What is structured data?

May 11, 2023 | by NeSEO

Content is indeed king, but it is often the content that you don’t see that makes the biggest difference to the visibility of your website.

Structured data is the unsung hero of the search engine optimisation (SEO) world. But what is structured data and how it can benefit your website’s SEO? Here we answer those very questions so your business can make the most of structured data and the many advantages it unlocks.

An introduction to structured data

Put simply, structured data is utilised to describe each and every page of your website in a language that search engines, like Google, can understand.

By describing your website using the vocabulary set out by Schema – a universally recognised format for structured data - the content visible to browsers on each page can be translated successfully and succinctly into code to influence how the search engines see, read and display your website and its pages.

In short, structured data talks directly to search engines to communicate exactly what your pages are about.

Structured data is NOT a ranking factor

Despite the use of structured data unlocking a long list of positives in search, it is in fact NOT a ranking factor. It is however extremely beneficial to SEO and can help to display your pages in the search results for better visibility and engagement.

By adding structured data to your website, you can enjoy rich snippets where information is pulled into search to visually enhance your results. With a more informative snippet to promote your page and/or product, you are more likely to get the click-throughs your business desires.

Indexing is also made easier with structured data. Search engines will be able to find and serve better, richer results with your help, which means more helpful, relevant results for browsers.

Adding structured data to your website

Using structured data to optimise and organise your website for better visibility in search requires some technical knowledge. Thankfully, our team is here to help you add structured data to your website.

With our assistance, you can educate the search engines on what your website is all about. The structured data added will ensure featured snippets, rich snippets, knowledge boxes and carousels can be accessed for visually enhanced search results that support your business and satisfy your customer base.

For further information about the advantages of incorporating structured data into your website, please contact our team today.