We’ve brought up (repeatedly) that SEO is vital to website health and SMB success in the modern world, but it’s an ever-changing game. There are always new techniques to master, new metrics to watch, and new criteria to fit into your site to make your SERP rankings soar. Schema Markup may seem like just the latest in a long list of SEO fads, but the reality is: this coding tool is changing the foundations of SEO, and it’s here to stay. But what is it, how does it work, and – most importantly – what does it do for your business? The SEO experts at Little Egg are here to break it down for you.

What is Schema Markup?

Schema Markup is a type of structured data provided by Schema.org in partnership with Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and Yandex – the four major search engines we focus on in the SEO industry. Schema Markup is a specialized set of identifying language that helps search engines understand what your content says. It provides more information for Rich Snippets and has a much broader application than Open Graph - with more choices and specific tags - giving you the best possible result to present to search engine users.

How Does Schema Markup Work?

Schema Markup adds specific bits of vocabulary to the HTML code of your pages to create highly informative Rich Snippets. For example, you may want to include a star rating, an event calendar, or the ISBN of your latest novel in your SERP listing. Full recipes, article sections, and even product descriptions are easily indexed into especially helpful results for your keywords. Schema Markup does this by telling search engines more than what your data says; it helps them interpret what your data means, as well.

What Are the Benefits of Schema Markup?

Many SEO techniques focus specifically on improving rankings, and Schema Markup works to this end as well, although indirectly. Schema Markup does not directly influence ranking, but by providing more useful information in your results, click-through rates and time spent on your pages is increased as the user experience for your site improves. These metrics do determine your ranking, and, in fact, are two of the most important factors in SERP assignment. In short, Schema Markup helps users get more from your results, which helps your business to get more visitors and, in turn, more leads and buyers.

Seems confusing, right? Schema Markup may be changing the SEO landscape for the better, but that doesn’t make it easier to implement in your marketing strategy without expert guidance. There’s no denying it: SEO is a difficult aspect of digital marketing that’s hard to understand and even harder to master. Luckily, you don’t have to. Little Egg Solutions is dedicated to providing the best possible SEO service to our clients, and that means staying on top of new trends and techniques so you can do what you do best – run your business. Contact us today to find out more.