For the past few years, it has been understood that Schema data is not used for ranking purposes. The prevailing belief was that Google only utilized structured data markup for presentation purposes.
However, recent updates on Google’s developer pages and comments made at the 2017 PubCon event suggest that the role of structured data might be more complex.
How Google Uses Structured Data
Google’s developer page previously stated:
“When information is highly structured and predictable, search engines can more easily organize and display it in creative ways.”
This made it clear that Google used Schema structured markup data to organize information for creative display purposes.
But the Google Developers page on Schema changed sometime after June 26, 2017. The previous reference was replaced with new information.
Now, the page indicates that structured data helps Google understand “the meaning of a page” and allows for “special search result features and enhancements.”
Changes in Google’s Developers Support Page
The Google Structured Data developers page changed from:
“search engines can more easily organize and display it in creative ways.”
To the updated version:
“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.”
This shows a shift from Schema markup being about presentation to it helping Google understand the webpage better.
Is this just semantics? Has there been a real change?
Statements from Google Representatives
At the November 2017 Pubcon event in Vegas, Gary Illyes from Google said:
“…add structure data to your pages because during indexing, we will be able to better understand what your site is about.”
Later, Illyes added:
“It will help us understand your pages better, and indirectly, it leads to better ranks in some sense, because we can rank easier.”
Illyes seems to suggest that Schema markup will indirectly assist in ranking. But what does that actually mean?
Structured Data Is Not a Ranking Factor
One interpretation is that structured markup is not a ranking factor. A ranking factor directly helps a site rank.
So, to be clear, Schema is currently not a ranking factor.
In this context, Schema helps communicate what the webpage is about, which is good practice but does not directly influence rankings.
Why You Should Use Structured Markup
It may be that Google’s usage of structured markup hasn’t changed, and the only update was a clarification on their developers page. However, this is not certain.
What we do know is that adding Schema markup to your webpages is highly recommended and can indirectly lead to better rankings.
While there may be some unclear aspects, it’s important to consider adding relevant structured data to your webpages.
Structured data helps communicate to Google what your webpage is about, benefiting you, your site visitors, and Google.
Image Credits
Images by Shutterstock, modified by Author
