Structured data is a standardized way to implement markup on a web page in order to provide information about a web page.
Structured data mainly helps search engines understand your site.
In for example a snippet on a recipe, Structured data is used to render the contents of the recipe.
Below is an example of a recipe:
If the link is run through the Rich Results Testing Tool, then here we can see the data passed on through.
There are various standard formats that Google Search supports. These Include:
Microdata: This is a HTML standard used to nest machine readable data within HTML content. It consists of a set of name-value pairs.
JSON-LD: It is a linked data format added in a <script> tag within the page head or body. This is the recommended format.
A sample display of this markup format would be:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "",
"image": "",
"author": {
"@type": "",
"name": ""
},
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "",
"logo": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"url": ""
}
},
"datePublished": ""
}
</script>
RDFa: This is a HTML 5 extension used to markup metadata within web pages, by introducing HTML tag attributes.
There are a number of schemas that you can use. Here you can find a list of all these schemas.
Importance of Structured Data
Increases your Chances of Findability Online
Structured data helps search engines in understanding what your site content is all about. This information will in turn help search engines in rendering results within SERPs that satisfy the users’ intent.
Improved Customer Experience
If a customers’ question is answered on first search for example in FAQs, this makes your audience delighted since customer experience starts from search.
Helps in Organizing facts
This can be achieved by using structured data to create Knowledge Graphs. Knowledge Graphs will in turn provide users with facts for example about people.
Return On Investment in your Content
If your target income generation is on content such as articles and courses, then structured data will help in driving users to your content. If there are increased leads, then the more the likelihood of more returns.
Helps in proper representation of your Brand in SERPs
Structured data provides you with more control on how your brand is represented in SERPs by controlling where structured data is distributed within your website.
Structured data will also help in defining Rich results, of which will provide a better visual representation to users, on SERPs.