- Key Advantages of Structured Data
- Micro-Markup Dictionaries
- Micro-Markup Formats
- Requirements for Micro-Markup
- The Entities of Structured Data
- Conclusion
Structured data is the semantic markup of data on the internet. It aids in a better comprehension of website content by search engines. Structured data allows you to include a review, rating, picture, breadcrumbs, product description, recipe, etc. into a snippet using this feature. Search engine results give favor to websites having an eye-catching snippet.
Key Advantages of Structured Data
The main advantages of structured data include:
- Content systemization. Structured data helps search engines analyze content and determine the relevance of elements against user queries. The site is displayed when searching for certain content, monitoring prices, etc.
- Adapting the page for voice search. Google Assistant will locate a page in response to voice queries when you indicate a specific type of content on a page (for example, news).
- Highlighting the site in the search results. Structured data can be used to get longer snippets. They provide the user with information about products and services and raise click-through rates (CTR).
- Making the snippet more appealing on social media. Use Open Graph micro-markup when you share a URL page on social media. You may personalize the eye-catching presentation of your social network posts.
Micro-Markup Dictionaries
To provide the needed information, tags are added to a page’s HTML code.
The most popular micro-markup dictionaries include:
- Schema.org. This semantic markup standard was introduced in 2011. It is used by Google, Bing, and Yahoo! Such markup facilitates the work of search engine algorithms. It is used to mark up pagination, navigation, and reviews. Different entities are described via micro-markup, each of which has a unique set of features. For the micromarkup of a product card, for instance, the entity Product is chosen.
- Open Graph. This markup guarantees the appeal of a website’s pages that are shared on social media. It is used on social media sites like Facebook, Telegram, LinkedIn, and others. Twitter has its own micro-markup – Twitter Cards.
- Microformats. The Microformats.org dictionary was established in 2007. It contains objects and descriptions of their characteristics. It is employed to describe goods, events, businesses, and recipes. hCard is the most widely used microformat. It provides information on how to reach various people and organizations. You can use it to provide your name, address, geolocation, date of birth, and other information.
Micro-Markup Formats
The following formats are used as additional elements:
- Microdata. This is a well-liked format that enables markup in a page’s HTML code. The three primary standard attributes are itemtype (object type), itemprop (additional properties), and itemscope (the micro-markup object).
- RDFa. This format was created in 2004. However, because of its complexity, it is rarely used. Normally combined with Open Graph for social network markup.
- JSON-LD. This is a new microformat that uses the <script> tag to implement the markup rather than the HTML code. Implies the use of a key-value pair. Google has been recommending it since 2014. To make the process simpler, the Schema Markup Generator (JSON-LD) is employed.
Requirements for Micro-Markup
The micro-markup must meet the following conditions:
- markup is used only for content visible to visitors
- data types should contain the mandatory properties as defined in the “Help”
- the markup must not contain illegal content or deceive the user
- the content of the micro-markup must adhere to the accepted standards
- structured data must be consistent with the overall context of the page
- the markup pages should be made accessible to search engine algorithms.
The Entities of Structured Data
The following are the main entities of structured data:
- Organization. This micro-markup is intended to It can be embedded manually or with the help of a micro markup generatorattention to organizational data. It helps improve local rankings. After applying this markup, a company’s address or phone number is displayed. Airline, Consortium, Corporation, etc. are examples of organization micro-markup subtypes. The micro- markup is integrated into a website’s home page. It can be embedded manually or with the help of a micro-markup generator.
- Product. This type of micro-markup indicates the price, name and description of the product to the search engine. It is used to increase clickability in search results. It is implemented on the product pages.
- BreadcrumbList. Used as a breadcrumbs marker. You may get an extended snippet with breadcrumbs by using this markup.
- Event. Used to mark up events and activities. This markup should not include any advertisement, include the event’s start date, and identify its location.
- FAQ. It is employed to annotate pages with popular queries. Due to the fact that this form of micro-markup is still relatively new, it ranks high in search engine results. To implement the micro-markup, a unique snippet is created for every page.
- AggregateRating. This is used to mark up a product, business, etc. It is often a part of another entity, such as Product. When used, this kind must have a rating that is displayed on the site’s pages. It goes well with the reviews.
Conclusion
The website’s micro-markup enables proper indexing of its pages. It is used to provide breadcrumbs, prices, and images. It is used to provide an expanded snippet that gives consumers useful information. Syntax and dictionary are parts of a micro-markup. Schema.org is the most widely used micro-markup dictionary. In order to validate the micro-markup, certain Google validators are employed.
