Implement the best schema codes for SEO and watch your site rise to the top.
Not sure where to start? Check out these 10 codes you should be using.
You’ve probably seen those rich snippet results in search engines. Want to know what they’re all about and how you can have them too? Keep reading to learn how to use schema codes for SEO and better click-through rates.
Microdata that helps the search engines read and serve your custom content better is called a schema. The schema markup is in the HTML code of your site. When the search engines crawl your website and find this data, they format it neatly into the rich snippet that gets displayed in search results.
For example, in a rating-rich snippet, you’ll see a group of stars representing a rating that appears under a website page title. The number of reviews also shows up beside the stars and the overall rating number. This is just one type of schema; there are many more to explore.
The most common use of structured data is for presenting specific details about products, creative works, places, people, and events. We’ve handpicked ten popular schema markup examples that you might want to use.
News
News websites include essential details about articles within their schema markup. News Article schema often contains several of the following:
- Headline
- Dateline
- Date of Publication
- Author
- Editor
- Print Edition Number
- Print Version Information
Using schema for breaking news is a smart way to stand out from your competitors in search results. They are probably releasing the same timely information. Your rich snippet results are likely to get more clicks.
Articles and Blog Posts
Within article and blog post schema markup you’ll find information like:
- Headline
- Genre
- Page Numbers
- Word Count
- Author
- Date of Publication
Books
Because of structured data, the details displayed in the search for book results can include:
- The Title
- Author
- ISBN
- Illustrator
- Characters
- Publisher
- Copyright
- Series Number
Movies
Many people search online for further information about new and upcoming movies. When using movie schema data, search engine results can provide formatted stats such as:
- The Title
- The Producer
- Characters
- Buy or Rent Option
- Rating
- Genre
- Thumbnail Image
- Embedded Video
Video Game
Game schema is used to provide useful information to gamers like the following:
- The Title
- The Producer
- Characters
- Rating
- Genre
- Buy or Rent Option
- Release Date
- Thumbnail Images
- Embedded Video
- Cheat Codes
- Game Server Status
Recipe
Recipes are hugely popular on the internet. Websites often use recipe schema to help make choosing the ideal recipe easier. With rich snippets created from a schema, you can see details at a glance without clicking through.
You’ll often find helpful facts in recipe results like:
- Thumbnail Image
- List of Steps
- How To Section
- Cook Time
- Calories
- Ingredients
- Ratings
- Reviews
Map
Parking maps, seating maps, venue maps, and transit maps are all part of the map enumeration schema. You can include slices of information such as:
- Map Categories
- Thumbnails
- URL Links
- Descriptions
Products
The product schema markup is for products and services such as ordering flowers, finding a concert ticket, buying a crochet pattern or streaming your favorite episode of Outlander.
Product schema options include these kinds of properties and more:
- Name of Product
- Thumbnail Image
- Offer Details
- Material Used
- Description
- Thumbnail Image
- Product URL
Events
There are all kinds of events that get announced online. For a good reason too. Most people choose to look on the web to find out what’s happening in the area of their choice. Business events, educational classes, festivals, concerts, comedy shows – they’re all classified as event schemas.
You’ll more or less find these details in event search results:
- Subject Matter
- Event Sponsors
- Performance Information
- Type of Event
- Event Location
- Actor Names
- Ratings
- Organizer
- Composer
- Admission Time
- Date and Time
- Maximum Number of Attendees
- Performers
- Cost and Sale of Tickets
- Age Restrictions
Ratings and Reviews
Rating and review schema is used to describe a review of a place, creative work, or service. It includes details such as:
- Item Name
- Official Rating
- Subject Matter
- Intended Audience
- Comments
- Number of Comments
- Copyright Holder
- Date of Publication
Will Schema Codes Get You Higher Rankings?
Google, Bing, and Yahoo maintain and recognize schema markup. The collaboration started in 2011. They use the markup code to display search results with enhanced descriptions, or rich snippets.
Schema helps search engines interpret web pages more effectively and equates to higher-quality search results. But what can schema do for you, the website owner?
Search results that appear with schema applied, inform the user faster. You’re able to see details at a glance which helps you decide whether to click through to that page or move on to a more relevant one.
There is no guarantee that using schema to produce rich snippets will get you higher rankings or first-page results, but it can improve your click-through rates and do provide a better opportunity to produce rich snippets and one-panel results. You typically want to start with fundamentals of SEO like keyword portfolios, META Tags, and on-page optimization and implement schema as you get the fundamentals out of the way..
Need Help Implementing Schema?
The first step in adding schema to your website pages is determining which type of schema matches your content the best. Next, you’ll choose the properties (details) that you’d like to include in your rich snippets. Lastly, you’ll add the appropriate code.
If you need help adding schema markup to your web pages, Google has a markup helper that makes the process simpler.
What’s the Bottom Line on Schema Codes for SEO?
You won’t necessarily rank any higher by adding schema codes for SEO ranking purposes but when you do and it triggers one panel or rich snippet, you are more likely to see improved click-through rates.
Since the majority of websites are not using them, your pages will stand out in search results. You have nothing to lose by adding them to your code. In fact, in the future, they might be a necessary part of SEO.
Websites developed on the WordPress platform can take advantage of the paid and free plugins that make adding schema easily.
Allan Todd is CEO of Pagecafe Digital Marketing. In 2022, Allan teamed up with Infront Webworks to provide digital marketing, website design, content marketing, SEO and strategy and solutions to local businesses. Allan lives in Colorado Springs.