What is Schema.Org?

Schema.org is a joint project which aims to create a "shared vocabulary that webmasters can use to help search engines understand the information on web pages and provide richer search results" (Source). 

The project was initiated by the world's major search engines, including Google, Microsoft (Bing), Yahoo, and Yandex.

Schema.org is often called "the future of SEO." It offers a structured set of codes that, when used appropriately, enable the major search engines to reveal a richer portrait of your content in search results.

This Google-led initiative is yet another example of how the search engine partners with website owners and content producers to deliver the most relevant results.

Read: SEO 101: How to Partner with Google

In this case, the "schema" simplify the work of coding content for search engines, benefiting both the search engines and you.

"When you use structured data to mark up content," Google says, "you help Google better understand its context for display in Search, and you achieve better distribution of your content to users from Search."

What is Structured Data? 

Structured Data is "any data that resides in a fixed field within a record or file" (Source). Schema.org currently hosts all the structured data supported by the major search engines. The purpose of this shared "structured data" (as I note above) is to simplify coding: "Structured data has the advantage of being easily entered, stored, queried and analyzed" (Source).

Schema.org is comprised of different types of structured data; for each, a webmaster can use a specific mark up to enhance search results. As Google notes:

"A variety of content types qualify to appear in rich results. CreativeWork is a schema.org type definition that applies to qualifying content produced for reading, viewing, listening or other consumption, such as news articles, recipes, and videos. Other content types, such as products and local business listings, belong to the commerce category, which is a custom category we use to describe schema.org types generally intended for retail purposes."

Right now, Google offers eleven different types of mark-ups for structured data:

• Articles 
• Events
• Movies
• Software Applications
• Book Reviews 
• Job Postings 
• Products
• TV Episodes
• Datasets
• Local Businesses
• Restaurants 

The key word in Google's above quote is "rich." Creating a structured data markup for any of these content categories will help your own web pages qualify to appear as "rich snippets." 

What are Rich Snippets?

A "snippet" is the part of a search result the details your page's content. A "rich snippet" is an enhanced result, which provides more details or context. Rich snippets stand out from regular snippets, and may attract more click-throughs.

Some rich snippet features include increased styling and images, like added photos or reviews.

Take a look below at Google's examples of a "basic" search result:

Now look at and a "rich" search result, which includes a rating, a picture, and a recipe:

Read: SEO 101: Rich Snippets and Structured Data.

Take Advantage of Schema.org

As Neil Patel writes in his post about Schema.org, "As simple as schema markup is to implement, it’s surprising how few businesses and websites have taken advantage of it."

Patel implies a two-fold opportunity: First, schema is easy to apply to your web pages; and second, many businesses and websites have failed to do so.

Naturally, applying these techniques to your own site offers an obvious advantage today and a lasting advantage in the future, when schema becomes all but necessary for most websites.

Schema.org Markups with Stepman's SEO

Stepman's SEO combines traditional marketing methods and organic SEO--with an emphasis on natural website optimization--to design thoughtful, inspiring, and effective social media marketing campaigns.

Our SEOs understand how to use structured data to benefit your specific content type. For more information, call today: 215-900-9398.