What is Microdata markup code and how could your website benefit from using it?
Basically, microdata is "hidden HTML code" that can be inserted in web pages. Microdata is also commonly referred to as structured data or Schema Markup code.
Major search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing use Microdata to help better understand website content and use it to provide the best possible results for search engine users.
Depending on the type of web page, blog, local business, or eCommerce website, search engines will use Schema Microdata provided and display additional information directly in search results. A few very common examples of data that can be displayed in search results include product price, product reviews, overall company rating, in-stock quantity available, product availability, the number of reviews votes, and upcoming events.
Learn more about structured data and microdata: What is microdata?
What are the most important SEO benefits related to using Microdata?
There are many SEO related benefits related to using Schema Markup code or “microdata.” It helps to play an important role for websites and eCommerce businesses that leverage the opportunity of using Microdata markup code to stand out in search results, increase page rank, and (CTR) improve click-through rate.
Displaying this information in search results helps get into the mind of potential customers, clients, and visitors, while they are still in the process of searching at Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
For eCommerce based companies, when Microdata is used to display additional product details like a crumb trail, price, and reviews in search results. In most cases, the result can be a drastic increase in visitor engagement.
"Most websites that use Microdata experience a much better CTR and an improved bounce rate."
It’s important to understand that Schema Markup is not just for eCommerce businesses!
Many other types of websites, including local businesses, can benefit from using structured data to help with search engine optimization.
The most common structured markup data used by local businesses to help with SEO and
enhance how site links are displayed in search results include:
Logo
Name
Address
Telephone
Description
Structured data is also able to be used to provide additional information about:
Creative Work
An Organization
A Person
A Place
Services
Blogs
News
Books
Events
Food
Votes
Ratings
and much more...
How does Microdata help to improve the CTR and bounce rate?
Bounce rate is defined as the percentage of visitors that navigate away from a website after viewing only one page.
Recently Google started to hint at the fact that Microdata and other forms of Markup Schema are currently used in their algorithm as a ranking factor.
For example, when a search engine user queries a search at Google.com, sites that use Microdata are more likely to rank better in the search results. This is only the beginning of the good news about the recent changes made by Google for sites that use Microdata markup code!
Consider this fact: Only a very small percentage of sites currently use Microdata.
When search results are displayed for pages that use Microdata, relevant information is provided to search engine users right on the search engine results page. This offers additional useful insight within the search results before users even select a link to click.
For example, if you are searching online for a company that allows anyone to create and design custom buttons online, you would see the results displayed below.
View the live search results provided below by going to Google.com then search for 1" custom buttons
Take note of how the first organic results listed at Google are both for Pure Buttons, and they display an average rating of 4.9 out of 5-Stars, however the top result in the screen-shot above displays 273 reviews, while the second result displays over 1,500 reviews.
*This is because the first result displays reviews related to the product page and the second result displays the combined review results related the product category.
Notice how both of these results also use eCommerce microdata from schema.org to display the product price range?
The custom buttons and promotional products available to order online at Pure Buttons do not have a fixed price, they offer price quantity discounts, to account for this INSYTE used eCommerce microdata to display the price range of the product/s for sale on the page.
The examples above allow search engine users to gain valuable insight into what others thought about their experience after ordering 1-inch custom buttons from Pure Buttons.
Not only does using Microdata help to increase the visibility of the PureButtons.com, but chances are that search engine users will select and click one of these links, then further interact with the site, rather than going back to Google and continuing to search for a different company to buy custom buttons from.
This is because the high rating score for this product, combined with the number of reviews listed from past customers, will help build trust and a positive feeling before potential new customers engage by clicking links in search results.
After a new visitor engages; case-study data from many sources proclaims that these type of visitors are more likely to lead to a much higher conversion rate for new visitors, as well as improving conversions related to return visitor traffic.
Why is Microdata so important to SEO and acquiring new streams of organic traffic?
The following article is part 2 of this series, which gets into more detail about how microdata markup schema can help your online business or eCommerce website acquire new streams of quality traffic and improve sales.
How we can help your business at Google by using Microdata:
Interested in learning more about how we can help you grow your business on the INSYTE eCommerce platform?
Our Microdata markup feature is now included free for 6-months when your company has an eCommerce website developed by INSYTE. We are so confident in the benefits this great feature can offer, we want companies to see it in action and allow it to pay for itself, before having to purchase.
Please note: This offer is currently limited to the available capabilities that have already been developed for the INSYTE eCommerce Microdata feature.
We are currently extending a limited-time offer to clients that have eCommerce and non-eCommerce based sites that are hosted on the INSYTE website platform. New custom Microdata and Schema markup features are able to be developed at a reduced rate of 50% off.
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