Schema markup is code that you place on your website to help the search engines return more informative results for users.
With schema markup, some of that content gets indexed and returned in a different way. Because the markup tells the search engine what that content means. For example, let’s say the word “Neil Patel” appears in an article. The search engine sees this, and produces a SERP entry with “Neil Patel.” However, if you put the right schema markup around the name “Neil Patel,” you’ve just told that search engine that “Neil Patel” is the author of the article,
Websites that use schema markup will rank better in the SERPs than companies without markup. One study determined that websites with markup rank an average of four positions higher in the SERPs.
There are three formats of schema markups are common in the most popular search engines.
- JSON-LD
- Microdata
- RDFa
Why is Schema Markup Important?
Schema markup helps your website rank better for all content types. There is markup for different types of data, including:
- Articles
- Local businesses
- Restaurants
- TV episodes and ratings
- Book reviews
- Movies
- Software applications
- Events
- Products
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
There are hundreds of markup types!
9 Most Common Markup Types
Organisation Schema Markup
The Organisation schema markup introduces a company, including its official name, logo, contact info, location and social profiles.
Example: (search: Oracle; organisation: Oracle; using JSON-LD)
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{“@context” : “http://schema.org”,
“@type” : “Organization”,
“name” : “Oracle Corporation”,
“url” : “https://www.oracle.com/index.html”,
“logo”: “https://www.oracle.com/webfolder/s/brand/assets/i/specimens/identity/logo/primary-badge.gif”,
“sameAs”:[
“https://www.facebook.com/Oracle”,”https://www.twitter.com/Oracle”,”https://plus.google.com/+Oracle”,”https://www.linkedin.com/company/oracle”,”https://www.instagram.com/oracle/”,”https://www.youtube.com/user/Oracle”],
“contactPoint” : [
{ “@type” : “ContactPoint”,
“telephone” : “+1-800-392-2999”,
“contactType” : “customer service”,
“contactOption” : “TollFree”,
“areaServed” : “US”} ,
{“@type” : “ContactPoint”,
“telephone” : “+1-800-223-1711”,
“contactType” : “technical support”,
“contactOption” : “TollFree” ,
“areaServed” : “US”} ,
{“@type” : “ContactPoint”,
“telephone” : “+1-800-633-0738”,
“contactType” : “sales”,
“contactOption” : “TollFree” ,
“areaServed” : “US”} ]
}
</script>
Schema Person Markup
The Schema person markup lists an individual’s details, such as name, birthdate, address, education and family members.
Example: (Mark Zuckerberg; organisation: Facebook; using: JSON-LD)
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{“\u0040context”:”http:\/\/schema.org”,”\u0040type”:”Person”,
“name”:”Mark Zuckerberg”,
“jobTitle”:”Founder and CEO”,
“address”:{“\u0040type”:”PostalAddress”,
“addressLocality”:”Palo Alto, California”},
“affiliation”:[{“\u0040type”:”Organization”,
“name”:”Chan Zuckerberg Initiative”},
{“\u0040type”:”Organization”,
“name”:”Facebook”}]}
</script>Schema Local Business Markup
The Schema local business markup is especially for a local company or a local branch of an organisation. It helps consumers easily find the company’s location and other info, as it features the address, opening hours, menu, contact info etc.
Business action property, including order action and reserve action, enables businesses to provide more information and to encourage users to “complete the action”.
Example: (Search: Boston urgent care; organisation: Mass General Brigham Urgent Care -Boston Common; using: microdata)
<div class=”center-address” itemprop=”address” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/PostalAddress”> <div itemprop=”streetAddress”> <p>1285 Beacon St </p> <p>Brookline, MA 02446</p> <span itemprop=”addressLocality” style=”display: none;”>Boston, MA</span> </div> </div>
Schema Product & Offer Markup
The Product and Offer markups are mainly for selling an item or a service, and both enable product information, such as price and status to appear on SERP. However, the Offer markup also requires the “price” and “price currency” properties while the Product only requires “name” property.
Example: (search: Outdoormaster ski goggles; organisation: Outdoor Master; using: microdata)
<div class=”section product_section clearfix thumbnail_position–bottom-thumbnails product_slideshow_animation–none” data-thumbnail=”bottom-thumbnails” data-slideshow-animation=”none” data-slideshow-speed=”6″ itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Product”> <h1 class=”product_name” itemprop=”name”>Ski Goggles PRO</h1> <p class=”sku”> <span itemprop=”sku”>600164</span> </p> <div class=”description” itemprop=”description”> <meta charset=”utf-8″> <ul class=”a-unordered-list a-vertical a-spacing-none”> <li><span class=”a-list-item”>PERFORMANCE SKI GOGGLES WITH FRAMELESS DESIGN</span></li> <li><span class=”a-list-item”>INTERCHANGEABLE LENS SYSTEM</span></li> <li><span class=”a-list-item”>OTG (OVER-THE-GLASSES) DESIGN</span></li> <li>UNIVERSAL HELMET COMPATIBILITY</li> <li><span class=”a-list-item”>WHAT YOU GET: 1 x OutdoorMaster Goggles PRO, 1 x Protective Case, 1 x Carrying Pouch</span></li> </ul> <ul class=”a-unordered-list a-vertical a-spacing-none”></ul> </div> <p class=”modal_price” itemprop=”offers” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Offer”> <meta itemprop=”priceCurrency” content=”USD” /> <meta itemprop=”seller” content=”OutdoorMaster.com” /> <link itemprop=”availability” href=”http://schema.org/InStock”> <meta itemprop=”itemCondition” content=”New” /> <span class=”sold_out”></span> <span itemprop=”price” content=”49.99″ class=””> <span class=”current_price “> <span class=”money”><span class=money>$49.99</span></span> </span> </span> <span class=”was_price”> </span> </p> </div>
Breadcrumbs Markup
BreadcrumbList schema markup lists the path links that lead to the current page where it usually ends up with. It helps users view their location, and it is useful for reducing bounce rates.
Example: (search: Universal Studios Hollywood price; organisation: Time; using JSON-LD)
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{“@context”:”http://schema.org”,
“@type”:”BreadcrumbList”,
“itemListElement”:[{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:1,”item”:{“@id”:”http://time.com/money/section/travel/”,”name”:”Travel”,”image”:null}},
{“@type”:”ListItem”,”position”:2,”item”:{“@id”:”http://time.com/money/tag/tourism/”,”name”:”Tourism”,”image”:null}}]}
</script>Schema Article Markup
<script type="application/ld+json">
{"@context": "http://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"alternativeHeadline": "Not too late to call off strikes, PM says, as country braces for 'very substantial disruption'",
"mainEntityOfPage": {"@type": "WebPage","url": "/story/strikes-likely-to-go-ahead-minister-says-as-he-warns-public-to-prepare-for-substantial-disruption-12637170"},"wordCount": "777","inLanguage": "en-GB","genre": "politics",
"publisher": {"@type": "Organization","@id": "#Publisher","name": "Sky",
"logo": {"@type": "ImageObject","@id": "#Logo","url": "https://news.sky.com/assets/sky-news-logo.svg?v=1","width": "255","height": "60"}},
"headline": "Not too late to call off rail strikes, Boris Johnson says, as country braces for 'very substantial disruption'","description": "","dateline": "London, UK","copyrightHolder": {"@id":"#Publisher"},
"author": {"@type": "Person","name": "John-Paul Ford Rojas","sameAs": "https://news.sky.com/author/john-paul-fordrojas-725" },
"datePublished": "2022-06-20T07:20:00","dateModified": "2022-06-20T11:17:00","dateCreated": "2022-06-20T07:20:00",
"image": {"@type": "ImageObject","url": "https://e3.365dm.com/22/06/2048x1152/skynews-rail-strikes-traffic_5810187.jpg","width": 2048,"height": 1152 } ,
"url":"/story/strikes-likely-to-go-ahead-minister-says-as-he-warns-public-to-prepare-for-substantial-disruption-12637170" }
</script>Video Schema Markup
It is still tough for search engines to crawl video content. Adding VideoObject markup is a good way to help Google crawl and index the video on your website, and helps your video appear in Google Video Search.
Example: (search: handmade Christmas gifts; organisation: Darby Smart; using: microdata)
<div class=”project-video-block flex-col flex-center” itemprop=”video” itemscope=”” itemtype=”http://schema.org/VideoObject” data-reactid=”32″> <meta itemprop=”name” content=”How to Stamp Silver Spoons” data-reactid=”33″/> <meta itemprop=”description” content=”How to Stamp Silver Spoons” data-reactid=”34″/> <meta itemprop=”contentUrl” content=”https://videos.darbysmart.com/videos-extended/mp4/149ff088-1bb2-441a-ac7a-8d2d90bfa94c/v4_dl.mp4?1482387640.32224″ data-reactid=”35″/> <meta itemprop=”thumbnailURL” content=”https://assets1.darbysmart.com/project_photos/photos/000/000/867/large/Stamped-Silver-Spoons-Lifestyle-2.jpg?1425429629″ data-reactid=”36″/> <meta itemprop=”duration” content=”T30S” data-reactid=”37″/> <meta itemprop=”uploadDate” content=”2016-06-13T23:51:14.404983″ data-reactid=”38″/> </div>
Event Schema Markup
The Event schema markup provides extra information for concerts, lectures, webinars, festivals such as date, location, and price.
Example: (search: Marshmello concert; organisation: Songkick; using: JSON-LD)
<script type="application/ld+json">
[{"@context":"http://schema.org",
"@type":"MusicEvent",
"name":"Marshmello",
"url":"https://www.songkick.com/festivals/1034473-rbc-ottawa-bluesfest/id/40282998-rbc-ottawa-bluesfest-2022?utm_medium=organic\u0026utm_source=microformat","image":"media/profile_images/events/40282998/huge_avatar",
"location":{"@type":"Place",
"address":{"@type":"PostalAddress",
"addressLocality":"Ottawa",
"addressCountry":"Canada",
"addressRegion":"ON",
"streetAddress":"1 Vimy Pl.",
"postalCode":"K1R 1C2"},
"name":"LeBreton Flats",
"sameAs":null,
"geo":{"@type":"GeoCoordinates","latitude":45.41719,"longitude":-75.71683}},"eventStatus":"https://schema.org/EventScheduled","startDate":"2022-07-07","endDate":"2022-07-17",
"performer":[{"@type":"MusicGroup","name":"Marshmello",
"sameAs":"https://www.songkick.com/artists/8613384-marshmello?utm_medium=organic\u0026utm_source=microformat"}],"description":"Marshmello at LeBreton Flats at 2022-07-07",
"offers":[{"@type":"Offer","url":"http://www.songkick.com/festivals/1034473-rbc-ottawa-bluesfest/id/40282998-rbc-ottawa-bluesfest-2022?utm_medium=organic\u0026utm_source=microformat"}]}]
</script>Recipe Schema Markup
- prep time, cook time, total-time or ingredients
- Image
- nutrition information
- Review
Example: (search: steak recipe; organization: Myrecipes; using: JSON-LD)
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{“@context”:”http://schema.org”,
“@type”:”Recipe”,
“name”:”Pan-Seared Strip Steak”,
“image”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”http://cdnimage.myrecipes.com/sites/default/files/styles/4_3_horizontal__1200x900/public/image/recipes/ck/1/04/seared-strip-steak-ckx.jpg?itok=2ukHtBa3″,”width”:420,”height”:315},
“datePublished”:”2011-03-10T19:56:59.000Z”,
prepTime”:null,
“totalTime”:”PT51M”,
“recipeYield”:”6 servings (serving size: 3 ounces beef and 3/4 teaspoon buttermixture)”,
“recipeIngredient”:[“2 (12-ounce) lean, grass-fed New York strip steaks”,”1 teaspoon kosher salt”,”3/4 teaspoon black pepper”,”1 tablespoon olive oil”,”2 tablespoons butter”,”2 thyme sprigs”,”2 garlic cloves, crushed”],
“recipeInstructions”:” Let steaks stand 30 minutes at room temperature. Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over steaks. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add steaks to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-low; add butter, thyme, and garlic to pan. Carefully grasp pan handle using an oven mitt or folded dish towel. Tilt pan toward you so butter pools; cook 1 1/2 minutes, basting steaks with butter constantly. Remove steaks from pan; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 minutes. Reserve butter mixture. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Discard thyme and garlic; spoon reserved butter mixture over steak.”,
“author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Robin Bashinsky”}],
“aggregateRating”:{“@type”:”AggregateRating”,”ratingValue”:”5″,”reviewCount”:”26″,”itemReviewed”:”Pan-Seared Strip Steak”,”bestRating”:”5″,”worstRating”:”1″},
“nutrition”:{“@type”:”NutritionInformation”,”calories”:”197″,”carbohydrateContent”:”0.3 g”,”cholesterolContent”:”73 mg”,”fatContent”:”10.2 g”,”fiberContent”:”0.0 g”,”proteinContent”:”26.3 g”,”saturatedFatContent”:”4.4 g”,”servingSize”:null,”sodiumContent”:”410 mg”,”sugarContent”:null,”transFatContent”:null,”unsaturatedFatContent”:null}
</script>Other Schema Markups
There are also other Schema markups for different websites. For example, Schema software application markup enables app rich snippets and the Site navigation schema markup gives users and search engines a clear site structure, which can impact organic site links.
Some schema markups highlight a feature of other schemas, like the Rating schema. It evaluates a business on a numeric scale and fits in multiple businesses, either e-commerce sites or local business sites.
Use Google Structured Data Testing Tool to check your schema markup before you implement it. If you didn’t follow Google’s guideline, you would be considered as Spammy Structure Markup, which will affect your website in search results.
