SEO for eCommerce sites can be frustrating at times. This is mainly because there are normally a large volume of products to be optimised, and how you do it impacts your website’s SEO performance and also impacts your work-flow/efficiency.
Schema, also known as Structured Data can help search engines and users to identify your website, products and also answer some of their questions around deliveries, returns, and refunds.
Structured Data Explained
Let’s get to the bare bones of schema by learning the meaning and uses of it before defining an e-Commerce schema.
What is Schema?
Schema is microdata or rather a piece of code used to structure information for search engines to read and better understand your content. This schema code can also be known as Structured Data which is written in JSON-LD, microdata, RDFA, or HTML coding languages. This code has been known to benefit sites with rich results like recipes, featured snippets, knowledge panels, and many more.
What is an eCommerce Schema?
Let’s be frank, there is no specific eCommerce schema, although this can be defined as a set of tactics that entail using different types of schema markups that help search engines and users understand that you are an eCommerce site. Schema for eCommerce can include structured data implemented on products, FAQs, stores, articles, and more.
How many schema markup codes can I use for eCommerce?
There is no limit to the number of schema markup codes you can add to your site, as long as they make sense and will provide search engines and users with the relevant information.
Structured Data for eCommerce Sites
What are the top 5 schema markups can I use for eCommerce?
Some of the best schema markup codes or guides to use on an eCommerce website can include the following.
Local Business Schema (Store):
Local Business schema can be known as Store schema type that is used to make it easy for search engines to identify the business’s details including the nature of the business, operational hours, business image/logo, and contact details.
Local Business Schema JSON Code:
Store in SERPs with Local Business Schema:
This type of structured data can result in each business store having a rich result called a Knowledge Panel and Local Business Listing Pack
Product Schema
Product schema is a type of structured data markup code that is used to help search engines identify a product and its essential details such as the brand name, price, availability, description, and images for the product. This type of schema gains rich results on web and image search results.
Products in SERPs With Product Schema:
Item List:
Item list is a type of structured data markup that is used to list content such as products, recipes, or courses, especially on an eCommerce site. This schema provides a list and position of the products on the page and relies heavily on having your products marked up with product schema before this particular code can work.
Breadcrumb Schema:
Breadcrumb schema is a type of structured data markup that is used to help indicate to search engines the position of the page within the site’s hierarchy or information architecture. The benefit of the breadcrumb schema is that Google will use this to create optimised site links in SERPs that show the main domain URL and the different sections the particular page is within.
Website breadcrumb in SERPs With Schema:
FAQ Schema
This type of structured data markup is used to help indicate to search engines an FAQ page that contains a list of questions and answers. FAQ pages that have been properly marked with this particular schema are eligible for rich results
FAQs in SERPs with Schema
How to create Schema for e-Commerce?
Google has a tool called Structured Data Markup Helper that helps you to manually create any type of schema code by selecting on-page elements like the logo or price of the product. Also, there are a lot of third party sites that can help with generating a schema markup code such as SaijoGeorge.com
Steps to creating a schema with Google helper?
Step 1: Open or search for Structured Data Markup Helper
Step 2: Select the type of structured data markup you’d like to create from the list provided by Google and add the page link you want to create the schema for.
Step 3: Start tagging all the on-page elements of the product by selecting the price, product name, reviews, description and logo. Once done tagging, Google will then generate an output JSON-LD code that is ready for upload.
Step 4: Use Google Rich Results or Schema Validator to ensure that you are using the correct markup and that Google validates it. If any errors or warnings are picked up, Google won’t accept the
Step 5: Implement the schema on the designated page using your CMS logins
How to implement it?
There are different methods of implementing structured data markups onto a site, and each method is dependent on the CMS that is being used.
For example, WordPress sites can be very easy, you simply add a tested plugin and start optimising. When it comes to other CMS such as Magento, it then becomes tricky as Magento uses hardcoding or apps. Either way, this method always requires a developer to help implement any of these eCommerce markups.
Summary
There is no particular eCommerce schema but it is rather a set of tactics used by SEO specialists to help search engines to identify that your page or site is eCommerce. When creating schema, it is always important that you use Google’s tools to help generate and test whether the markup is correct and eligible for rich snippets. SEOs and developers are the best people to help implement schema correctly and can automate the process.
Author : Solomon Tshielo
