What is the outcome if you decide to Automate Your Schema Markup?
Now for those that are unsure of what Schema is the easiest way to describe schema is by adding code to your website that groups your information making it ready to be easily served to a search engine bot making your website information more compartmentalised and ready to digest.
Schema can also be associated with a buildings blueprint schema the drawings of how to conceptualise the mechanics of the blueprints plan, funny story I was searching for relevant images of schema for this post and I was being served pictures of building blueprints and mechanical schema’s it made me think of how I was phrasing my search terms a bit more in depth but very relevant that how I understand schema is not how a building architect interprets schema, Fun Fact!
Exactly How Does Schema Work?
If you have ever added any markup to your website before it works much the same adding some micro-data to your website that helps define what the page is and how it should be classified. If you have added the search console verification tags to your website before that is pretty much the simplest way of saying that you can add schema markup to your website. There are some debates online about if it is better to manually inject the schema markup or if it is ok to automate your schema markup with plugins one that comes to mind is Project supremacy that I have used and the debate is still open, I am currently testing both methods to see if there is any noticeable different benefit from manual verse automated.
When you start to implement Schema elements and attributes you can do it yourself making sure the schema is directly added to the web page HTML code of your targeted website page to provide the search crawlers with additional information about your websites content ownership and associated profiles.
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Okay okay, below is an informative video that informs on the inner workings and the “how does it work?” and “what does it do?” questions the video run time is 57:18 in duration and if you want to skip the video and read how I explain it then read on, also you SHOULD be reading on for the sheer value and laughter provided below.
Where can I find out information about the types of Schema?
Schema.org is the go to place online for centralised information regarding schema, updates to schema types and the various associated schema profiles. The website is the lovechild of a massive collaboration between Google, Bing, Yahoo! and Russian search engine Yandex all contributing information to better the web.
Should I use Schema with SEO?
Imagine if you will that I am a massive Google Maps fan for this example now your Apple mobile phone comes with a built in maps app on it right out of the box, this is the representation of SEO and I know I always add Google Maps to a new Mobile phone why? because Google maps is connected to Google and it makes sense to use a Maps product that is owned by the largest search engine company in the world and Google Maps represents Schema in this little demonstration.
Now the out of the box maps app is decent it does an amazing jog but it is not directly connected or associated with a search engine, where as Google Maps has an association with Google they can share information very easily and if when you search for a location you are presented with other related pieces of information this is how schema works by providing the information in an organisation way so that the search engines can understand what it is and what it does so they can place relevance scores on the website, page or product and this also makes it much easier for associating relevant content for search queries.
Having the standard maps app works but using Google Maps works better in the long run.
Will Adding Schema Improve My Search Rankings?
No, there is no official data that backs the + schema = ranking improvement claim up, there is however significant benefit for your search result with studies showing an increase in CTR for the more attractive and informative SERP listing user’s are clicking on the results showing review stars and more information about the search term they are looking so in the long run yes schema may help you with rankings but it will be through using an increased CTR and not by just adding the markup to your website.
Your HTML code will become more structured and crawler friendly allowing for your page contents to be better understood. If you are optimising with SEO and combine Schema markup your chances of moving up the rankings will increase is best thought of as use schema markup as a best practises method and not a add schema gain rankings trick.
Here is a claim by Google that they are not using micro-data as a ranking signal.
What Else Can Schema Markup Do for Me?
Creating a information packet that can be served up to search engine crawlers making their job easier is one thing but adding schema markup can also benefit by helping use the micro-data to define and display rich snippets of your content in the SERPs. Google uses schema markup to display rich snippets the fancy display listings where the featured websites get to provide a little more information about themselves than the listings below them. Clear, concise rich snippets can result in higher click-through rates, as users can quickly and easily determine whether the content on your site is what they’re looking for and even more so as user search intent changes.
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How Can I Markup My Website Pages with Schema Micro-data?
Thats a great question, and as simple as I would like to make it sound it isn’t a push button addition and can be quite tricky. Imagine having a site with hundred’s of pages and you have to markup EVERY page with Schema 🙁 thats a sad face because of the work involved. It could also be a 🙂 Happy face and I could shamelessly plug hiring me to perform SEO and Schema Integration for your website but you are already on my site or reading my post and can make your own choices.
All seriousness the schema markup will have to be added to each page and for my friends with page numbers in the hundred’s you can select a service provider if you are time poor or you can allocate to do it yourself if you really have time on your hands and using site wide schema markup this may or may not work for your business you should use relevant markup that suits your business. For anyone building a website or shameless 2nd plug wanting me to design them a website the good news is Schema can be built in to the structure making it much more time saving to be schema structured in the beginning.
If you are planning on doing the manual markup then there is a how to guide just follow the steps outlined in this guide to get started. Once you’re satisfied with your markup, use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to check that everything is working correctly and then you are on your way to being schema structured.
Do I Have to Markup Every Property on Every Page?
No, but the more properties you apply schema micro-data to, the clearer the nature and purpose of your site’s content will be to the search engines. Also, it’s worth remembering that you have to apply schema markup to a certain number of properties before Google can create rich snippets using your micro-data that being said you can increase your profile across the web by incorporating schema markup across your social entities. You can check what information can be extracted from your markup using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool.
What About Social Media and Schema?
This works very well when using the Same As markup and the results in your SERP listing when you win the knowledge graph position are a huge bonus and really solidifies that you have an online presence across the web. Ive found adding schema micro-data with my social media tags that the search engines pick up the association between the social profiles and my website. Previously open graph tags or you could include Twitter cards was the best way to share content online for a reliable way to serve optimised content that search engines could associate between websites and author’s. You should consider adding schema markup alongside your Facebook Open Graph tags making them highly shareable and optimised for association.
See the below image for Apple notice the lower red box social profiles “sameAs”: mark up.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https://webmecs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/apples-knowledge-graph.png” _builder_version=”3.29.3″ hover_enabled=”0″ max_height=”643px” align=”center”][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.29.3″ hover_enabled=”0″]My process of using schema vary depending on my intentions, I have two views on using schema and Im currently testing these for my own personal sites including the traditional sandbox site and client sites.
Using Automated Schema data entry is made easy by the my friends at Project Supremacy who have created a plugin that does it all for you in essence with Project Supremacy (heres a Free Trial) in short PS automates the schema and geo tags images it also adds short codes where needed and cuts down time when I need to get things done before a deadline this is fast and robust with continuing updates and support one of my go to schema tools.
Manual Schema injection I take a text pad with my schema markup on it and add it into the theme files in the header and then test to validate success.
I don’t site wide schema markup unless I’m on a deadline for delivery that I can come back to once the deliverables have been met.]
I am deeply integrated into the world of ecommerce, with a knack for problem solving and computers. Marketing excites me and Im a local WA business owner trying to make it on my own.
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