Schema markup is a relatively new concept that has been designed to give more context to your content and help you place better on search engines. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll answer five questions to help you build a better understanding of what Schema markup is and how you can use this to boost your WordPress website.
What is Schema Markup?
Schema markup is a type of microdata added to your web pages to provide context to search engines and help them to rank your pages accordingly. Essentially, Schema markup serves four main purposes – these are:
1. To help search engines index your site correctly
2. To make your site stand out visually against other pages ranking for particular search terms
3. To help readers find the content they’re looking for
4. To add context to your links and content
What’s the Difference Between Schema and SEO?
SEO is all about rankings and visibility, but there is currently no evidence that adding microdata through Schema can have a direct impact on the organic search rankings of your site. While Schema does optimize your pages and posts and helps your content to appear in more relevant SERPs, it doesn’t inherently increase your natural rankings like SEO.
What are the Schema Markup Types?
Schema comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and will depend on the content you’re sharing and the parts you want your audience to focus on the most. Popular types of Schema include:
1. Product
2. Video
3. Events
4. Recipes
5. Blog posts/articles
6. Local business
How to Add Schema Markup to WordPress?
You can add Schema markup to your WordPress website through plugins or by adding the code manually. Popular plugins for adding Schema markup include Yoast SEO, All In One Schema Rich Snippets, Schema App Structured Data, Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP, and Schema Pro.
Why Add Schema Markup to Your WordPress Site?
The top reasons for adding Schema markup to your WordPress site are:
1. Structuring your data helps your WordPress site to better communicate with search engines and therefore become more visible on relevant SERPs
2. With a better understanding of your content, search engines like Google can serve better results to its users
3. Microdata such as rich snippets, thumbnails and ratings are proven to increase the click-through rate to your website, which can lead to a boost in high-quality traffic
4. By adding structured data you can future-proof your content as more and more search-related technology is created
In conclusion, Schema markup is a valuable tool for making your WordPress site more visible on search engines. By adding structured data to your pages and posts, you can improve the context of your content and drive more high-quality traffic to your site.
