A Guide To Structured Data Markup Implementation Methods

A Guide To Structured Data Markup Implementation Methods

Google Adds Structured Data Markup Helper Tool

by Janeth Kent Date: 08-07-2013 google structured data markup implementation helper tool


First of all, what is Structured Data?

The term structured data refers to data that is easily identifiable because it is organized in a structure. The most common form of structured data, or structured data records (SDR), is a database where specific information is stored based on a methodology of columns and rows.

Well, we all know that search engines have a hard time deciphering the content of a web page and elements that might be obvious for humans can be problematic for search engines.

In the context of Search Engine Optimization, structured data is used to assist search engines to identify and properly catalog the information presented on your website.

Implementing structured data will help them understand your content.

Search engines can use this information to generate rich snippets; small pieces of information which appear in the search results.

Rich HTML Snippets are the few lines of text that appear under every search result and are designed to give users a sense for the content on the page and why it’s relevant to their query.

Structured data is extra information that can be added to the HTML markup of a page. There are three types of structured data: microdata, microformats and RDFa. The Structured Data Markup Helper is based on the microdata markup.

How to add some structured data to our page.

Let’s add structured data to our page.

We can use this tool at google.com/webmasters/markup-helper/ or in Google Webmaster Tools under Other Resources > Structured Data Markup Helper.

There are two tabs in the middle of the page: a website and an email tab.

We can use the tool for emails that contain certain types of reservations (more information about structured data in emails can be found in the article Embedding Schemas in Emails).

Then we have to choose between several data types, such as:

  • Articles
  • Events
  • Local businesses
  • Movies
  • Products
  • Restaurants
  • Software applications
  • TV episodes

There are other data types that can be used such as Landmarks, Books, Reviews, etc. but those are not yet available in this tool.

You can find a complete list of all data types can be found on schema.org.

EXAMPLE FOR MA-NO WEB DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT:

In the tool we selected ‘local business’ as a data type and entered the URL of the page I wanted to tag (http://ma-no.org/). Alternatively we could paste a piece of HTML code that can be used for tagging.

Let's Start Tagging

After we click the ‘start tagging’ button, Google will load the page into the tool.

Then, hit the cog wheel and select ‘Settings’. Choose the correct site language and (optionally) a different data format.

Now, on the left we see a  visual representation of the URL, on the right the structured data information. As you can see in the right sidebar, a ‘name’ is required, hence a great starting point for our task.

If you accidentally use the wrong data type or tagged the wrong element, you can remove it by clicking the ‘clear tag’ button.

In case, you can delete all the tagged information by clicking the cog wheel in the top right corner and selecting ‘clear all tags from this page’.

For tags that can’t be highlighted on the page you can use the ‘missing tags’ function.

How to Create the HTML code

Let's  implement the microdata in our code.

Click the ‘create HTML’ button.

Now in the right sidebar we can see the code of the page. The microdata is highlighted, making it easy to quickly see the changes.

Finally, we can download the HTML file via the ‘download’ button.

This file can be used as a guide to help you implement structured data on your website.

 

 

 

 
by Janeth Kent Date: 08-07-2013 google structured data markup implementation helper tool hits : 5746  
 
Janeth Kent

Janeth Kent

Licenciada en Bellas Artes y programadora por pasión. Cuando tengo un rato retoco fotos, edito vídeos y diseño cosas. El resto del tiempo escribo en MA-NO WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT.

 
 
 

Related Posts

Optimizing the Robots.txt file for Google

The Robots.txt file serves to give information to Googlebot and other robots that crawl the Internet about the pages and files that should be indexed on our website. Although it…

Are you being floCed by Google?

No panic! Don't be alarmed, because it may sound worse than it is. But since Google doesn't seem to have any intention of communicating it properly, it's up to the…

Parental controls on Android: how to make mobiles and tablets child-friendly

Despite all the good things about them, mobile devices can expose your children to content that they're better off not seeing. The good news is that your Android phone or…

Interesting and Helpful Google Search Features You’ll Want to Start Using

Google – THE search engine for many internet users. It has been with us since its launch back in 1998 and thanks to its simplicity of use and genius algorithms,…

Google Maps updates and now shows gas prices at gas stations

Any help, no matter how small, that can make our daily life easier is welcome; for example, Google Maps has allowed us to move from one corner to another is…

Cumulative Layout Shift, what is and How to optimize CLS

Cumulative Layout Shift, one of the new Core Web Vitals metrics,  is the first metric that focuses on user experience beyond performance. Unexpected movement of web page content is a major…

Validating HTML forms using BULMA and vanilla JavaScript

Today we are going to write about contact forms and how to validate them using JavaScript. The contact form seems to be one of the top features of every basic home…

The best free tools for linkbuilding

Linkbuilding is one of the main factors in improving the SEO positioning of a page. Having a profile of inbound links from pages with great authority can mean the difference…

SEO: How to find and remove artificial links

At Ma-no we are aware of the importance of a good linkbuilding strategy in order to achieve success with a website. Links are key to placing a website among the top…

Google everywhere: anatomy of a massive giant

The alarm clock is going off. A hand floats over the bedside table groping for the source of the sound: probably a cell phone and maybe one of the more than…

What's the Difference between Google TV and Android TV?

At the end of September, Google launched the renewal of its classic dongle. The new Google Chromecast didn't arrive alone, but added two very important innovations compared to the devices…

How to prevent your neighbor from hacking your Chromecast

Google Chromecast was born as a device to add Smart TV features to those that were not yet Smart TV, and with WiFi connectivity as one of the key features…