Google Announces Update on Organization Structure Data

Google Search puts in considerable effort to comprehend the content of your webpage. You can assist Google in this endeavor by offering clear indications regarding the page’s meaning by incorporating structured data.

What is Organization Structured Data?

Organization structured data or structured data markup refers to a standardized format used to furnish details about a page, aiding in the classification of its content. It is a form of metadata added to the HTML code of a webpage. For instance, if you are running a website then your structured data will encompass the information about your organization’s name, logo, contact details, location, social media profiles, business hours, and more.

Remember that, when you are including this data in a structured format, you are allowing search engines to create rich snippets and knowledge panels along with other enhanced search results. These search results display relevant information directly on the search engine results page (SERP). This will improve the visibility of your organization in search results. As for internet surfers, Organization schema structured data will provide them quick access to key information.

Why is Organization (Organization) Structured Data Important?

When you implement structured data in your business website it brings several benefits. Enhanced search results, rich snippets, and improved click-through rates (CTR) are among the significant benefits of using structured data markup. Now, let’s explore each of these aspects together in more detail:

Enhanced Search Results:

Organization schema helps search engines to better understand the identity and purpose of your business or webpage. When you implement it into your website you will notice that search engines are displaying more relevant and informative search results of your business in a concise manner. Organization schema structured data enables search engines to display more relevant and visually appealing search results. This will lead to improved search engine rankings and increased organic traffic to your webpage. When search engines like Google comprehend the structured data, they can present additional information in the search results. Have a look, here:

Featured Snippets: Structured data is helpful in making your content appear as a featured snippet. If we explain it in technical terms, it is a concise summary displayed at the top of search results. These snippets are responsible for significantly increasing visibility and attracting more clicks.

Knowledge Graph Integration: Search engines use this structured data to populate their knowledge graph which provides users with quick and informative details about your organization directly in the search results.

Rich Cards: These rich cards are not just text rather these are visually more appealing search results that have images, ratings, and other details of your business. Rich cards make your organization’s information stand out among the search results.

Rich Snippets:

Think of search results as book covers in a library. Usually, you can only see the title and author, right? Now, imagine some books have extra information on the cover – maybe a brief summary, star ratings, or even a picture. In the online world, these enhanced book covers are like “rich snippets.” They give you more details about what’s inside a webpage right on the search results page. So, instead of just seeing the title and a small description, you might see star ratings for a product, event details, or even a quick summary of an article.

Now, the magic behind these enhanced covers is something called “structured data.” It’s like a special language that websites use to tell search engines more about their content. When websites speak this language (use structured data), search engines can create these rich snippets for users.

Rich snippets are a type of search result that goes beyond the standard text. They provide additional context and make it easier for users to understand what a page is about before clicking. Structured data is crucial for the generation of rich snippets, and it can contribute to:

Product Information: If your organization sells products then structured data can help display product details like prices, availability, and ratings directly in the search results.

Events: Structured data also becomes crucial when your organization hosts any event. It enhances the visibility of your event details such as date, time, and venue in search results.

Reviews: Implementing a structured schema for reviews will lead to star ratings being displayed in search results. It will give users a quick overview of the quality of your products or services rated by other internet users.

Improved Click-Through Rates (CTR):

Since structured data gives consumers more interesting and relevant information about your business in the search results, it positively impacts click-through rates. Users are more likely to click on your link if they see rich snippets or more details about your business. In simple terms: Structured data is like adding cool decorations to your online shop window and making it more likely that people will want to click and check out what’s inside. Here’s how structured data contributes to improved CTR:

Improvement in Search Engine Results Visibility: You get enhanced search results & featured snippets along with rich cards that make your content more visible. All these elements increase the likelihood that users will notice and click on your link.

More Relevancy: By providing specific information through organization schema structured data, you make sure that your content is shown to users who are actively searching for that information. Ultimately it leads to more qualified clicks.

Trust: Rich snippets and additional information in search results can build trust with users. The reason behind this is that they can quickly assess the relevance and credibility of your content.

Google Search Central Case Studies of Websites That Have Used Structured Data:

Rotten Tomatoes introduced structured data to 100,000 unique web pages and found that those upgraded with structured data had a 25% higher click-through rate than pages without structured data.
Nestlé discovered that sites that appear as rich results in search have an 82% greater click-through rate than non-rich result pages.
The Food Network has transformed 80% of its pages to include search functionality and has experienced a 35% boost in views.

How to Implement Organization (Organization) Structured Data?

There are two primary methods for implementing Organization (Organization) Structured Data: JSON-LD and HTML microdata.

JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is a lightweight JSON format that is recommended for its ease of implementation and compatibility with search engines.
HTML microdata embeds structured data directly within HTML elements using attributes and data-* properties.

In addition to these two ways, RDFa is an HTML5 extension that allows linked data by providing HTML tag characteristics that correlate to the user-visible material that you wish to define for search engines. RDFa is often used in the HTML page’s <head> and <body> sections.

Implementing Schema Markup:

Identify Relevant Schema Types: Choose the appropriate schema types based on your content. We suggest that you add as many recommended properties that are applicable to your web page or business websites. For organizational data, you might use “Organization,” “Person,” or specific types like “LocalBusiness.”
Add Schema Markup to HTML: Insert the schema markup directly into the HTML code of your webpage. This can be done in the <head> section or inline with the content.
Testing & Validation: Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to confirm that your markup is error-free and that search engines properly recognize it. You must also use the Rich Results Test to validate your code and solve any serious mistakes. While it’s not required to do so in order to receive rich results but you should think about resolving any non-critical problems that the tool may have identified as well. This will assist your structured data to become better.
Crosscheck with URL Inspection tool: You should deploy several pages with your structured data on them and test how Google interprets the sites using the URL Inspection tool. Check that your page is visible to Google and not restricted by a robots.txt file, the noindex tag, or login requirements. If the page appears to be in good condition, you can request that Google re-crawl your URLs.
Monitoring: Keep an eye on how well your website performs in search results to evaluate the impact of your schema markup. We recommend that you submit a sitemap to Google to keep them updated on future updates. This is something that the Search Console Sitemap API can automate.

Choosing Between JSON-LD and Microdata:

Consider Your Team’s Expertise: JSON-LD might be a better fit if your team is more familiar with JavaScript and modern web development. And as for the Microdata, it could be simpler if your team has greater experience with HTML.
Scalability: Unlike HTML, JSON-LD is often more scalable for large websites with complicated data structures.
Best Practices: Google generally recommends using JSON-LD for structured data, and it’s the preferred method for most scenarios.

Below is an illustration of Google’s JSON-LD code for organization information.

<html>
<head>
<title>About Us</title>
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “Organization”,
“url”: “https://www.example.com”,
“sameAs”: [“https://example.net/profile/example1234”, “https://example.org/example1234”],
“logo”: “https://www.example.com/images/logo.png”,
“name”: “Example Corporation”,
“description”: “The example corporation is well-known for producing high-quality widgets”,
“address”: {
“@type”: “PostalAddress”,
“streetAddress”: “Rue Improbable 99”,
“addressLocality”: “Paris”,
“addressCountry”: “FR”,
“addressRegion”: “Ile-de-France”,
“postalCode”: “75001”
},
“vatID”: “FR12345678901”,
“iso6523Code”: “0199:724500PMK2A2M1SQQ228”,
“contactPoint”: {
“@type”: “ContactPoint”,
“email”: “contact@example.com”,
“telephone”: “+47-99-999-9999”
}
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

Your markup script should include the following properties:

@context: This property specifies the schema.org vocabulary.
@type: This property indicates the type of structured data being used, which in this case is “Organization”.
@id: This property assigns a unique identifier to the organization.
name: This property specifies the organization’s name.
logo: This property provides the URL of the organization’s logo.
url: This property indicates the organization’s website URL.
contactPoint: This property defines the organization’s contact information, including phone number, email address, and social media links.

Google Guidelines to Implement Organization Structure Data

It is vital to familiarise yourself with Google’s structured data rules prior to using any of the structured data associated with the organization structured data type. For structured data to be included in Google Search results, you need to adhere to these requirements. If your website breaches one or more of these guidelines, then be ready because Google may take manual action against it. But there is good news that you can submit your site for reconsideration once you’ve resolved the issue.

Google Structured Data Guidelines: Key Points

General:

Supported formats: JSON-LD (recommended), Microdata, RDFa
Follow specific feature guidelines: Each type of structured data has its own guidelines.
Don’t deceive users: Content should be accurate and represent ownership clearly.
Make sure URLs are crawlable and indexable: Google needs to access them.
Test and validate: Use the Rich Results Test and URL Inspection tool.

JSON-LD format:

Use a schema.org vocabulary.
Place the script within the <head> tag.
Use descriptive names for variables.
Use correct data types for properties.
Use the “context” property to link to schema.org.

Content guidelines:

Unique and valuable: Provide unique and valuable information for users.
Complete and accurate: Ensure all information is complete and accurate.
Up-to-date: Keep the information updated and relevant.
Follow specific feature guidelines: Each type of structured data may have additional content guidelines.

Deployment:

Implement structured data on a few pages and test them.
Deploy structured data gradually to your entire website.
Use the URL Inspection tool to monitor how Google sees your pages.
Allow time for Google to crawl and index your updated pages.

Remember, these are only summarized version and must see the official Google Search Central documentation and the schema.org website for further information and specific recommendations.

Additional notes:

Google may take manual action against your website if you violate the guidelines.
Consider using a plugin or CMS integration for easier implementation.
Stay updated on the latest changes to the guidelines.
Structured data may not be guaranteed to appear in search results. Check Google’s General Structured Data Guidelines for common reasons why rich results might not be displayed
Validate structured data using the structured data errors list.
Use the Manual Actions report to resolve manual actions.
Check criteria for content compliance and remove any spammy text or markup.
Try to troubleshoot missing rich results or a decrease in overall rich results.
Provide sufficient time for re-indexing and re-crawling.