Is Schema Any Good for SEO? (And Why)

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I had an interesting discussion recently about schema and as you probably know it's one of the most debated items in SEO. Why? because we cannot really measure it's impact in isolation, but isn't a lot of things in SEO like that?

I've seen an interesting experiment circulating on Linkedin where someone tested a page with no content but schema markup in the code, and guess what? nothing happened.

I don't think schema is a ranking factor the same as title tags for example. But it helps in improving your chances of performing better in search.

And that's basically what I will be discussing today, is schema good for SEO?

[Also, check out my previous newsletter: Is schema useful for LLMs?]

TL;DR

• Yes schema is useful for SEO
• Schema isn’t a direct ranking factor, but you can think of it as a way to get more ROI from your SEO efforts
• Google still finds schema useful for it's search engine
• Schema is important to confirm your brand and entity information in search and to influence how you appear in search (which can impact your CTR)
  

Is schema useful for SEO

Yes schema is useful for SEO for helping search engines better understand your content, and for influencing how your website URLs appear in search and therefore potentially impacting your CTR.

So think of schema as a way to get more bang for your buck, as it helps maximize the impact of your existing SEO efforts.

Simple and straightforward answer right? Let's look at some examples!

How schema influences search appearance

This is one of the most overlooked benefits of using schema. I guess for so many SEOs it's just about "are we ranking or not"... what if you are ranking but could get more ROI from your ranking?

Without doubt, having a featured results (like an image or so) can help you capture more attention in search. Schema helps you influence how your content appears in search.

Website Schema

Website Schema is a very useful - yet often neglected - schema as it can influence the Site Name that appears in search results. Google also often references the name specified in this schema tag and displays it directly in the SERPs.

I worked on a website we were not happy about how the brand name was appearing in SERPs. Something like "Buzz Feed" instead of the correct "Buzzfeed". Maybe this is a small issue, but I assure you, you can come across more advanced uses cases.

Organization Schema

I hear you saying "Why is organization schema important Sara? It's a total waste of time"

Organization schema should be a standard practice in my opinion. You should automatically add it to a website homepage (some say the about page). Why?

• Adding organization schema can impact how your brand appears in autocomplete (did you know that?)
• Organization schema can also impact the information that appears about your website in search and in knowledge panel. Here's what Google documentation says about site logo for example:
  • "You can specify which image that you want Google to use for your organization's logo in Search results and your Google knowledge panel. To do this, add Organization structured data to your official website that identifies the location of your preferred logo."

and that's just a small example. Machines love confirming the information they already know about it, and organization schema helps you do just that.

Product and Product Group Schema

Just last year (Feb 2024) Google rolled out Product variant structured data (ProductGroup, Product).

Give me one good reason why Google would roll more schema for products if there was no value whatsoever in adding it to your website?

I could list plenty more examples of different schema types and their use cases, but I think the ones above are enough to get you started on your own schema exploration journey!

And That’s a Wrap (Almost 😄)

Schema is important for SEO, but in my opinion having an open mind and building your own conclusions based on tests and observations is even more important!

That's that for today folks and see you next newsletter!

Disclaimer: LLMs were used to assist in wording and phrasing this blog.

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