In the expansive digital landscape, standing out amidst the sea of competitors is crucial for any e-commerce business.
An essential tactic to achieve this prominence is by leveraging structured data. Structured data, or Schema markup, enhances your website’s visibility to search engines, ensuring your e-commerce site communicates effectively with search algorithms.
This post unpacks the process of applying structured data to your e-commerce site.
1. Understand Structured Data
Structured data is a standardised format used to provide information about a page and classify its content. It uses a specific vocabulary, Schema.org, that search engines comprehend easily. Structured data enhances your website’s SEO by facilitating search engines in understanding your site’s content, thereby improving your visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).
2. Types of Structured Data for E-commerce Sites
E-commerce websites can use several types of structured data:
- Product Schema: Provides detailed information about a product, including its name, image, description, SKU, and ratings.
- Price Schema: Displays the product price.
- Availability Schema: Indicates whether a product is in stock, sold out, or available for pre-order.
- Review Schema: Showcases customer reviews and ratings for a product.
3. How to Implement Structured Data
Structured data can be implemented in three ways: JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa. However, Google recommends using JSON-LD for structured data whenever possible. Here’s how:
Step 1: Create the JSON-LD Script
Use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper tool to create the JSON-LD script for your e-commerce product pages. The tool guides you through highlighting and tagging different elements of your product page.
Step 2: Insert the Script in Your Page’s HTML
Once you have the JSON-LD script, insert it into the HTML code of your product page. It typically goes into the head section of your page.
Step 3: Validate Your Markup
After adding the structured data, use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to ensure that the markup has been implemented correctly.
4. Use Structured Data with Google Merchant Centre
If you use Google Merchant Centre, structured data can enhance your product visibility in Google Shopping results. Simply add the correct structured data to your product pages and validate it using Google’s tools.
5. Monitor Your Structured Data
Once you have implemented structured data, you can get the help of a Sydney SEO expert and professional monitor its performance using Google Search Console’s Enhancement reports.
These reports help you understand how your structured data is assisting in your site’s visibility and where improvements can be made.
Incorporating structured data for your e-commerce site paves the way for improved search engine visibility, higher click-through rates, and ultimately, increased conversions.
By adopting the strategies outlined above, businesses can unlock the full potential of their e-commerce sites, delivering a more enriching user experience and gaining a competitive edge in the digital market.
