{"id":5224,"date":"2018-03-02T19:58:58","date_gmt":"2018-03-02T16:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.webceo.com\/blog\/?p=5224"},"modified":"2023-11-15T16:18:53","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T13:18:53","slug":"structured_data_in_seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.webceo.com\/blog\/structured_data_in_seo\/","title":{"rendered":"Structured Data: Another Cute Thing or an SEO Technique?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recent years, the original Google blue search results links have evolved into a fancy and informative combination of quick answer boxes, top story boxes, a Knowledge Graph, \u201cPeople also ask\u201d boxes etc.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"rich_search_results_examples\"<\/p>\n

All those non-standard SERP features are known as rich search results which are the results of properly implemented structured data markup. They usually appear above organic search results and often move organic listings to the bottom of Google\u2019s first page. The question is if these rich results take away traffic from websites, or rather improves the click-through rate of search results?\u00a0 First, let\u2019s take a closer look at key terms.<\/p>\n

What are structured data, schema markup, and featured snippets?<\/h2>\n

Structured data<\/strong> stands for the organization and standardization of content on the HTML code level by means of implementing specific markup language in a specific format (JSON-LD, RDFa, microdata etc.) which helps search engines read and display content in a specific way.<\/p>\n

\"example_of_structured_data\"<\/p>\n

Schema markup<\/strong> helps to create a description of a web page with the help of a markup vocabulary. This markup vocabulary allows search engines to understand your website structured data, extract content relevant to search queries and display it via rich search results. The most popular markup vocabulary is Schema.org, as it supports the widest range of schema markup types.<\/p>\n

Featured snippets<\/strong> refer to advanced search results which often provide summarized answers right in search results. The most popular featured snippets are \u201cquick answers\u201d, \u201cpeople also ask\u201d boxes, \u201cfeatured videos\u201d etc.<\/p>\n

Here is an example of structured data markup successfully implemented and returned to Google search as featured snippets. First is a \u201cquick answer\u201d box, the second one is a \u201cpeople also ask\u201d box.<\/p>\n

One of the particular features of the \u201cpeople also ask\u201d results box is that every time you expand one of the questions, you will get new questions added one after another, and this process is repeated over and over again. In this case organic search results will move further down the page.<\/p>\n

\"example_of_featured_snippet\"<\/p>\n

What types of schema markup help to create this or that rich search result?<\/h2>\n

With the help of Schema.org markup types, you can highlight any type of your content. However not all of the schema markup types may result in a higher click-through-rate. For example, the question<\/a> schema is a tricky schema type. On the one hand an answer box provides a relevant and helpful answer to a user, but on the other hand it may not convert a searcher into a website visitor as he receives the information he wants right from the search results. To optimize your question schema markup effectively, consider using WebCEO’s Keyword Research<\/a> tool to find the right keywords that can provide complex answers, attracting searchers to your website.<\/p>\n

Here are several schema markup practices that can help your content rank better.<\/p>\n