Key Points

  • Schema is a crucial tool for helping search engines understand your content, allowing it to display it in relevant search results.
  • Schema is also important if you want your webpage to appear with rich snippets or enriched results (which you definitely do if your goal is to drive more traffic to your website and content).
  • While schema markup isn’t a direct ranking factor in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), it can increase organic traffic and improve engagement metrics like click-through rate (CTR) making it a significant content marketing strategy to understand and implement.

Picture this: you’re walking down the street looking for somewhere to get dinner and come across two restaurants side-by-side.

One has a big neon sign that reads: “Big Al’s Barbeque – the best ribs in town!” Through large, clean windows, you see families enjoying their meals inside. You also hear lively music playing and patrons laughing. There’s even a menu on display at the front door and a plaque with a recently earned culinary award from the city.

All these pieces of information are critical for convincing you that Big Al’s does, in fact, serve the best ribs in town.

Next door, there’s a boarded-up building with a small sign that reads: “Sandwiches.” 

That’s it. Just “Sandwiches.”

Which spot are you choosing?

Essentially, this same analogy is true for SEO and schema markup. When readers search for something on the web, their options are practically endless. It’s up to you, the publisher, to make sure they know exactly why they should choose your site.

Since you can’t exactly hang a neon sign up on a Google search results page, you have to invest in your site’s SEO strategy instead.

Google’s version of a neon sign is called a rich snippet, and the only way you can get rich snippets to display with your results is by adding schema to your site’s backend.

Let’s dig into some of the reasons why schema is important for SEO to allow you to determine if it’s worth including in your technical SEO strategy. Spoiler alert, it is! 

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The Complete Guide to Schema for Website Publishers and Content Creators

 

What is technical SEO?

While there are many different types of SEO strategies, there are three main areas of focus that can’t be overlooked: on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO.

Most publishers are more familiar and comfortable with on-page and off-page SEO.

On-page SEO ensures users can easily find what they are looking for once they’ve entered your site, ideally taking your desired action (clicking an ad, purchasing a product, subscribing to your newsletter, etc.)

Off-page SEO is the practice of making optimizations outside of your website to improve your searchability. This may include incorporating high-quality backlinks, digital brand partnerships, influencer marketing, and other omnichannel marketing strategies to drive readers back to your site.

Now, onto today’s area of focus, technical SEO.

Technical SEO is more about the stuff that keeps the operation moving behind the scenes. It’s less visible, but without it, the on-page efforts won’t even be seen, let alone effective.

In sticking with our foodie example, it doesn’t matter how tasty your ribs are if you don’t have a building where people can eat them, a team to cook them, and a sign letting people know how delicious they are.

Technical SEO focuses on the back end and infrastructure of your site. 

Things like:

  • Page speed
  • Mobile Optimization
  • Crawlability
  • Content structure
  • Meta tags
  • SSL certificates
  • URL structure
  • XML sitemaps
  • And structured data markup — AKA schema.

 

 

What is schema?

Schema is information in your website’s code that communicates with search engines about the content on your page. 

Adding schema markup to your site is like adding information outside your business that lets the world know what’s going on inside.

There are three different formats for schema markup, but the most user-friendly (and, naturally, most popular) format is JSON-LD.

The search engine reads this information. When schema is added correctly, it works in tandem with other SEO tactics to increase your chances of reaching the right audience.

While it seems simple enough, adding structured data to your site is highly technical. One misplaced comma will sabotage your whole operation.

Let’s say you’re a recipe website publisher who just posted a recipe for barbeque ribs.

Here’s an example of the recipe schema markup you’d add to your site’s schema code:

<script type="application/ld+json">

{

  "@context": "https://schema.org",

  "@type": "Recipe",

  "name": "BBQ Ribs",

  "author": {

    "@type": "Person",

    "name": "John Doe"

  },

  "datePublished": "2024-05-23",

  "description": "Delicious and tender BBQ ribs perfect for summer gatherings.",

  "image": [

    "https://example.com/photos/ribs1.jpg",

    "https://example.com/photos/ribs2.jpg"

  ],

  "prepTime": "PT20M",

  "cookTime": "PT3H",

  "totalTime": "PT3H20M",

  "recipeYield": "4 servings",

  "recipeCategory": "Main course",

  "recipeCuisine": "American",

  "keywords": "BBQ, ribs, summer, grilling",

  "nutrition": {

    "@type": "NutritionInformation",

    "calories": "500 calories",

    "fatContent": "30 grams",

    "carbohydrateContent": "20 grams",

    "proteinContent": "40 grams"

  },

  "recipeIngredient": [

    "2 racks of pork ribs",

    "1/4 cup brown sugar",

    "1/4 cup paprika",

    "2 tablespoons black pepper",

    "2 tablespoons salt",

    "1 tablespoon chili powder",

    "1 tablespoon garlic powder",

    "1 tablespoon onion powder",

    "1 teaspoon cayenne pepper",

    "1 cup BBQ sauce"

  ],

  "recipeInstructions": [

    {

      "@type": "HowToStep",

      "text": "Preheat your grill to 250°F (120°C).",

      "url": "https://example.com/recipe#step1"

    },

    {

      "@type": "HowToStep",

      "text": "In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, paprika, black pepper, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.",

      "url": "https://example.com/recipe#step2"

    },

    {

      "@type": "HowToStep",

      "text": "Rub the mixture evenly over both sides of the ribs.",

      "url": "https://example.com/recipe#step3"

    },

    {

      "@type": "HowToStep",

      "text": "Place the ribs on the grill and cook for 2.5 to 3 hours, or until the meat is tender.",

      "url": "https://example.com/recipe#step4"

    },

    {

      "@type": "HowToStep",

      "text": "During the last 30 minutes of cooking, brush the ribs with BBQ sauce.",

      "url": "https://example.com/recipe#step5"

    }

  ],

  "video": {

    "@type": "VideoObject",

    "name": "How to Make BBQ Ribs",

    "description": "Step-by-step guide to making delicious BBQ ribs.",

    "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/thumbnail.jpg",

    "contentUrl": "https://example.com/videos/ribs.mp4",

    "embedUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/embed/1234567890",

    "uploadDate": "2024-05-23",

    "duration": "PT5M33S"

  },

  "aggregateRating": {

    "@type": "AggregateRating",

    "ratingValue": "4.5",

    "ratingCount": "24"

  },

  "review": [

    {

      "@type": "Review",

      "author": {

        "@type": "Person",

        "name": "Jane Smith"

      },

      "datePublished": "2024-05-22",

      "reviewBody": "These ribs were fantastic! Perfectly tender and flavorful.",

      "reviewRating": {

        "@type": "Rating",

        "ratingValue": "5"

      }

    },

    {

      "@type": "Review",

      "author": {

        "@type": "Person",

        "name": "Bob Johnson"

      },

      "datePublished": "2024-05-20",

      "reviewBody": "Great recipe, but I found the cayenne pepper a bit too much.",

      "reviewRating": {

        "@type": "Rating",

        "ratingValue": "4"

      }

    }

  ]

}

</script>

There are a lot of details to think about. And even more opportunities for things to go wrong. 

But it’s worth the effort. Here’s why.

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Explore the Complete Schema Resource Center

Benefits of Adding Schema Markup for SEO

There’s a reason Big Al invests so much energy into the curb appeal of his restaurant… it convinces hungry patrons to come inside.

Adding schema markup to your site has the same result.

Let’s explore some of the ways schema markup benefits your website by increasing your organic traffic.

  • Enhanced communication with search engines: The primary reason why schema is important for SEO is that it helps search engines read and understand the content and context of your web pages. This increases the likelihood of it moving up the search engine results page (SERP) and being delivered to the right eyeballs. 
  • Enriched results and rich snippets: Schema is designed to support rich snippets in Google search results. Enriched results greatly impact your click-through rate (CTR) because they are front and center and offer important information based on exactly what readers are searching for.
  • Improved CTR: Schema isn’t a direct ranking factor for SEO, but it can improve engagement metrics like CTR and enhance your visitor’s overall experience. 
  • Improved local SEO: Local business schema provides critical information about your physical location and contact methods, which helps the search engine direct your content to the most relevant readers in your area.
  • Voice search optimization: Voice search is becoming an increasingly popular method of searching; over half of American consumers reported using voice search at least once per day. Schema improves voice search results by providing specific and detailed answers to commonly asked questions.
  • Increased chance of being a featured result: Using the correct schema can increase your chances of being a featured snippet — the highlighted section at the top of a search results page that provides a direct answer to a query.

Take Your Content to the Next Level with Playwire 

A solid SEO strategy is an absolute must for publishers and content creators who want to stand out in an increasingly crowded online environment, and schema is an important part of that strategy.

So, Big Al has his neon sign. You have your schema markup.

What’s next?

SEO is only one way to get your content in front of the right readers. But if you are serious about reaching your revenue goals, Playwire can help make it happen.

Partnering with a monetization provider like Playwire offers you access to all the tools, technology, and resources you need to get the whole town talking about your secret sauce and ensuring you are effectively monetizing every ounce of that valuable, engaged audience.

If you’re ready to get your Michelin star in monetization, contact us today.

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