As a digital marketer, we’re sure you know how important schema is to an SEO strategy. It helps search engines understand the content of your website and display it in a more informative way.
But even seasoned marketers can make mistakes when implementing schema, which can be detrimental to your site’s rankings and user experience. In this article, we chat about some common schema markup mistakes to avoid and how to fix them.
Regardless of your level of expertise, we’re sure you’ll find some helpful tips to optimize the schema on your website and enhance your entire SEO approach. Let’s get started.
Related Reading: Black Hat SEO Tactics: Why You Should Stay Far Away
What Is Schema Markup?
Schema markup, or just schema, is a code that you add to your website to help search engines understand the content of your website better. It uses structured data to provide context to search engines about your website’s content. It helps search engines display your content in a more informative way to users. For example, if you have a recipe on your website, it will help search engines display the recipe’s ingredients and cooking time in the search results.
Schema markup uses a structured format that is defined by Schema.org, a collaborative community that creates and maintains structured data markup. Schema.org provides a list of properties and types that you can use to define your website’s content.
Why Is Schema Important for SEO?
Schema markup is important for SEO because it helps search engines understand the content of your website better. When search engines understand your website’s content, they can display it in a more informative way to users. This can improve your website’s click-through rate and user engagement.
It can also help your website rank higher in search results. When search engines understand your website’s content, they can provide more relevant search results to users. This can increase your website’s visibility and drive more traffic to your website.
Common Schema Markup Mistakes to Avoid
Now that we’ve got the basics covered, let’s look at some common schema markup mistakes you need to avoid.
Not Using the Correct Schema
One of the most common schema markup mistakes is not using the correct schema. Schema.org provides a list of properties and types that you can use to define your website’s content. If you use the wrong markup, search engines may not understand your website’s content correctly.
For example, if you have a recipe on your website, you should use the Recipe schema. If you use the Product schema instead, search engines may not understand that your content is a recipe and may display it incorrectly in search results.
Misusing Schema
Another one of the most common schema markup mistakes is misusing schema. Some marketers may try to use schema to manipulate search engines or deceive users. This is known as spammy schema and can result in a penalty from search engines.
For example, some marketers may try to use schema to display fake reviews or ratings for their products. This can deceive users and harm your website’s credibility. Search engines can penalize your website for using spammy schema.
Using Schema on Irrelevant Content
You also shouldn’t use schema on irrelevant content. It should only be used on content that is relevant to the schema type you are using. If you use schema on irrelevant content, search engines may not understand your website’s content correctly.
For example, if you have a blog post about travel tips, you should not use the Recipe schema. This is because it’s only relevant for content about recipes. If you use it on your travel tips blog post, search engines may not understand your content correctly.
Not Testing Your Schema
Not testing your schema markup is another mistake to avoid. It’s important to test your schema markup to ensure that search engines can understand your website’s content correctly. If you don’t test your schema markup, you may not know you’ve made a mistake until search engines penalize your website.
How to Fix Schema Mistakes
Now that you know some common schema markup mistakes to avoid, let’s discuss how to fix them.
Tools to Help With Schema
There are several tools that you can use to help with schema markup that can help you identify schema errors on your website and provide suggestions for how to fix them.
One of the most popular tools for schema markup is Google’s Schema Markup Testing Tool. This tool allows you to test your schema markup and see how search engines will display your content in search results.
Another popular tool for schema markup is Schema App. This tool allows you to create and manage your website’s schema markup and provides suggestions for how to improve your website’s SEO.
Fixing Incorrect Schema Markup
Using the wrong schema on your website, you can fix this by updating your website’s code. You should use the correct schema markup for the type of content you have on your website. For example, if you have a recipe on your website, you should use the Recipe schema markup. You can update your website’s code to use the correct schema markup for your content.
Removing Spammy Schema Markup
Spammy schema markup should be avoided at all times because it can harm your site’s credibility and can result in a penalty from search engines. This also includes removing fake reviews or ratings from your website’s schema markup. Don’t use schema markup to deceive users or manipulate search engines, it’s both unethical and risky.
Removing Irrelevant Schema Markup
If you’ve been using schema markup on irrelevant content, don’t! Schema markup should only be used on content that is relevant to the schema type you are using. If you’re writing a blog post about travel tips, you obviously shouldn’t be using Recipe schema markup. Get rid of any irrelevant schema markup from your website’s code asap!
Testing Your Schema Markup
Finally, you should test your schema to ensure that search engines can understand your website’s content correctly. You can use tools like Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool or Schema App to test your schema.
Errors need to be fixed as soon as possible to make sure search engines correctly display your content.
Conclusion: Common Schema Markup Mistakes
Schema can be a useful tool to add to your SEO strategy if used correctly. But you should avoid making common schema markup mistakes. By following the tips mentioned in this article, you can ensure that your website’s schema markup is error-free and optimized for search engines. This will help your website rank higher in search results and provide a better user experience to your audience.
Read more on the Kadima Digital blog.