When it comes to eCommerce, the value of search engine results pages (SERPs) cannot be overstated. Nearly half of all eCommerce traffic stems from organic search results1, and approximately a quarter of eCommerce orders are directly linked to organic search traffic.2 If you operate an eCommerce store, now is the time to take advantage of SERPs — with schema.
Schema is a type of microdata that, once added to a webpage, creates an enhanced description to appear in SERPs. Also referred to as rich snippets and rich results, schema for eCommerce not only helps search engines like Google better understand the context of your content but also enables consumers to have a more informative, interactive experience while searching for your products.
Here is a quick guide on how to leverage schema for eCommerce to capitalize on the power of SERPs.
Using Schema for E-commerce to Increase Conversions
Why is schema important to eCommerce websites? Schema is a form of structured data for websites. Structured data is a standardized, machine-readable format that provides information about the content of a webpage. Schema.org was created in 2011 to implement a standard catalog of schema markup that defines a page structure.
It is helpful to think of schema markup for eCommerce websites as a shared library that all search engines — including Google, Bing, and Yahoo — understand. When schema code is added to your website’s HTML, it gives search engines more meaning about the page’s content and, in turn, provides more detailed results for consumers. Most importantly, schema allows for rich snippets.
Rich snippets (or rich results) expand on standard search results with additional data. For example, a standard result on SERPs displays the page’s title tag, meta description, and URL.
In contrast, a rich snippet pulls from structured data to include extra details like consumer reviews, product price, and availability. This can explain why rich snippets lead to a higher organic click-through rate (CTR).
Research shows that having a rich snippet appear in SERPs can increase CTR by a whopping 677%.3 Not only that, but schema for eCommerce can drive up to 40% more traffic than search results that lack those additional details.4 Fortunately, there are various forms of schema markup for eCommerce websites that business owners can use to boost performance and increase conversions.
With a basic understanding of schema and structured data, you might be curious about which schema markup you should use for eCommerce. The eight primary eCommerce schema types include Product, Offer, ImageObject, VideoObject, Review, FAQ, BreadcrumbList, and Sitelink search box schema markup to drive visibility in SERPs and enhance general CTRs.
- Product Schema Markup: Provides additional product information directly on SERPS, including price, availability, shipping information, review ratings, and more, for both product listing pages and specific product pages.
- Offer Schema Markup: Provides transactional details for a particular product, such as a discount offer on a specific item.
- ImageObject Structured Data: Provides image previews to accompany product listings on SERPs and enables the image to appear in image search results.
- VideoObject Structured Data: Provides context to video content, including the video title, description, upload date, duration, and thumbnail URL.
- Review Schema Markup: Provides an average of the combined rating scores for a specific product from various review websites in the form of short excerpts, star ratings, and a numeric scale (such as 1 to 5).
- FAQpage Structured Data: Provides a rich snippet that appears on the top of SERPs to answer users’ questions on a specific topic; also populates as an answer to voice-to-search queries on devices such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
- BreadcrumbList Schema Markup: Provides a means to understand a page’s position in an eCommerce website’s hierarchy and allows users to navigate an eCommerce store effectively.
- Sitelinks Search Box Schema Markup (WebSite Schema): Provides a search box for the eCommerce site directly on SERPs for users to explore a store immediately from the results page and receive real-time suggestions for browsing.
Let’s take a look at each type of schema for eCommerce in action.
Product Schema for eCommerce
With the focus of eCommerce on digital and physical products, it’s only fitting that product schema markup is one of the most popular types of structured data for eCommerce websites. As the name might suggest, product schema markup for eCommerce websites adds tons of product-specific details to a search result, including price, availability, color options, shipping options, and more.
A type of structured data that goes hand-in-hand with product schema is offer schema. Offer schema drives into the pricing information of a product, particularly if there’s a discount or incentive, such as a percentage off or free shipping. Both are popular among eCommerce sites, but product schema is more frequently used for lifestyle, home, and garden sites. In contrast, offer schema is more prevalent among computers, electronics, technology, and automotive.5
Display Schema for eCommerce
Display schema encompasses ImageObject structured data and VideoObject structured data. At a time when Google Search results can access Google product schema, Google Images, Google Discover, and video search results, structured eCommerce data helps enhance product visibility on SERPs. ImageObject schema specifies image details like the creator and credit information, whereas VideoObject schema enables how-to or product review videos to correctly populate SERPs.
Build Trust and Brand Loyalty with eCommerce Schema
If you’re wondering how schema can build trust in your eCommerce brand, FAQ page schema, and review schema markup are the answer. In product-rich results, it can be difficult for consumers to gauge which brand is the best. Review schema provides social proof through text-based excerpts and star ratings for each product directly on SERPs. FAQ page schema populates as the featured snippet at the top of SERPs to be the singular point of information for consumers.
Schema to Help Search Engines Crawl Your eCommerce Website
Last but not least, structured data can take advantage of the eCommerce product search algorithm with Sitelinks search box schema (also known as WebSite schema) and Breadcrumblist schema. Both types of schema markups assist search engines in crawling your eCommerce site to better understand each page’s content and, as a result, position them appropriately in SERPs.
Sitelinks search box schema is a type of microdata that, once added to a webpage, enables a searchable directory for your eCommerce site directly on SERPs. For example, consumers can search your website for a red dress or blue shirt straight from Google. To seamlessly navigate between product and collection pages, Breadcrumblist schema indicates website hierarchy.
Capitalize on the Power of SERPs with Schema
Can you believe that 35% of all online purchases start with a single Google search?6 Now is the time to capitalize on the power of SERPS with structured data and schema for eCommerce. If you’re unsure where to start (or how to code!), Bullseye Strategy is here to help. Contact us today to learn how our web development and search engine experts can implement the proper schema for you.
