The most important facts in brief:
- Testing structured data improves the visibility of your website and increases the chances of rich snippets and better rankings
- Google offers tools such as the test for rich search results and the Schema Markup Validator for checking structured data.
- Schema markup generators make it easier to create JSON-LD code for your website.
- Testing structured data helps to identify errors and ensure that it complies with standards.
Structured data helps to make websites easier to understand for search engines and improve rankings. You can use it to obtain rich snippets in the search results that highlight your website and increase the click-through rate. Google offers various tools for testing and validating structured data. Since July 2021, the former testing tool has been available on a new domain for the schema.org community as Schema Markup Validator, which checks syntax and standards. For rich search results in Google search, there is still the test for rich search results. You can also use schema markup generators to create a JSON-LD code and check it in the validator to ensure that your structured data complies with the standards and is interpreted correctly.
What is structured data and why is it important?
Structured data is a standardized format that makes information on websites easier for search engine crawlers to understand. By using structured data, search engines such as Google can better capture and categorize the content of your website and present it in the search results. They are based on a standardized vocabulary from Schema.org, which makes it possible to label specific information such as product details, recipes or events. With the help of formats such as JSON-LD or Microdata, this data can be integrated directly into the HTML code of your website.
Advantages of structured data for SEO and better visibility in search engines
Structured data optimizes the presentation of your website in the search results and offers additional information such as ratings, prices or availability directly in the rich snippet. This increases the click probability and you can generate more qualified traffic. Even if structured data does not directly influence the ranking, it leads to better visibility and often higher click-through rates, as search engines can better understand the content and classify it more relevantly. Websites also have the option of appearing in special search formats such as carousels or lists, which further increases findability.
Important types of structured data for better search results
There are a variety of structured data types that you can implement on your website to improve visibility in search results and increase your click-through rate. The most common types of structured data include information on products, events, FAQs, courses and job offers.
The most common types include:
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Products: Price, availability and reviews
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Events: location, time and details
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FAQs: Questions and answers
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Courses: Description, duration and price
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Vacancies: Position, requirements and company
For example, by using product data, online retailers can display detailed information such as features, pros and cons, price, availability and reviews directly in the search results.
Create and implement structured data
Creating and implementing structured data on your website doesn’t have to be a complicated process. With the right tools and a little know-how, you can quickly add valuable JSON-LD markup to your pages. This way, you can quickly benefit from the advantages that structured data offers for your visibility in search engines.
Schema.org and JSON-LD as the standard for structured data
Schema.org serves as a standard for structured data and is supported by search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. It offers a common vocabulary that facilitates the labeling of specific information such as products, events or job advertisements. Google recommends using the JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) format to implement structured data. JSON-LD is particularly user-friendly as it can be embedded directly in HTML code and works without major changes to the website structure. Although other formats such as Microdata and RDFa can also be used, JSON-LD is recommended as a future-proof choice to ensure full support by search engines.
Manual creation of JSON-LD code
If you want to have more control over the generated code or have special requirements, you can also create the JSON-LD markup manually. All you need is a text editor and basic knowledge of JSON-LD syntax. Manual creation gives you full flexibility to adapt the markup exactly to your needs. This ensures that all relevant information is correctly marked up.
Integration and verification of JSON-LD code on your website
Once the JSON-LD code has been generated, it must be integrated into the HTML source code of your website. To do this, you can either use CMS plugins or insert the code directly into the head section of your HTML pages. To ensure that your structured data works correctly and adheres to all standards, you should check the code with tools such as the Google Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator.
Testing structured data
When implementing structured data on your website, it’s important to test it thoroughly to make sure it works correctly. Fortunately, Google offers powerful tools to help you check your markup implementation.
Google Rich Results Test
The Google Rich Results Test is an excellent tool to test your structured data. Simply enter the URL of your page or paste in your HTML code and the test will show you which rich results are available for your page. It also highlights any errors or warnings found so you can fix them.
Schema Markup Validator
Another useful tool is the Schema Markup Validator from Schema.org. This validator checks your code for compliance with the Schema.org standards. It also shows you whether required elements are missing or used incorrectly. This way you can ensure that your markup complies with best practices.
Common errors when testing structured data
Some common errors can occur when testing your structured data. These include missing or incorrect mandatory information in the code, such as a missing name field for a recipe or an incorrect date format for an event. Make sure that you enter all the required properties for the respective data type correctly.
Also keep in mind that even if the Schema Markup Validator does not report any problems, it is still advisable to run the Google Rich Results Test. This test takes into account Google’s specific guidelines and ensures that your structured data is optimized for display in search results.
By carefully testing your structured data, you can identify and fix potential issues before they impact your visibility in search results. Invest the time to thoroughly review your markup and you’ll reap the benefits that rich results can bring to your SEO efforts.
Monitor structured data in the Google Search Console
The Google Search Console is a valuable tool for monitoring the coverage and performance of your structured data on your website. Under the menu item “Improvements” you will find an overview of all recognized structured data on your website.
Here you can see not only which data types were found, but also any problems such as errors or warnings. The Search Console supports structured data in various formats such as JSON-LD, RDFa and microdata.
Checking the coverage of structured data
The Search Console shows you how extensively your website is already equipped with structured data. This allows you to see at a glance where there is still room for optimization. New reports such as “Structured data that could not be parsed” give you an overview of syntax errors in your structured data.
Identification of errors and warnings
If the Search Console detects new issues with your structured data, you will receive an email notification. However, it is important to regularly check the reports yourself to ensure that everything is running smoothly.
With the URL check tool, you can specifically test individual URLs and diagnose any errors or warnings. Common problems include syntax errors that prevent Google from recognizing the element type or blocked resources that interfere with the correct crawling and rendering of the page.
Use the information from the Google Search Console to continuously improve your structured data and thus increase the visibility of your website in the search results.
Best practices for structured data
To ensure the quality and relevance of your structured data, you should follow a few best practices. Only mark up content that is visible to users and always specify mandatory elements and recommended properties. Keep your data up-to-date, error-free and complete to ensure high markup quality.
Carry out regular validations and tests to identify and correct potential errors at an early stage. Stick to the Google guidelines and only use markups whose meaning you fully understand. Do not use too many different types, but concentrate on the markups that are relevant for your website.
The most frequently used structuring types include
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Products with prices, availability and ratings
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Recipes with ingredients, nutritional information and preparation steps
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Events with date, location and ticket information
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Job advertisements with job description, requirements and contact details
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Articles and blog posts with author, date and category
E-commerce websites, publishers and websites with location-based services particularly benefit from the use of structured data. By highlighting relevant information, your search results can be made more appealing and click-through rates can be increased. Check your implementation regularly with tools such as the Rich Results Test to guarantee an optimal display.
Conclusion
Structured data has become an indispensable part of modern SEO strategies. It allows you to provide search engines with additional information about your content and get eye-catching rich snippets in the results. Over 10 million websites already use Schema.org to structure their data and reap the benefits.
The correct implementation of structured data can significantly improve your visibility in search results and increase the click-through rate. Rich snippets visually highlight your content and offer valuable additional information such as ratings, prices or availability. This creates trust among users and motivates them to click on your website.
For maximum success with structured data, it is important to create it carefully, test it and monitor it regularly. The Google Rich Results Test and the Search Console help you to find errors and check coverage. If you want to exploit the full potential of your structured data and sustainably increase your organic performance, you need to consider three factors:
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the selection of a targeted structure
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the right structured data testing tool
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Consistent implementation
FAQ
What advantages does structured data offer for SEO?
Structured data improves the visibility of a website in search results by providing additional information and enabling rich snippets. This can lead to higher click-through rates, even if they do not directly influence the ranking.
What types of structured data are frequently used?
Frequently used types of structured data are information on products (price, availability, ratings), events (location, time), FAQs (questions & answers), courses and job offers. There are hundreds of types on schema.org, but not all of them are supported by Google.
How do you create structured data for a website?
Structured data can be implemented using schema markup generators or by manually creating the JSON-LD code. The generated code is then integrated into the source code of the website. There are also plugins for common CMS that make the process easier.
How can you test structured data?
To test structured data, Google offers the Rich Results Test, which displays the data types, errors and warnings found. The Schema Markup Validator from schema.org is also helpful. Common errors are missing or incorrect mandatory information in the code.
Where can I monitor structured data in Google Search Console?
In the Google Search Console, under “Improvements”, you will find all the recognized structured data of a website. The coverage can be checked there and any problems such as errors or warnings are displayed.
What are best practices for structured data?
Best practices include: Marking up only visible content, specifying mandatory elements and recommended properties, keeping data up-to-date and error-free, validating and testing regularly, adhering to Google guidelines and only using markup whose meaning you understand.
