More traffic through Googles structured data
Search queries and results must, of course, fit together as well as possible. The search engines evaluate the content of the website and thus link the matching pages with the corresponding queries. Important in this context are the so-called structured data. These provide the search engine with the necessary data to make an exact assessment of the content.
WHAT IS STRUCTURED DATA?
This data is hidden information created specifically for the bots of search engines. It is attached to the HTML code of a page and gives concrete information about the content of the page.
It is mainly a matter of cataloguing the type of content and thus enabling it to be allocated. For example, the structured data of a contact page indicates that telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and opening hours can be found here.
There is a fixed format in which the structured data must be stored. Administrators can choose between three different variants. In addition to JSON-LD, which Google says should be preferred, these are RDFa and microdata. The latter two are extensions of HTML. The structured data is usually inserted in the header of the page. They are invisible to the actual website visitor. However, they are displayed on the Search Engine Result Page of the search engine, e.g. by Google.
HOW DOES STRUCTURED DATA CHANGE SEARCH RESULTS?
Structured data actually has an impact on the search results. The information entered in this block can be displayed on the results page. To do this, however, they must comply with the guidelines for structured data. Google has created a list of rules about this. This includes both technical and qualitative requirements.
This advanced information, which is visible in connection with search results, is what Google calls rich snippets. Rich search results provide a variety of options for displaying advanced information. One way is to customize your search results for a specific industry. This allows hotels and restaurants to create an individual rich snippet associated with the industry. The rich snippet displays information about the hotel's ratings below the URL. This eye-catching star display allows Internet users to quickly recognize how good the provider is. Such a rating scheme is available for many industries. In principle, all service providers and online shops can integrate ratings into their search results. Ratings can be used that are publicly posted and currently accessible.
Structured data can also be used to classify website content as blog posts or news. This also changes the way search results are displayed. In the preview, any existing image is displayed and on the Search Engine Result Page it is immediately visible how old the article is. It is therefore possible for Internet users to judge immediately how up-to-date the article is. Similarly, the categorization works as a recipe. The search result then shows a small preview image and, if available, the ratings. Even the number of calories can be displayed on the search result page. The user thus receives all important information directly via the search engine.
Another option to influence the search results page are the sitelinks. This feature has been available through Google for some time. In the past, however, website operators had to deposit these directly with Google in the Search Console. Since 2016, sitelinks have been generated via the structured data. This function displays the directory structure of the website together with the search result. The sitelinks are located directly below the actual link. Users will see this comprehensive result when they search for the name of the website or company. From the Search Engine Result Page it is then possible to either access the main page normally or jump directly to one of the subpages.
Another way to reveal structured data is to implement a search box. This is displayed on the results page of the search engine, below the brief information about the page. Users access the corresponding page directly via the search box. Only this page is then searched with the search terms. The matching results are then opened on the target page.
The display of the web address can also be optimized. Pages without structured data display the known URL here. This is often not very meaningful. It is more organizationally oriented and therefore less user-friendly. Structured data makes it possible to map the structure of the page instead of the URL. In this way, the user can see at a glance whether he is calling up a blog, web shop or another page, for example.
HOW DOES STRUCTURED DATA INCREASE TRAFFIC?
There are two mechanisms for structured data to increase traffic. On the one hand, structured data improves the position of a website on the Search Engine Result Page. The Search Engine Result Page - or SERP for short - displays the results of an individual search. Studies show that the first results in particular attract the most attention. It is therefore important to be rated as relevant by Google and other search engines. However, most websites contain too much information to be clearly indexed by the Google bot. The structured data, on the other hand, provides the search engine with exact data. This makes it easier to associate it with a specific search term. As a result, structured data can improve the position of a website on the SERP.
On the other hand, the click rate is demonstrably increased by the presentation of rich search results. Websites that customize search results achieve a higher reach. Studies have shown that Internet users look hardly more than a second at the individual results of the Search Engine Result Page. In this short time, the decision is made whether the website is interesting or whether the searched information is available. This makes it all the more important to arouse interest with this small block and to act professionally.
Die strukturierten Daten können aber auch die Sichtbarkeit auf der Search Engine Result Page selbst verbessern. Ohne den Einsatz strukturierter Daten sind alle Suchergebnisse gleich aufgebaut. Ihnen steht außerdem der gleiche Platz zur Verfügung. Somit heben sich die einzelnen Ergebnisse optisch nicht voneinander ab.
With the sitelinks, for example, this is fundamentally changed. By the representation of several results the block which belongs to this web page also enlarges. With this simple method a website can increase the space for its own presentation on the Search Engine Result Page by a factor of three or four. This will draw more attention of search engine users to their own offer.
INTEGRATE STRUCTURED DATA ON YOUR OWN WEBSITE
In principle, structured data can be added to a website at any time. It only requires minor corrections to the code of the individual pages.
The actual content remains unaffected by the changes. Nevertheless, certain skills are necessary to implement the structured data according to the specifications. If the strict guidelines are not met, the search engines ignore the information. This is one of the reasons why many website operators do not use the structured data. However, a lot of potential is wasted here. Especially since the structured data is not widely used, it is an easy way to stand out from the competition. It is above all the large web portals and specialised IT sites that use structured data. GAL Digital regularly integrates structured data for customers. In this context, the website is identified and catalogued accordingly. In this way, the reach of websites is increased, more traffic is generated and the standing of a company in its sector is improved. Contact GAL Digital to find out how structured data can help your business.