Some website owners have been under the impression that Google uses schema data only for presentation purposes and that this data doesn’t affect site ranking. However, the reality may be different than this perception. Google’s statements at PubCon indicated that the influence of structure data may be more complicated than previously thought.
How Google Uses Structured Data
Before the latest update, Google used schema structure markup to organize information and present it in creative ways. Now, the Google developer page says that schema structure markup helps Google understand the meaning of any particular web page.
Is Structured Data A Ranking Factor?
No. Structured data helps you communicate to search engines what your web page is about, but it doesn’t directly help with rankings. Overall, utilizing structured data is a good practice that indirectly enables you to meet your end goals – improving website visibility in organic search.
A Change of Information
Google’s developer page recently changed some of its information regarding schema data. Regarding Google’s use of schema data, the old text read, “Search engines can more easily organize and display it [information] in creative ways.” Now, the explanation reads, “Google Search works hard to understand the content of a page. However, you can provide explicit clues about the meaning of a page to Google by including structured data on the page.”
Although the way Google uses structured markup may not have changed, their explanation is now different. Although there is some uncertainty involved about this, one thing is sure—using structured data positively affects your site’s presentation and, ultimately, the number of visitors coming to your page.
