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Get Rich Snippets on Google’s SERP with Schema.org

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    Rich snippets and other features that you can obtain on Google’s SERP using the schema markup

    Within the past 10 years, the appearance and function of Google’s SERP have drastically changed with the inclusion of several rich snippets and SERP features that provide additional functionalities for users and adds challenges for SEO experts. 

    In fact, these rich snippets provide unique opportunities to increase CTRs as well as lower opportunities of appearing on the SERP with a simple blue link. This guide will introduce you to the various forms of rich snippets you can find on the SERP and then will focus on using structured data to optimize your content for rich snippets.

    Let’s start with the basics…

    What are Rich Snippets and SERP Features and why they are important?

    When you search for Neil Armstrong on Google, you will receive different results both in the form of snippets and blue links. What distinguishes a rich snippet from a normal one is that a rich snippet is a specialized form of search result that is tailored for a particular task or function rather than a simple blue link.

    In this example, you can see a Knowledge Card about Neil Armstrong, a collection of movies about him, a group of people who are usually searched together with this astronaut, and a series of Top News which refer to this search.

    Other examples include: the movie schedule for a given cinema when searching for movies in your area. When searching for a chocolate cake, a photo, item description, nutritional information and recipes pop-up.

    What makes rich snippets important in SEO is that now, these snippets have become more important than the regular blue links. Rich snippets are more engaging as they can contain pictures, highlighted information and links more closely associated with the search terms. In addition, they are viewed as both more trustworthy and convenient as not only does the content stand out from the other search results, but it is far more likely to be much more closely associated with the official content such as an official website and social media.

    An Important Note on Structured Data

    Much of these rich snippets require the development of structured data to fully utilize their benefits. Structured data is an on-page markup that adds additional information to your website and provides it to users seeking relevant information on the SERP. It utilizes HTML coding and Schema markup to communicate with the search engine regarding your content. 

    Here is what Google states on its introductory guide to structured data:

    Google uses structured data that it finds on the web to understand the content of the page, as well as to gather information about the web and the world in general.

    In this article, you will find more specific information on how to optimize your content for each type of rich snippet using structured data. 

    We at WordLift can help you develop structured content for your website, not only to be on the Google SERP, but to appear in the newer, much more engaging content found in rich snippets. We’ll go through the types and uses of much of this data using the schema markup. If you’re wanting more specific uses of structured data or how best to utilize it for your content, we’re always happy to provide our services and assistance.

    Do you want to ensure that your schema markup aligns with the best practices of Google and Bing and validates against their guidelines? Do you want to know if the syntax is correct and validates against the schema.org vocabulary? Run a structured data audit by using our free app.

    Informational – The Do-It-All Features

    Some search features are just as potatoes: they can be served in a number of different ways and are a good pairing with a good number of different plates. In this page, you will find out how to obtain visibility with:

    Featured Snippet

    A featured snippet features a website in a specialized format, providing a relevant passage and an accompanying photo. Featured snippets on Google may lead to higher CTRs, due to their more highlighted presence and description. 

    To increase the odds of being featured in a featured snippet, your website should include at least a brief description relevant to the topic. The more precise and vivid you are in your descriptions, the more likely it is that Google will understand your webpage. A more careful selection of keywords will also help Google’s algorithm understand the website.

    Structured Data and Featured Snippets

    Structured data may help, but it’s not always needed to appear with a featured snippet. In this case the most relevant answer with a well-curated formatting is often enough.

    PAA

    People Also Ask (PAA) is a rich snippet that contains a selection of questions that are similar to those found in a Q&A section of a website. Each question in the snippet can be opened to reveal its corresponding answer. As a question is selected, the revealed answer lists to a website and the snippet expands to add more questions related to the one answered. 

    If you want the answers in the snippet to link back to your website, start by optimizing your content for each targeted query. Adding keywords to headings and use paragraph tags also helps. Keep in mind that if you want to be on a PAA snippet list for a particular question, you will want to make sure your content meets the News Publisher criteria for fact checks.

    Structured Data and PAA

    Utilizing structured data is a vital aspect to having your website provide answers on the PAA snippet. Using the Schema.org markup, answers can be provided in different forms, such as: specific questions from an FAQ or Q&A page (Question markup), specific questions and their specific answers (QAPage markup) or instructions on how to achieve a result by following sequential steps (HowTo markup). Using these markups will make your content more likely to appear on the SERP as part of a PAA snippet. Read the full definitions of Question, QAPage and HowTo on Schema.

    FAQ

    A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page uses official questions from a website on a particular topic. Note that this is only for official answers and questions and should not include content submitted by other users. This rich snippet appears in a block comprising of a series of similar questions, similar to the PAA section. The block titles indicate more specific questions. A FAQ page is useful for:

    Each question in a FAQ page depends on the answer provided. The more Google can provide answers, the more chances there are for users to find their way to the right website. For each section, it’s recommended that you add a title describing the content of the questions as a means of content organization and helping Google identify your content.

    The FAQ type indicates that the page contains a question and answer excerpt. If the content is a long-form answer, you may want to consider including an FAQ section on your website.

    Structured Data and FAQ

    Note that FAQ is a structured data dependent feature which uses the FAQPage schema markup. You can use the Structured Data Testing Tool to validate and preview your content. The full definition of FAQPage is available on Schema.

    HowTo

    HowTo results are snippets that present instructions on completing a specific task or activity. These results can be categorized into varying types depending on the kind of details that need to be provided. The HowTo type indicates that the page contains a tutorial, a list of steps, or a list of actions. There are two types of HowTo types:

    The former type is intended for informational content that answers questions, while the latter type is designed specifically for videos and other experiences that require viewers to follow a series or a chapter in order to be successful. Note that HowTo structure type does not include recipes, as that has its own form of structured data markup.

    Structured Data and HowTo

    You must include the required properties for HowTo pages for your content to be eligible to display it as a rich result. Most websites are able to display HowTo rich results regardless if they have HowTo structured data. You can use the Structured Data Testing Tool to validate and preview your structured data. Please note that HowTo pages may not appear in all languages. The full definition of HowTo is available at Schema.

    Answer Box Results

    This is a snippet that you might see on the SERP for question queries like “Why can’t I eat?” The Answer Box usually appears at the top of the main feed under AdWords results. It’s part of the core Knowledge Graph that contains other relevant contextual information like ratings and questions. When you click on it, you‘ll be taken to a result that lists the previous or current queries of the users.

    This feature is helpful for those users who can’t provide a specified question, as the previous search results can show the answer. This feature is also useful for content creators, as it makes their content more likely to appear. This feature can also be seen in the Top Stories carousel.

    Structured Data and Answer Box Results

    While there isn’t a specific markup of structured data that is utilized with the Answer Box Result, you can use HowTo, Question and QAPage to provide useful markup for your page. Providing keywords, entities (people, places, objects) and direct answers to a provided question can help to highlight your website. The full definitions of  HowTo, Question and QAPage andcan be found on Schema.

    Explore Panel

    The Explore Panel displays a card with up to seven images, a description (usually from wikipedia), important information, and related searches. In the above example of the “Battle of Waterloo,” the panel includes several images related to the event, a brief description linked to Wikipedia, some important information and related searches.

    Three factors drive the inclusion of infographic content in search results: relevance, the number of items to be shown, and the quality of the resulting presentation. Focusing on these factors will help provide enough content necessitate the inclusion of an Explore Panel.

    Structured Data and the Explore Panel

    Structured data relevance for the Explore Panel has not being documented by Google or suggested by anyone else for the moment being. Still, structured data may help Google better understand and classify your content in order to include it.

    Knowledge Graph Carousel

    The Knowledge Graph Carousel features information from different sources that are grouped under a specific heading. The main benefit of this feature is the ability to provide more specific answers to a query. All items within a carousel must be of the same type, such as: a recipe or an article. Note that the Knowledge Graph Carousel does not include any Google ads.

    To maximize the visibility of your content, it is recommended to update your web pages with schema markup. This will make the content eligible for the Knowledge Graph feature. The Knowledge Graph Carousel contains information from Google’s Knowledge Graph, which has a lot of different websites under its roof. It can help your site reach the right keywords by providing a better contextual link between the different websites. SEOs can then focus on optimizing websites to provide users with the information that Google needs.

    Structured Data and the Knowledge Graph Carousel

    Using the ListItem markup will allow you to list the items that will be used for the carousel. This can be done as separately, listing all of the items linked to different pages; or as one page, providing the full information of each item. The full definition of ListItem is available at Schema.

    Site Links

    Google Search can also expose sitelinks. This results in a white box with links to subsections of a website appearing under the results on the SERP, which can help users reach the right sections of a website. Google Search can also automatically add a sitelinks search box or sitelinks search result to your site if it can prove to Google that the search intent of the users is not being served the content through other means. Here is an example of a sitelinks search result, which is shown for searches related to ‘DisneyWorld’

    The sitelinks feature includes an embedded search box that provides quick access to a website’s search results. Google Search can automatically add this search box to your site if it detects content that qualifies as technical information for a search question or a result that answers a question.

    Structured Data and Sitelinks

    A search box can also be added to your website, so long as you’re using its own search engine embedded in the site. Then, use the WebSite schema markup to provide structured data for the search box. The full definition of WebSite can be found at Schema.

    Travel and Tourism

    Travellers have mentioned that research is the most common way in which they make travel decisions after discovering different brands. In the current cyber world, 70% of this search is conducted on smartphones — and with the development of newer technologies, it can be expected that this will soon be done by virtual assistants and that there will be more options for travelers to choose from. In order to ensure that you stay relevant in this search process, it is necessary to include specific information that entices the researcher.

    Top things that people look for while they are planning their travel include prices, hotel reviews/pictures/cost/availability, travel schedules, and activities in the destination. Studies show that adding rich snippet content to your listing can boost click through rates by 30%. A brief description of how different organizations can achieve better results is given below.

    Recently, we did an experiment to estimate the impact of structured data on local SEO with Google My Business. The results are remarkable, you can find them on this Local SEO schema markup article.

    Google Hotels

    Google Hotels provides a selection of hotels to search for various hotels or similar accommodations. To attract users, it highlights important information about accommodations related to lodging business, accommodation type and price. The search results are often ranked and examined using information.

    Considering that 60% of travelers turn to search first when looking for accommodations – it’s surprising that a large number of organizations aren’t making use of the rich snippets feature! Continue reading to learn more about how you can incorporate structured data to use this feature to your advantage.

    Structured Data and Google Hotels

    You can use the Hotel schema markup for adding structured data regarding your accommodation. The full definition of Hotel can be found at Schema.

    Google Flights

    Google Flights is a snippet that acts as a flight finder embedded in the SERP. Airlines can use this feature to better understand the search intent of their users, and therefore what the users are looking for. If the users are looking for a flight to Miami, for example, the results will likely show a flight to Miami. However, When searching with pay per click, users may end up paying more for the same search result. It’s a great feature from a users point of view; However, some website owners have taken issues with it.

    A booking engine such as FlightAdd can be used to make queries. The booking engine uses Google My Business and other relevant business information, and ranks the best available flights accordingly.

    Structured Data and Google Flights

    You can use the schema.org markup for Flight to add structured data to your flight. The rankings are based on a syndicated list of flights, which Google aggregates and displays in SERPs. The full definition of Flight can be found at Schema. 

    Places and Maps

    Places and Maps is a snippet which brings up localized information about a place such as listed by a name or address. This feature is prominent on both desktop SERPs but more so with mobile results. Make sure to keep location information available and up-to-date along with key indicators that help Google identify the location, such as: names, addresses and contact information.

    Structured Data with Places and Maps

    Structured data relevance for the Places has not being documented by Google or suggested by anyone else for the moment being. Still, structured data may help Google better understand and classify your content in order to include it.

    News Publishing

    The very first organic results page sees a traffic of about 32.5% while the 2nd page sees only 17.6%. These statistics bring to light the necessity of having a website display on the first results page. The carousel is often the first display that comes up when people are looking for something that is in the news. News websites and podcasts can greatly optimize their search engine presence by curating the content specifically for the news carousel and for the sport knowledge card.

    In order to increase the click through rate through a carousel, news sites must ensure that their platform uses structured data as recommended by Google. An easy- to-understand explanation of the different features that can be used to achieve better results is given in the following paragraphs.

    News Packs and Carousel

    Google Search can provide a carousel of rich results. In some cases, this content is delivered in AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) format, which is able to download and process data quickly. 

    Create and include excellent web pages addressing specific keywords and optimize your site for mobile search and for each targeted intent. Use your website’s keywords strategically, in SERPs that have higher KPI’s. The News Carousel appears for search queries like “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “The story of Oskar Werner”. It consists of up to nine links related to a specific topic.

    The News Packs are an expanded pack of all the major news sources into one big picture box. This results in a cleaner layout in Google Search results. To increase the CTRs of your news article, you should update your website with high-quality content and follow the guidelines to get into Top Stories.

    Structured Data and Google News

    To increase the chances of being pulled into the News feed, it’s recommended to follow general best practices for news reporting. In addition, news sites should have robust online presence and be actively engaged with Google’s search algorithm and Google News content guidelines. In addition, using the ListItem schema markup to add structured data to your news content. The full definition of ListItem is available at Schema.

    Knowledge Cards > Sports

    Knowledge cards for sports are cards displayed on the SERP that displays information related to current and future games featuring a specific team. These cards link to additional information related to games, news, players, and how the teams stand. This generally applies to more professional sports teams and leagues as opposed to minor teams.

    Structured Data and Knowledge Cards about Sports

    Structured data relevance for the Knowledge Cards about Sports has not being documented by Google or suggested by anyone else for the moment being. Still, structured data may help Google better understand and classify your content in order to include it.

    Podcasts

    A podcast carousel is a rich snippet that features different podcast shows or episodes To increase the chances of being pulled into the Podcast search box, it’s recommended to follow general best practices for podcast SEO. That means including the target keywords in the content, optimizing the audio quality, and the RSS feed for the podcast in addition to using the proper structured data markup. In the case of news articles, Google may display the episode in its carousel.

    Structured Data and Podcasts

    The RSS feed must conform to the RSS 2.0 specification and should contain the necessary tags and information. If you want your podcast to be featured in a carousel, make sure to use the ListItem schema markup.

    AMP

    Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) results, also called AMP highlights, are an expanded pack of all the necessary website’s pages on your website that are now enhanced with interactive features. Responsive web design is preferred over classic SEO because it allows users to reach your website faster on mobile devices.

    These results include the full-width page that contains your page information. In fact, the result might display up to the page’s width and height.

    Structured Data and AMP

    In this case, specific structured data is not required, but AMPs are powerful if they include structured data. Read more if you want to optimize your AMP pages with schema.org markup.

    E-commerce, Marketplace, and Online Business

    By 2023, eCommerce retail purchases are expected to rise from 14.1% to 22%. The number of people buying goods online has increased, and will continue to do so. 

    Considering this, it is going to be more and more important for retailers to optimize on their online visibility of products and drive more revenue. Rich snippets not only allow the brand to control the product information but they also give you the opportunity to stand out to people who are already looking for your product/service.

    For an e-commerce, shopping panels and ratings on Google’s SERP can make the difference in terms of selling the goods or not. In this context, it’s essential to learn how to get your spot on Google Shopping and structured data can help you with this: learn which other types of rich result can help and how in the following paragraphs.

    Shopping

    Shopping panels are rich snippets that contain information related to a product, business, or store. They include information such as reviews, addresses, hours of operation, etc. Remember, these are primarily paid listings, so you’ll want to ensure that you keep listings active and relevant. Also, make sure you answer any and all questions that come your way. 

    You should have a product page with product information, pricing, availability, security deposit and review details. You can also use the required structured data markup and gain rich results, such as local products. Shopping results on mobile still needs to be optimised, but overall site SEO should be a key for all online retailers.

    It’s easy to optimize your products and services into Google Merchant centre. All you have to do is to add your products and services to your Google Merchant profile and link them to your store.

    Structured Data and Shopping

    Using the Product schema markup will help categorize and provide information and structured data to your website. The full definition of Product can be found at Schema.

    Ratings and Reviews

    Reviews and Ratings provide a qualitative description of your business, product or website. The Review property describes information about a review, such as the reviewer name, the date of the review, the length of the review, and the number of ratings. Users must have read reviews or ratings in places (schemas) that are search-engine results pages. Implementation involves preparing a page that contains a review of a product and then add the required markup. Reviews or ratings in schemas must meet the following criteria:

    The pros of reviewing a product on a Google SERP are obvious: it increases your CTRs and searches. Reviews also bring traffic to your website, increase conversions and find plenty of satisfied customers. The downside is that if you are a marketer, you need to be on your website reviewing products to stay competitive. Reviews on a Google SERP can cost you up to 5% of your website rankings.

    The objective of the review is to give an honest and unbiased evaluation of a product, not to give a recommendation. Moreover, Google doesn’t want your negative reviews to creep up the page, so you shouldn’t include them.

    Structured Data and Reviews

    Note that Reviews are a structured data dependent feature which uses the Review schema markup. The full definition of Review is available at Schema.

    Knowledge Panel > Brand

    A knowledge panel for a brand, company or product can provide a brief description and important information related to the product. The descriptions are most often pulled from Wikipedia.org, so you may want to update a wikipedia page for your brand.

    Along with a description, other information can include: important people, founding year, type of product/service, related items and even fun facts about the company/brand. Make sure your content is up to date, of course, and that you carefully select which keywords are used.

    Structured Data and Knowledge Panel for Brand

    Brand structured data markup allows your website to appear in Google’s relevant search results for your organization. The Search box appears mainly on desktop search results; however, it can be found also at the top of results in mobile results. The major benefit here is visibility – it offers a thorough overview of your website right on the results page (and often obscures ads that would otherwise appear in its place).

    Sitelinks and Jump-to

    Google Search can expose a Search box scoped to your website when it appears in the search results. This search box is powered by Google Search. However, if you wish to power this search box with your own search engine. If you want search results also include an associated mobile app, you can do so using structured data embedded on your website.

    Structured Data with Sitelinks and Jump-to

    Use the WebSite schema markup to provide structured data for the search box. This can be done with your website or app. The full definition of WebSite can be found at Schema.

    Entertainment

    The entertainment industry has never been such a complex mosaic as it is today, when old and new players are fighting to get the attention of the public. Google Search plays its role in this context giving to the searcher accurate information about any movie ever produced, movie showtimes and cast.  

    Movie Carousels

    Using structured data markup can now be used with creating carousels of movie titles. These movie carousels can be used to display a series of movies based on parameters set by a user. Among these include: genre, actors, directors, studios, plot, etc. 

    Structured Data and Movie Carousels

    You can use the Movie schema markup to add the required structured data markup for your website. Your structured data needs to follow the webmaster, carousel and general structured data guidelines. At minimum, you need to include a title and image, though it’s also recommended to add an aggregate tag for average rating, a nested review, a director’s name, and a release date for the movie. The full definition of Movie is available at Schema.

    Branding and Personal Branding

    Building a brand or working on personal branding, in terms of SEO, basically means one thing: decide what you want people to see when they look for your brand or your name. The SERP that comes out from branded searches can and must be fully controlled by you, if you want it to be meaningful and clean. Your brand SERP visuals are especially important because it provides the audience with credible information that will influence their understanding/appreciation of the brand.

    One can establish themselves online through increasing visibility efforts on the databases that google pulls its information from. This will allow you to be a part of Google’s knowledge graph entity. Structured data can help you, together with social media content (tweets, videos, LinkedIn profile, etc). A basic explanation of how this works is provided below.

    Knowledge Card

    Knowledge cards are rich snippet panels that depict a chart that came into being as the result of data agreement or human-edited data. As such, appearing in a search engine card is out of reach for most companies. However, it might still be useful to know which keywords affect these cards as it can tell you which keywords to search for.

    Structured Data and the Knowledge Card

    Structured data relevance for the Knowledge Card has not being documented by Google or suggested by anyone else for the moment being. Still, structured data may help Google better understand and classify your content in order to include it.

    Twitter Box

    A twitter box is a rich snippet that features a direct link to a twitter account as well as the three most recent tweets from said account. For example, if you look up the Los Angeles Lakers, you can find a snippet of their twitter account and some of their recent posts.

    Structured Data and Twitter Cards

    Structured data are nor relevant in this case, as the tweets come directly from the social media. 

    Videos

    Videos are extremely important for brands to have a clear position in Google SERPs. Videos can be shown for any search query. That means if you’re a news portal, you can appear in SERPs with your videos. If you’re a content provider, you can provide a video to users for free. Though if your video clip is not loading or has no video information, it may lead to lower CTRs. 

    Uploading and managing a video on a youtube channel is a chapter on its own. With a good marketing strategy, it can also bring higher CTRs. If you decide to host a video on your own channel, you have to include proper structured data markup. Please, refer to Google guidelines. It’s easier to appear as a video thumbnail in SERPs with youtube video. 

    In the case of news portals, it’s probably a good idea to update your video descriptions with thumbnail images. In the case of video carousels, it’s probably a good idea to link your video to a youtube channel.

    Structured Data and Videos

    Image markup is preferable, but not required. The width and height of the video should reflect the visual content. The description should include keywords and should clearly and specifically identifies the video as a whole. The description should be relevant and unique.

    Food

    Yummy recipes look yummier on the SERP if they have a rich snippet. Recipe snippets include images, reviews, cooking times, ingredients and much more. Besides helping your recipe get a rich snippet and therefore a higher CTR, your structured data will also help Google read the details of your recipe and serve it to the right searcher understanding if it’s dairy free or not, how many eggs are needed and stuff like that.

    Let’s see how it works. 

    Recipes

    Recipe rich snippets are rich results that include both text and a list of items to be eaten. In recipes, the TAB key is used to list the items to be eaten.

    To increase the CTRs of your recipe listings, you should update the database with the latest information regarding their availability. In most cases, this will require contacting the previous owners of the recipes. If you find yourself in a position where your recipe listings are not very popular, you can always try to add more information to the database, which could lead to a higher CTR.

    In some cases, the content within a recipe can be more valuable than the search result, so seek out opportunities where your content can provide value to the user. For example, place a special order for fresh ingredients or make special dietary adjustments.

    Structured Data and Recipes

    The ItemList schema markup is crucial to appear in host-specific links or carousels. You can use the markup to add details about the name, cuisine type, and other information related to your recipe. The Recipe markup is also useful for adding more specific information to your recipe that can be used in combination with HowTo and PAA rich snippets. The full definition of ItemList and Recipe can be found at Schema.

    Recruitment

    Companies that are trying to hire a new employee might face difficulties because they are unable to reach the intended target group. Interestingly, 82% of Fortune 500 executives believe that their companies do not recruit top talent.

    In this scenario, ensuring that the posting is visible on search engines and recruiting platforms is key. Keeping important details in mind and using structured data markup helpers can largely influence the visibility and compatibility to candidates. For example, structured data can greatly help attract attention to your job posting using the JobPosting schema markup. The following paragraphs describe how organizations can achieve a better response.

    Job Search

    A job posting is a rich snippet that contains public information, means that anyone can apply while a job posting that is private, means that only employees may apply. The former type of job posting is known as “openings.” The latter type of job posting is known as a “closed captioning.”

    Job postings must fairly represent the hiring organization and job to be performed by the applicant.

    Here are a number of important details to keep in mind when posting your job within a job search:

    Structured Data and Job Search

    Structured data can be used to help attract attention to your job posting using the JobPosting schema markup. Using the Structured Data Markup Helper, you can directly paste a URL Link or HTML script into the helper to develop a structured data set. The details listed above should provide information needed for the development of the structured content. The full definition of JobPosting is available at Schema.

    Don’t forget to remove your job posting once the job expires. You can do this by removing the JobPosting data, deleting the page, or ensure the validThrough property is tagged and set to a date when the offer expires.

    Retail Business

    In continuation of the retail apocalypse, which started in 2010, it is further expected that around 14000 stores will close by the end of 2020. While e-commerce is the main cause of this, online marketplaces such as Amazon have still been able to expand from online to retail stores. Through these dynamic changes taking place, we know that particularly retail businesses need to consider methods to have a legitimate online presence in order to stay relevant in the future.

    This allows the consumers to reach the most reliable information and spread digital awareness of their business. Some options to further boost the search optimization might include creating a google profile, displaying a critical review and adding it to the local business listing. Continue reading to learn about the different ways in which you can achieve this. 

    Google My Business

    Google My Business is a free service provided by Google that allows you to manage your business profile and information across Google’s platforms, particularly Google Maps. Google My Business also enables a business owner to directly connect with their clients and potential customers using Google’s services.

    Structured Data and Google My Business

    Structured Data is not relevant or useful for Google My Business, as this information is created and accessed through a Google account using Google My Business rather than from your website. It is nonetheless essential for any business seeking to increase their online and mobile presence.

    Critic Reviews 

    A critic review is a snippet of a much longer, more detailed review of a product, movie, book, or local business. They differ from the standard review rich snippets in that critic reviews focus on one or a few individual reviews of a business rather than the overall rating of a business by several, public reviews. An example of a critic review can be seen below for 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar in New York City.

    It’s important to keep several things in mind when implementing critic review rich snippets:

    Structured Data and Critic Reviews

    To add critic reviews, use the required structured data markup using the Review schema markup. The full definition of Review can be found at Schema.

    Local Business Listing

    A listing for a local business provides information for the knowledge graph and rich results on the SERP. Using a local business listing, you can provide information about things like: business hours, different departments within your business, reviews, contact information and more. You can also use a listing to provide ways for users to make reservations, payments and other actions. This can be done for a variety of businesses from restaurants to travel agencies.

    Structured Data and Local Business Listings

    For local business listings, structured data is required for rich snippets as they can be useful in providing information to search engines and viewers alike. The LocalBusiness markup on Schema can be particularly useful and there are also a variety of other markups for differing types of businesses. These can include markups such as AnimalShelter, Dentist, Store, HomeAndConstructionBusiness, and many others. The full definition of LocalBusiness and the full list of business type markups can be found on Schema.

    FAQ

    An FAQ rich snippet can be particularly useful for a local business providing a product or service that people frequently have questions about. If you don’t have an FAQ page and many customers come to you with questions about the service you provide, consider adding an FAQ page to your website. If you already have an FAQ page, you may be interested in gaining an FAQ featured snippet on the Google SERP.

    Structured Data and FAQs

    To get an FAQ snippet on the SERP, you will need to use the FAQPage structured data. Please make sure that the entirety of the text in both each Question and Answer are included as the entire question and answer may be displayed. The full definition of FAQPage can be found on Schema.

    Software

    Since software is a product that is made primarily for usage in the cyber world, it is crucial for the business to have a legitimate online presence. The SERP that comes out from searches can and must be fully controlled by you, in order to reach the audience directly. Further, trying to use new softwares can often seem intimidating and complicated.

    Software websites should attract people to their services by making their content easy to access and understand. Companies can make use of structured data with FAQS, application downloads, HowTo articles and videos to demonstrate their content. The following paragraphs describe how organizations can achieve a better online return rate through semantic tools.

    HowTo

    HowTo rich snippets can be particularly useful for a software website to provide content and tutorials relating to their software. This also includes technology enthusiasts who would like to provide their own tutorials or software demonstrations. For example, creating a website using WordPress can be displayed in the HowTo type snippet displayed above.

    Structured Data and HowTo

    You must include the required properties for HowTo pages for your content to be eligible to display it as a rich result. Most websites are able to display HowTo rich results regardless if they have HowTo structured data, but this is no guarantee that yours will be displayed without the use of structured data. You can use the Structured Data Testing Tool to validate and preview your structured data. Please note that HowTo pages may not appear in all languages. The full definition of HowTo is available at Schema.

    FAQ

    An FAQ rich snippet can be particularly useful to software developers, distributors and even enthusiasts. An FAQ page can answer frequently asked questions about the software in question or its function. It can also be used to provide common inquiries about the software as a product or service. An FAQ snippet result can easily provide users with easy answers to their questions in a simple, but useful format. 

    Structured Data and FAQ

    In order to get an FAQ rich snippet on the Google SERP use the FAQPage structured data from Schema. Please be sure that the entirety of the text in both each Question and Answer are included as the entire question and answer may be displayed. This is especially important for technical information as you may need to provide as much detail as possible in your answers. The full definition of FAQPage can be found on Schema.

    Videos

    HowTo is not the only means of providing tutorials or demonstration content, videos can provide an equally beneficial means of doing so. When it comes to many types of software, especially visual-based software, embedded videos in the SERP can provide a convenient method of delivering tutorial and demonstration content. Make sure your video follows the proper guidelines for it to be featured in the SERP as part of a video carousel. 

    Structured Data and Videos

    Image markup is preferable but is not required. The width and height of the video should reflect the visual content. The description should include keywords and should clearly and specifically identify the video content as a whole. The description must also be relevant and unique.

    App Download

    If you’re seeking to promote a mobile application, you can have it appear in the SERP for a snippet to conveniently display your application. Use SoftwareApp for your app to be eligible for this feature. The new SERP features are available to users in the U.S. and Canada. 

    Structured Data and Software App

    The SoftwareApplication schema markup is used for adding structured data to applications. App download links are now also enabled for any apps on the Google Play store. The WebApplication and MobileApplication subtypes for markups are also supported by Google. The full definition of SoftwareApp is available at Schema.

    Outro

    When it comes to optimizing your website for Google’s SERP, being the first blue link doesn’t hold the same value that it used to. That’s why it’s more important to focus on developing structured data so that your website can be featured in a rich snippet. These rich snippets are both more engaging and reliable to users, hence why they’ve taken much of the spotlight over the past couple of years. In understanding how the different types or rich snippets work and how you might begin to optimize your website’s content and function.

    We hope this guide has been both informative and useful in providing you with the knowledge on SERP rich snippets and structured data. If you’re interested in learning more about rich snippets, structured data or other matters discussed in this guide, we’re happy to answer questions or concerns.

    WordLift creates a knowledge graph and adds Schema.org markup to your content: this is actually one of the main strengths of our plugin.

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    Methodological Note: this content has been mostly drafted by Googolo, our AI-writer, but it also required a huge team effort. Christopher Newell, Andrea Volpini, Doreid Haddad and Maria Silvia Sanna contributed to this article. 

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