What Exactly Is Schema?
Structured data is a big topic, but we aren’t going to get into the technical nitty-gritty. If you’re interested in that, we recommend checking out schema.org or this guide on schema from BrightLocal.
An easy way to understand schema is by thinking of it like sticky notes on your website. These notes tell Google what something is, where it belongs, and how it relates to your website. Here is an easy illustration that shows a few common structured data points.
How Does Schema Work on Your Website?
You put some important piece of information on your website, like the city your business is located in.
Let’s say your company is in Elm Grove. You’ll want to give Google every chance to pick up on that so they can refer customers in the area.
With all the code and content on your website, however, Google’s software could read “Elm Grove” in a bunch of different ways. For example, it could interpret that phrase as a grove of elm trees or a town called Elm Grove in another state.
Even if Google does understand the phrase as Elm Grove, Wisconsin, it’s automated search software might not necessarily know which of the following meanings is most accurate:
- The city where you are located
- A city where you’ve done work before
- The city where your founder was born
- The city where your business started but is no longer located
- A city where you are trying to find customers even though you aren’t anywhere close
With a schema “sticky note” label attached to Elm Grove, Google now understands it as the physical address for your local business. Now, it can start to match you with the appropriate searchers. This eliminates misunderstandings and makes your website a more trustworthy search result.
By the way, if you think that example is a complicated one just imagine what Google could make of something like this: 4143255165. Now start to think about all the other pieces of important content on your website that could be interpreted in many different ways.
Your online marketing is too important to leave to chance. That’s why we spend months researching topics like schema so you don’t have to worry about falling behind the competition.
Learn More From a Professional
Has it been a while since you’ve discussed your overall website and marketing strategy? Even if you aren’t interested in SEO, it’s important that you look over your digital marketing a few times a year. This allows you to check in and see what else you could be doing to help your business grow.
Looking for help? Visit our website to learn about our strategy to get websites to be among the top results of Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Just give us a call at 414-208-0700 or fill out our contact form and we’ll set up a time to check in and discuss your current strategy. Our office is conveniently located in Milwaukee, near Wauwatosa, just a few blocks south of Mount Mary University.
