You’ve probably encountered the term local schema markup or structured data while developing your SEO strategy. But then you probably skipped it after learning this involves coding.
But don’t disregard it just yet. This component has several benefits to your local SEO efforts that far outweigh its implementation challenges.
Plus, with the proper steps, tools and best practices, you can easily apply this valuable concept. Here are the essentials you need to know.
Understanding Local Schema Markup and Its Role in Local SEO
Let us start with the basics to understand local structured data and how it can help your website.
Definition
Schema markup or structured data is a form of microdata that you can add to the HTML code of your website.
The primary purpose of adding this is to help search engines understand what your site is all about.
It’s like a coded language for search engine crawlers, allowing them to read your web content and provide the best search results to users.
To understand this further, check out this example by Google that emphasises the difference between search appearance and structured data. These two presentations show that what we see on the search results differs from what search crawlers can read.
Local schema markup also works similarly, but it is more specific. It focuses more on website information that matters to a local searcher.
For example, general schema markup is about the organisation, people, products and events.
On the other hand, its local counterpart focuses more on details like address, operation hours, contact information, clinic branch, medical practice and more.
Benefits
When implemented correctly, structured data gives local business operators several advantages, especially if you are in a highly competitive industry.
Some of the most important benefits are the following:
- Better local rankings. Structured data increases your website’s relevance to local searches. And the more search engines can read your website, the better your search rankings will be.
- High click-through rates. Better rankings gained through local schema markup boost your search visibility. A higher online presence, in turn, makes it easier for users to see and click your business website or listing. Moreover, several case studies proved how high CTRs result in better client interaction and dwell time.
- Brand image control. A standard search result shows a meta description, URL and title. But by implementing schema markup, you can produce rich results that showcase your best business features. These can be in the form of customer reviews, product ratings and more. The more informative your listing is, the more likely you’ll attract high-quality organic traffic.
- Competitive edge. Better search rankings and online visibility through schema markup do not only attract more potential customers. It helps you stand out from your strongest competitors, too. Schema markup also makes you adaptable to modern trends like mobile and voice search optimisation.
Common types and examples
The best thing about applying schema markup is that you have several options, making implementation easier and well-targeted.
Moreover, you can select the appropriate types of schema markup that will benefit your local business. Here are some examples:
- Local business. This schema has elements that help Google understand your business. These include your business name, description, address, contact details, operation hours, logo and social profiles. You can even select a specific schema that matches your local business type.
- Event. If your business involves holding concerts, conferences, workshops or festivals, this schema should help you. With this, it is easier for users to discover and attend your events through Google Search or relevant products like Google Maps.
- Review snippet. This one features an excerpt from an online review or an average rating score from multiple reviewers. It’s perfect for boosting credibility, especially when paired with your local business, event, recipe, product or how-to schema.
Implementing Local Schema Markup on Your Website
Applying structured data to your local business is not as difficult as you think. These tips, steps and best practices should get you on the right track.
Tips
Earlier, we learned that there are several schema markup types that you can use for your website. But the question is, which one should you add?
Start with these tips to decide:
- Determine your business or niche category. Visit Schema.org, then begin assessing your business. Are you operating a law firm? Then perhaps, the “LegalService” schema type is for you. If you own a dental clinic offering dental services, choose the “Dentist” schema.
- Think about your customers and target market. Aside from the business category, you can also apply other local schema markups, like opening hours, currencies accepted, address and price range. Choose the ones that will make it easy for customers to find, contact and transact with you.
Steps
After going through the complete markup listing and selecting the schema you want to use, here’s what you do next.
1. Start tagging.
For example, to mark your address, select the HTML sample and schema markup format you prefer. Copy and paste the code to a text editor, then edit the details.
Next, copy-paste it into your site’s HTML field. Repeat this to every website info you want to mark up.
If you prefer a more automated method when generating codes, you can also use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper.
Website owners using WordPress can also add the schema plugin for fuss-free code generation.
2. Check your markups.
Don’t forget to test and validate your new local schema markups. Doing this prevents structured data errors and makes your pages qualified for rich results.
There are two tools to test: the Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator.
- The Rich Results Test allows you to see how the rich results appear on Google search. It also shows structured data errors or warnings and notifies you when the page is not eligible for rich results.
- The Schema Markup Validator lets you analyse your structured data by listing spotted warnings and errors. Make sure to correct all errors. But no need to worry about the warnings as these won’t affect your local SEO performance as much.
Best practices
Implementing local schema markups to your website doesn’t stop at generating, adding and checking the codes.
You also need to maintain and update them closely. Here are a few best practices you can apply:
- Use your verified Google Search Console account for sitewide monitoring. This tool identifies errors and warnings plus offers enhancement reports for your structured data. It also sends email notifications if there are schema markup issues you need to see and correct.
- Constantly monitor Google’s guidelines on structured data. Google removes or adds schema types or properties from time to time. Make sure to keep yourself updated and audit your markups when necessary.
- Publish new and relevant content. Make it a habit to update your existing content to keep your markups current and competitive. Adding links to your social media pages or conducting regular reviews keeps your relevance high, too.
Maximising the Benefits of Local Schema Markup for Your Business
Here are some more suggestions to make the most of your structured data efforts.
Strategies to attract and retain local customers
Getting new customers and building loyalty are keys to keeping local schema working for your business. And you can achieve these through:
- Accurate and consistent business information. Whenever you create and update details about your company, make sure to apply your changes on your website and other local business listings. Giving your customers up-to-date information make your business authentic and trustworthy.
- Relevant schema markups. Keep yourself updated on what’s new about structured data creation and implement them when applicable. Using the most updated markups is a good signal for search engines, boosting your chances of getting higher rankings and visibility.
- Regular monitoring. Implement consistent local schema markups across your website to ensure efficacy. Use structured data testing tools to validate them as well.
Tips for tracking impact on local SEO performance
The most objective measure of structured data success is in the numbers, and you can get these through your Google Search Console account.
Here are some helpful pointers:
- Benchmark your site performance before applying your local schema markup. Doing this should give you the data you need for comparison and analysis later.
- Make the most of the Search Console’s performance filters. These filters require figuring out. But they can help divide and capture specific segments of your website’s performance. For example, you can use the period comparison filter to compare your last 6-month performance to a previous time. You can also use these filters to make new metrics and gather more specific data points.
- Consult schema performance analytics experts. Google Search Console offers several customisation opportunities when analysing structured data. However, they also require some learning curve and technical know-how. Contacting data analysts should make performance tracking easy and more accurate.
Final Thoughts: Make Local Schema Markup a Key Part of Your Local SEO Strategy
Adding local schema markup into your SEO strategy can bring positive developments to your business.
With proper implementation and regular monitoring, this powerful tool can improve your SEO rankings, make you stand out on the search results and attract potential customers.
Compared to other SEO techniques, structured data is somewhat more complex. But knowing and using the right tools can get you started.
Plus, you can always consult the pros to help track your progress.
Need to enhance your business website further? Check out this list of local SEO mistakes you should avoid.
