If you want to get the most you can from your digital marketing, you need to look into how using structured data improves SEO. Don’t be overwhelmed by some of the jargon you’ll read when you start researching this topic. You will run into phrases like relational databases and standardized code format.
Phrases like that shouldn’t put you off. All you really need to know is structured data provides the search engines with more information about your goods and services. Here’s a simple way that you can remember the difference between unstructured and structured data.
Data Generated
Unstructured data has no markers to let search engines recognize it. It’s common, and some estimates say it takes up 80% of all the data generated. Examples include email and video as well as social media posts and PDFs.
On the other hand, structured data is put together in a format that’s specifically created so it can be analyzed, organized stored and captured. In other words is put into a neat format so it can be accessed easily. Think of a website where you’ve seen a list of questions with drop-down answers.
How Using Structured Data Improves SEO
The big search engines encourage the use of structured data. It is interesting to note that even though Google doesn’t use it as a major ranking factor, it does impact rankings in an indirect way.
For example, using structured data is a proven way to improve click through rates. The more click through rates you get, the more relevant the page is for any Google search.
Engagement
Using structured data for SEO also helps engage people to stay on your website longer. This type of data provides users with interesting and helpful statistics and other information that keeps them on your landing pages.
The technical term is called “dwell time”. In a nutshell, this is all about how much time any visitor spends on one of your webpages before returning to do another search. Some statistics say that a decent dwell time is at least two minutes long.
Finally, structured data is an excellent way to boost your search result rankings. This type of information is an excellent way to deliver on visitors’ needs and expectations when they are visiting your website.
Deciding on how using structured data improves seo begins with choosing a specific webpage that you want to mark up.
