On May 14, 2024, Google officially launched AI Overviews in the US, a new feature that uses AI to generate summaries of search results.
This shift has forced SEO professionals to adapt their strategies. In addition to optimizing for traditional search, they must now also consider how to optimize their websites for AI-powered search results.
While some experts believe the importance of structured data has declined due to changes in Google search results, I, on the contrary, believe it has become increasingly valuable. Also, according to leaked Google API documentation, structured data now appears to have a greater impact on rankings than previously recognized.
Structured data provides a clear format that helps AI models easily understand and process information, making it easier to identify patterns and relationships. It also aids generative AI models in understanding the context of your content, further emphasizing the growing significance of structured data in modern SEO.
Why is Structured Data Important for GEO?
Keyword optimization is becoming less effective as people use more complex and diverse search methods. Plus, there are now voice searches, meaning context is far more important than just chasing keywords.
Contextual relevance is now more important. Structured data is crucial for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) because it helps AI systems understand your website content better.
Here are some of the benefits of structured data for GEO:
Enhanced Search Visibility
- AI Overviews (AIO) in search results
- Increased click-through rates
- Improved organic rankings
Improved User Experience
- Faster, more relevant search results
- Clear, concise information
- Direct user engagement
Leveraging Structured Data for GEO
Structured data is a crucial component of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). By providing search engines with a clear understanding of your content, you can significantly improve your website’s visibility and user experience.
How to Implement Structured Data to Your Webpage
Structured data helps search engines and AI models understand your website content better. This can lead to increased website traffic. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to implement structured data:
1. Identify Relevant Structured Data Types
- Product: Use for product pages to provide details like name, description, price, reviews, etc.
- Article: Use for blog posts and news articles to specify author, date, and article body.
- Recipe: Use recipe pages to include ingredients, instructions, and nutrition information.
- Event: Use for event pages to provide details like date, time, location, and ticket information.
- Local Business: Use for local business pages to specify address, phone number, and opening hours.
- Organization: Use for company or organization pages to provide details like name, logo, and contact information.
2. Choose a Markup Format
- JSON-LD: Recommended by Google for its simplicity and flexibility.
- Microdata: More complex but can be directly embedded within HTML.
- RDFa: Like Microdata but uses attributes to markup elements.
Create the Structured Data Markup
- Use a Structured Data Markup Helper: Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper is a helpful tool to generate the necessary code.
- Manual Coding: You can manually add the markup to your HTML code, but this requires a good understanding of the specific schema.org types and properties.
3. Test Your Markup
Use structured data testing tools such as Google’s Rich Results Test and Schema Markup Validator to validate your markup and identify any errors. If you want to test your entire site structured data, we recommend Screaming Frog SEO Spider, we’ll go through the process of how to use the tool to test your entire site below.
4. Implement the Markup
- JSON-LD: Add the JSON-LD script to the <head> section of your HTML page.
- Microdata or RDFa: Directly embed the markup within the relevant HTML elements.
Using Screaming Frog SEO Spider for Structured Data Testing
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is an excellent tool for testing and validating schema markup on your website. By enabling its structured data options, you can efficiently analyze and troubleshoot your site’s structured data implementations. Here’s how to use it:
1. Enable Structured Data Options
Navigate to Configuration > Spider > Extraction and enable structured data settings.
2. Select Markup Types
Tick options for JSON-LD, Microdata, RDFa, Google Rich Result Feature Validation, and Schema.org Validation. This ensures the tool checks all commonly used formats and validates them according to Google’s rich result guidelines.
3. Crawl the Website
Start a crawl of your website to extract and analyze the structured data present on each page.
4. Analyze Results in the Structured Data Tab
Once the crawl completes, access the Structured Data tab. Here, you can review specific schema elements, identify validation errors, and ensure compatibility with Google’s rich results.
You’re able to filter your results by the following:
- Contains Structured Data: URLs with structured data, categorized by type in the upper window.
- Missing Structured Data: URLs without any structured data.
- Validation Errors: URLs with errors in Schema.org or Google rich result features due to missing or incorrectly implemented required properties. These errors prevent eligibility for rich results.
- Validation Warnings: URLs with issues in recommended (not required) properties for Google rich results. Warnings suggest enhancements but don’t disqualify rich snippet eligibility.
- Parse Errors: URLs where structured data fail to load due to incorrect markup. Use tools like the JSON-LD Playground to debug.
- Microdata URLs: URLs using the microdata format for structured data.
- JSON-LD URLs: URLs using the JSON-LD format (Google’s preferred option).
- RDFa URLs: URLs using the RDFa format for structured data.
- Rich Result Feature Detected: URLs where Google’s rich result features, such as reviews, FAQs, or product data, have been successfully identified. This indicates eligibility for enhanced search results.
Using Structured Data for GEO: Conclusion
Structured data is no longer optional in today’s AI-driven search landscape. The rise of features like Google AI Overviews and the shift towards Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), makes structured data pivotal in helping AI models understand your content’s context.
This can help enhance your website’s visibility, improve user experience, and position it for success. Implementing and validating structured data effectively is a strategic investment in your website’s future, ensuring you remain adaptable to evolving search technologies.
