Structured Data & Why You Need It

What is structured data?

Structured data is data that has been organized into a formatted repository, typically a database, so that its elements can be made addressable for more effective processing and analysis.

A data structure is a kind of repository that organizes information for that purpose. In a database, for example, each field is discrete and its information can be retrieved either separately or along with data from other fields, in a variety of combinations. The power of the database is its ability to make data comprehensive so that it yields useful information. A database query language, such as SQL (standard query language), allows a database administrator to interact with the database.

Structured data contrasts with unstructured and semi-structured data. The three can be considered to exist on a continuum, with unstructured data being the least formatted and structured data being the most formatted. Data is increasingly amenable to the processing as it is increasingly structured.

The difference between Schema, microdata, and structured data

Structured data is a system of pairing a name with a value that helps search engines categorize and index your content. Microdata is one form of structured data that works with HTML5. Schema.org is a project that provides a particular set of agreed-upon definitions for microdata tags.

Does Schema replace Open Graph?

Open Graph is a type of markup used by Facebook to parse out information like what image and description to display. Schema provides a more detailed list of options than Open Graph. They can be used together, but Open Graph cannot be used in place of Schema.

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Types of items described by Schema

Structured data can be used to mark up all kinds of items from products to events to recipes. It is most often used to provide additional information about the following:

• Creative work

• Event

• Organization

• Person

• Place

• Product

A full list of items you can mark up with Schema is available here.

Each type of information has properties that can be used to describe items in more detail. For example, a “book,” which falls under the category “creative work,” can have the properties “name” (title), “author,” “illustrator,” “isbn,” and more, depending on how fully you want to describe it. Similarly, an “event” can be classified as anything from a “business event” to a “theater event.”

Search engines that use Schema

Schema is recognized (and in fact, the vocabulary is maintained) by Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and Yandex. It’s unclear whether other search engines are using this markup to change how they display search results.

Structured data’s effect on rankings

Whether structured data affects rankings has been the subject of much discussion and many experiments. As of yet, there is no conclusive evidence that this markup improves rankings. But there are some indications that search results with more extensive rich snippets (like those created using Schema) will have a better click-through rate. For best results, experiment with Schema markup to see how your audience responds to the resulting rich snippets.

Using Schema with other structured data

Schema can be used with RDFa and JSON-LD, but it is not supported by microformats.