Structured data is a powerful tool for improving your website’s visibility in search engine results. By providing search engines with clear, organized information about your content, you can enhance your chances of earning rich results like featured snippets, knowledge panels, and more. However, implementing structured data incorrectly can do more harm than good, potentially leading to missed opportunities or even penalties from search engines.
To help you make the most of structured data, we’ve compiled a list of common mistakes to avoid. By steering clear of these pitfalls, you can ensure your structured data strategy is both effective and compliant with best practices.
One of the most frequent mistakes is using the wrong schema type for your content. Schema.org offers a wide variety of markup types, from Article and Product to Event and Recipe. Using an incorrect type can confuse search engines and prevent your content from appearing in relevant rich results.
How to Avoid It:
Carefully review the Schema.org documentation to ensure you’re using the appropriate type for your content. For example, if you’re marking up a blog post, use BlogPosting, not Product or Event.
Even small errors in your structured data can render it invalid, preventing search engines from using it. Common issues include missing required properties, typos, or incorrect formatting.
How to Avoid It:
Always validate your structured data using tools like Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema Markup Validator. These tools will highlight errors and warnings, allowing you to fix them before they impact your SEO.
Adding too much structured data or irrelevant markup can confuse search engines and dilute the effectiveness of your efforts. For example, marking up every single element on a page, even when it’s unnecessary, can lead to cluttered and unhelpful data.
How to Avoid It:
Focus on marking up only the most important elements of your page. For instance, if you’re optimizing a product page, prioritize Product, Offer, and Review schema rather than adding unrelated types.
Structured data should match the visible content on your page. If there’s a mismatch—such as listing a different price in your schema markup than what’s displayed on the page—search engines may flag your site for providing misleading information.
How to Avoid It:
Ensure that all structured data aligns with the on-page content. Regularly audit your pages to confirm consistency, especially if you frequently update prices, dates, or other dynamic information.
Search engines like Google frequently update their guidelines for structured data. Failing to stay up-to-date can result in outdated or non-compliant markup, which may no longer be eligible for rich results.
How to Avoid It:
Regularly check Google’s Search Central Structured Data Guidelines and the Schema.org website for updates. Adjust your implementation as needed to stay compliant.
While there are multiple formats for implementing structured data, such as Microdata and RDFa, JSON-LD is Google’s preferred format. Using other formats can make your structured data harder to manage and less likely to be supported in the future.
How to Avoid It:
Whenever possible, use JSON-LD for your structured data. It’s easier to implement, more flexible, and widely supported by search engines.
Structured data can behave differently on desktop and mobile versions of your site. If your mobile site uses dynamic content or has a different structure, your markup may not work as intended.
How to Avoid It:
Test your structured data on both desktop and mobile versions of your site. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test in conjunction with structured data testing tools to ensure everything works seamlessly.
Even if your structured data is implemented correctly, it’s important to monitor its performance over time. Without tracking, you won’t know if your efforts are driving results or if adjustments are needed.
How to Avoid It:
Use tools like Google Search Console to monitor how your structured data is performing. Check for errors, impressions, and clicks related to rich results, and make improvements as necessary.
Structured data is a game-changer for SEO, but only when implemented correctly. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can maximize your chances of earning rich results and improving your site’s visibility in search engines. Remember, structured data is not a “set it and forget it” strategy—it requires regular testing, updates, and monitoring to stay effective.
Start optimizing your structured data today, and watch your search engine performance soar!