When it comes to optimizing a small business website, to enhance its success, it’s not enough to rely on adding relevant SEO keywords as many people assume. It is paramount to also organize your data, separate content from presentation if you want to stand out from the competition.
While keyword optimization can help your site rise in search results, another search factor is more important than ever: structured data markup. This coding style allows your business to give search engines data about your web pages and the content they include.
Seo experts and web developers must appreciate structured visualization and how to take advantage of new optimization opportunities to stay relevant. Please read on to find out why your business should utilize structured data. But first:
What’s Structured Data?
When developers or content creators consistently post data in a well-defined structure that conforms to a data model, maintains a permanent order, and is easily accessible by people and algorithms, it is referred to as structured data.
Google affirms that adding structured data to AMPs will improve the page’s presentation in mobile search results while also allowing it to appear in rich results.
If you have a website, structured data is a wonderful opportunity to boost your gross profits. Here are some top benefits of the structured data model.
1. SEO Benefits
Search engines can read and understand structured data better than text, which means structured data makes it easier for search engines to find your content.
Google’s Knowledge Graph, for example, pulls structured data from websites to provide direct answers in search results. These answers show up as facts with a graph-like knowledge card that includes images, additional information, and links to external sources.
A great model of how structured data is utilized optimally is a breadcrumb trail on websites. Breadcrumbs help users navigate to higher-level pages on sites; they also help search engines identify URLs and structure data within web pages.
Google has said that site structure plays an important role in its ranking algorithm. When you use structured data to markup your website, you’re telling search engines what parts of your page are most important—and you’re making it easier for them to crawl and index those parts of your site.
2. Brand Building
Think about brand building if you aren’t sure where to start with structuring your business data or what kind of format you should use. Most people only ever see your company’s logo, name, and slogan.
So if those pieces don’t accurately reflect who you are and what you do, it’s going to be a long time before anyone realizes that there might be something more worth looking into.
Make sure your information is well organized in a way that makes sense for SEO and makes sense for your customers and clients. They should not have to work hard just to find out basic details about your business.
3. Better Mobile Results
Bigger businesses have a distinct advantage in today’s online environment—but that doesn’t mean you can’t play in their ballpark.
Optimizing your website with structured data allows you to rank higher on mobile search results, giving small businesses greater visibility and accessibility. With more website browsers seeking information via their mobile devices, these small changes can make a difference.
Whether you’re a blogger or a brick-and-mortar business, make sure to include schema markup on your website to reach new customers. With structured data, you can use Google to your advantage by putting yourself in front of potential customers searching for exactly what you offer.
4. Better UX Results
Websites that are more mobile-friendly, or in other words, they utilize structured data to create a better user experience (UX), will also perform better in search results. For example, if you’re using data markup to correctly classify your product or business information, it will be easier for users to find you on Google and other search engines.
Today’s search engines are increasingly using site structure, content, and page metadata to provide a more relevant experience for users. Using structured data makes it easier for search engines to parse your website and index its content.
The easier it is for users to find your site on search engines, the better your user reviews and chances of increasing your customer base. Plus, customers who come from organic searches are typically higher quality leads than those from PPC ads.
So while there might be an initial investment involved with getting your website set up with structured data markup, it could pay off big time in the long run.
5. Better Marketing Results and Higher click-through rate (CTR)
One of the biggest advantages of structured data is that it makes it easier for search engines to interpret and read your material. Google also offers structured data markup-enabled websites a boost in search ranks. This increases traffic and gives additional conversion chances.
Additionally, more people will notice and interact with your SERP listing if your CTR is greater. This is especially critical for small firms competing against well-known national brands for customer attention. Because Google frequently displays ratings in search results, they are a quality signal that can increase a company’s click-through rate.
This results in better search engine rankings! A study by Stone Temple Consulting found that sites with schema markup saw an average of 10% higher click-through rates from Google SERPs than those without. That might not sound like much, but when you’re competing against millions of other websites for traffic, every little bit helps.
Final Word
Web results are getting increasingly rich, containing more information than just a website link. It’s critical that you markup your pages correctly for your customers.
It is critical for your SEO efforts and for delivering value to your consumers. This is why structured data should be included in your initiatives. Although it has been a decade since structured data was launched, most businesses are yet to realize its potential. Make sure yours isn’t on the list.