Introduction to Schema.org markup for SEO

What you need to know about Schema.org markup

• Schema markup makes it easier for search engines to understand page content
• Any details in schema markup must also be visible on the page
• Use a markup generator to save time, or modify existing structured data
• Put schema in the <code>&lt;head&gt;</code> [BEST option] or <code>&lt;body&gt;</code> tag of the page it describes
• Verify with Google's Rich Results Test before & after publishing

Schema.org markup (aka structured data) is a type of microdata that helps search engines better understand web page content. JSON-LD (Javascript Object Notation for Linked Objects) is the preferred format and is understood by all search engines.

Search engines are good at figuring out what websites are about, but they’re not perfect. Providing structured data tells search engines exactly what your web content includes. Using schema markup helps search engines crawl your site more efficiently and deliver more informative results to searchers. Correctly implemented schema.org markup also makes web pages eligible for rich results on SERPs, which can increase visibility, improve rankings and boost CTR (click-through rate).

Examples of the most common types of schema include:

• WebSite 
• Organization 
• BreadcrumbList 
• LocalBusiness
• Product
• Review
• VideoObject
• JobPosting
• HowTo
• FAQPage
• Recipe
• Event
• Article

Creating schema.org markup

1. Read Google’s developer pages that explain how structured data works and provide technical and quality guidelines for structured data. 
2. Don’t include information in your structured data that isn’t visible to users (i.e. the HTML body must contain the same details specified in the schema).
3. Don’t display different schema markup based on user detection. Google considers this manipulative behavior. Schema markup should remain the same for all users in all locations.
4. When creating multiple schema types for a single page, you can nest them or specify each item individually.
5. Use a schema markup generator to save time, or grab some already existing structured data and modify it.
6. Use Google’s Rich Results Test to validate structured data before and after publishing. 
7. Do not copy and paste schema markup from a Word document or Google doc directly into your website. Those formats use curly quotes that will break the code. 

Implementing schema.org markup

• JSON-LD structured data snippets can be placed in the <code>&lt;head&gt;</code> [BEST option] or <code>&lt;body&gt;</code> tag as a JavaScript notation embedded in a <code>&lt;script&gt;</code> tag.
• Always put structured data on the page it describes, not sitewide.
• Don’t make empty pages just to hold structured data.
• All image URLs on a page with structured data must be indexable.
• Canonicals and duplicate (canonicalized) pages all get structured data.