Hidden content in markup is against Google’s guidelines. All information in your schema markup should be present on the page and visible to users, which means you shouldn’t markup content hidden behind login pages or that’s only accessible after clicking certain page elements or entering passwords. 

Use Correct Formatting

If you’re manually implementing schema markup, make sure it is correctly formatted. Even small syntax errors can prevent search engines from reading your markup correctly.

Prioritize Important Information

Focus on marking up the most important information first. For a product page, this typically means the product name, price, and reviews. Whereas for a recipe page, the cook time, ingredients and main steps should be your main focus.

Address Errors Promptly

If you find any errors when testing your schema markup, prioritize fixing critical errors that prevent rich results from showing. If you can’t figure out why you’re seeing errors, check Google’s guidelines in case you are inadvertently breaking them. When you’ve implemented your changes, re-test after making changes to ensure the errors are resolved.

Stay Updated on Schema Types

Schema.org occasionally updates its vocabulary with new types and properties, so you should regularly check for updates in case more relevant schema is introduced for your content.

Maximizing SERP Visibility with Schema Markup

We recommend implementing schema markup on your pages as soon as possible and reviewing your existing markup at least quarterly. As you add schema to your site, closely monitor your performance in Google Search Console and Google Analytics to track improvements in rich snippet appearances, click-through rates, and organic traffic.

For the best results, combine your schema implementation with high-quality content creation and a solid overall SEO strategy. Doing so will provide clear, structured information to both users and search engines, setting your site up for success!