How to Use Schema Markup Values on Local SEO?
Schema markup is one of the latest trends that is hugely impacting the SEO procedure. It works in the form of a code known as semantic vocabulary. Schema markup enables search engines to generate accurate and informative results for your users.
First, you need to put this code in your website. Then, see how it creates elaborate descriptions that instantly appear in your user's search results.
Adding schema markup on your website's Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) add a lot of value. Its standardized semantic vocabulary makes your site's information precise & clear for search engines.
Thereby it enables the search engines to provide better, relevant as well as informative results. Here's an example of a local business which has used schema markup to generate rich event results:
Source
You can easily markup your HTML pages through a plethora of schemas available on schema.org
Yahoo, Google, and Bing have created Schema.org with combined efforts. Schema.org gives you a pre-defined set of code markers. It conveys the search engine what exactly what they need to do with the information available on your website.
In short, the schema markup helps you improve your search engine rankings. They do it by assisting search engines easily analyze and interpret the information available on your website.
Why Do You Need Schema Markup for Local SEO?
Schema markup should be an integral part of your local SEO strategy. Apart from improving your search engine rankings, it can provide your business with a plethora of other benefits too. Let's take a look at its various advantages.
1. Gives Search Engines a Clear Idea about Your Content
Schema markup helps you easily convey the search engines what your website is all about. For instance, it precisely tells the search engine what the event you posted on your website pertains to. Also, it tells about the selection criteria of the job requirement you posted or what your official business address is.
2. Enhances Your Brand Presence
Another huge advantage of using schema markup is the improved online visibility of your brand. It does so by helping you create a strong knowledge graph.
A knowledge graph acts as a comprehensive summary of your business or brand. A knowledge graph can contain all the details of your business. It is available on the right-hand side of the Google desktop searches and front as well as the centre of mobile searches.
A knowledge graph consists of all the important information about your business that your customers need to know. It starts from your social media accounts, customer reviews, your website link and your operating hours. Here's how the knowledge graph of the social media giant Facebook looks like:
First, you need to markup your knowledge graph as structured data on your website. Then, Google will perceive the information mentioned within it as relevant and useful.
As a result, the search will display your knowledge graph with every single search that a customer does in Google. It significantly improves your brand presence.
3. Gives You an Edge During the Organic Search
A typical Google search consists of a title, a meta description, and a URL. Including schema markup in your website can transform a normal Google search into a rich result, the one which includes rich snippets.
In other words, rich results consist of visually appealing images coupled with additional information. It includes reviews, call-to-actions (CTAs), stars, and ratings about your business.
With such rich results, you will see an increase in your click-through rates. It will give you a competitive edge over your competitors during the organic search.
You can easily qualify for rich Google results by incorporating schema markup to your website.
Important Schema Markup Values to Use in Local Business
Now, you know what schema markup is all about and how it can improve your local SEO. So, let's find out what are the different schema markup values you can use in your local business. Later we can use those to help Google provide useful search engine results.
1. Organization Schema Markup
It helps you add structured data to your business's homepage. Also, it improves your official website's snippet presence. It also increases the credibility of your knowledge graph in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
Here are the properties you should include in your organization's schema markup:
URL
It should include your homepage URL.
Logo
Apart from the URL of your company's logo, the organization schema markup should also include the image of the logo. The image should be in .jpg, .png, or .gif format with a minimum size of the 112 x 112px.
sameAs
sameAs should include your company's social media handles. It includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Myspace, Pinterest, SoundCloud, and Tumblr.
contactPoint
It should include your business's contact details.
2. Breadcrumbs Schema Markup
A breadcrumb trail on a page gives an idea about the position of the page on your website's hierarchy. It works effectively in letting your visitors understand and explore your website seamlessly.
A visitor can easily explore through your website by beginning from the last breadcrumb in the breadcrumb trail and navigating up within your website's hierarchy. Let's take a look at various types of breadcrumbs trail:
Attribute-Based Breadcrumb Trail
These breadcrumbs are apt to use if you have an eCommerce website. It is made up of product characteristics and is displayed when a visitor navigates your eCommerce website.
History-Based Breadcrumb Trail
These breadcrumbs are no less than your internet history bar. You need to display it in the order of your visitor's activity.
You can markup the breadcrumbs on your website and create rich breadcrumb snippets for improving the ranking of your SERPs.
Here are the properties you should include in your breadcrumbs schema markup:
Item
It includes URL of the page about a particular item.
Position
It shows the position of the item in the breadcrumb trail.
Name
It denotes the title of the breadcrumb.
Video Schema Markup
You can increase the visibility of your marketing videos on your website through video schema markup. It can give search engines detailed information about the video content on your website. It includes information like the duration of the video, the name of the creator, and more. You can also add a transcript to the video.
Here's a list of properties you can include in your video schema markup:
Name
It includes the title of your video.
Description
It briefly describes what your video content is all about.
ThumbnailURL
You can take one of your video's frame and include a thumbnail URL for your video schema markup.
Duration
It includes the time for which your video will play.
Transcript
It includes a comprehensive detail about your video.
4. Website Schema Markup
You can use website schema markup to see the Sitelinks search box feature for your company's SERPS. You can enable the Sitelinks Search box component through your existing site search. The website schema markup makes your website's name visible in the search results.
5. Site Navigation Schema Markup
A site navigation schema code helps search engines understand your website's content in a better way. Further, it helps in enhancing the organic site links in search results. Inturn it will significantly increase your website's click-through rates.
How to Boost Your Local SEO Rankings Using Schema Markup?
The next step is to learn how to enhance your local SEO ranking using structured data. You can do it by following these easy steps:
1. Select a Page for Schema Markup
The first step is to choose the page you want to markup. You can markup more than one page too. However, it is advisable to put your attention on the most important and informative page of your website.
For instance, if you have an eCommerce website, you can select the page with your best-selling products for markup. In short, make sure the page you choose helps you realize your company's long-term goals.
You can take the help of Google Analytics to find relevant pages instantly.
Google Analytics can help you pick pages that best serve your business's objectives. It helps you to find the page that generates the maximum traffic and the page that drives more conversion.
Another tool that you can use to choose pages is the Google Search Console. It gives you an overview of pages based on their rankings in Google's search results.
2. Include the Page to Google's Structured Data Markup Helper
The next step is to add the selected page with the help of Google's structured data markup helper. All you need to do is select the schema markup you wish to leverage. Once you have selected the desired schema markup, go ahead, and enter your page's URL.
3. Go Ahead with the Schema Markup
Further, you need to highlight the elements of the page with the help of structured data markup helper.
If there is certain information that you can't highlight on the page, you can click on the add missing tag option available on the bottom right. This option will make way for a menu where you can include further information.
Once you create the mark upon the selected page, click on the create HTML option available on the top right section. Now, you can get your structured data code.
In case you missed adding any specific details, you can go back and tag your page further. You can do it by clicking on the back to tagging option.
4. Analyze the Schema Markup with Google's Structured Data Testing Tool
It is always a good idea to test what you created. You can fix any issues such as a typo in your structured data before updating it on your page. You can either do it through Google's structured data testing tool or make use of Google's rich results test tool.
If your structured data is designed to create a rich snippet, using the rich results test tool is apt. It will let you have a clear preview of how your page's rich snippet will look like in search engine results. In other cases, you can always use structured data testing tool.
- First, copy your structured data code from Structured Data Markup Helper
- Paste the code, and
- Finally click on the test code option.
The test results will give you a preview of your page's rich snippets.
5. Update the Page with the Schema Markup
Now, After creating and analyzing your structured data, you can include it in your page. Copy the code from the Structured Data Markup tool and paste it at the beginning of the closing
