The goal of having a plumbing website is for people to find it. As a result, your website must be tailored to the search engine algorithms, containing the right elements to rank high in search results and show up when people in your area search for “plumber near me.”
The algorithms Google and other search engines use are a bit elusive. We don’t know exactly what elements Google prefers when determining which order to rank web pages in, and the algorithms change frequently. But one thing we do know is that using structured data in SEO can help boost rankings.
If you’re looking for a way to enhance your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, structured data implementation can level up your website, help search engines understand it, and ultimately connect your site with more potential customers. But this strategy requires a bit of skill and know-how to master.
Learn how to use structured data to boost your plumbing website’s rankings and how Relentless Digital, an expert SEO company for plumbers, can help.
What Is Structured Data?
Unless you’re a web developer or seasoned digital marketer, “structured data” is probably an unfamiliar term. But you likely know the concept of structured data in general, as it pertains to numerous ideas and industries.
In a broad sense, structured data refers to a type of data laid out in an organized manner. For example, in the plumbing industry, you may have a “relational database” with structured data about the types of tools and supplies you keep in your work van. It may look something like the following:
| Tool | Size | Count |
| Volume Control Valve | ½” | 5 |
| Push-to-Connect Ball Valve | ¾” | 7 |
| Zero-Lead Ball Valve | 1” | 3 |
In contrast, unstructured data would look like a haphazard sticky note that reads “3 ball valves, one-inch, five 1/2-inch volume control valves, 3/4-inch push-to-connect ball valves (7).” Semi-structured data would be a mix of the two, following an unconventional format.
Structured data is easier to read, understand, and apply than unstructured or semi-structured data. That’s why search engine algorithms also like structured data.
In SEO, structured data is organized, tagged data on web pages that search engines can easily analyze, categorize, and understand. Instead of just putting text and images on your website pages and expecting Google to understand them, you can label this data with the corresponding markup on Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper, making it easier for search engine crawlers to understand.
Why Is Structured Data Important for Search Engines?
What you see when you look at a website differs greatly from what Google sees.
For example, when you look at the Relentless Digital homepage, you see the following:
Meanwhile, Google sees a bunch of code, like this:
Adding structured data markups to your website involves embedding tags of code throughout your web page’s HTML to better label and categorize the types of data on your website. Then, when Google crawls the web for plumbing websites in your area, it can easily see that your site fits the bill.
But Google doesn’t only use structured data in SEO to determine which websites to display in search results. It also uses this data to create the short description that appears under the link to your website page. The more detailed and relevant this description, the more likely a user is to click on your web page.
Finally, Google can use schema markups to display your website in enhanced search results, such as:
- Featured snippets, also known as the “People also ask” section
- Rich results, which contain extra visual or interactive features (also known as “rich snippets”)
- Carousels, which include a full row of interactive results
- Knowledge boxes or panels, which appear for branded searches in the Knowledge Graph, containing publicly known, factual information.
All in all, when you implement structured data on your website, you give Google more information it needs to display your plumbing website in search results. While structured data doesn’t constitute a direct ranking signal, it can bring more traffic to your website.
How To Implement Structured Data for SEO
Now you know the benefits of structured data for the major search engines, but how do you add structured data to your website? Looking at the page code in the screenshot above, you may feel like this digital marketing strategy is outside your wheelhouse.
Thankfully, structured data tools make marking up data on your website relatively simple. Google has its own tool, known as the Structured Data Markup Helper, that streamlines this process and optimizes it for Google search algorithms.
Here’s how to implement structured data in SEO for your plumbing website:
1. Determine Which Page To Start With
Different types of website pages have different schema markup processes. For example, you’ll add distinct types of data to an article compared to a local business page or a question and answer page.
You can mark up as many pages on your website as you’d like. The more you do, the better your results will be.
These instructions will focus on marking up a blog article, so you may want to choose one to start with. But the process is similar for any data type you choose.
2. Open Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper
You’ll be using Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper to mark up your website. This free tool is very user-friendly and walks you through each step.
Click the link above to open the tool.
3. Select the Data Type
The tool will invite you to select the data type of the page you will be marking up. The options include:
- Articles
- Events
- Movies
- Restaurants
- Book reviews
- Job postings
- Products
- Software applications
- Datasets
- Local businesses
- Question & answer pages
- TV episodes
Click on “Articles” if you’re marking up a blog post or other type of article.
4. Enter the Page URL
Next, paste the URL of the web page you would like to mark up. You can also paste the HTML, but you may just want to stick to the URL for simplicity’s sake.
Then, click “Start Tagging” to move to the next page.
5. Assign Data Tags to Page Elements
The Structured Data Markup tool will take you to an interactive page displaying the web page you want to mark up. Clicking on or highlighting elements on the web page will bring up a list of data tags you can choose from to label each element.
Assign the following data tags to relevant page elements:
- Name: The article name or title
- Author: The person or organization that authored the article (most likely your plumbing business)
- Date published: The date the article was published on your website
- Image: Photos that represent the article (i.e., not just business logos)
- Article section: A label indicating the type of article, such as “News,” “Blog,” “Press Release,” etc., if applicable.
- Article body: The page’s content (not including the title)
- URL: The article’s web address
- Publisher: The person or organization that published the article (i.e., your plumbing business)
- Aggregate rating: The average rating of the article, if applicable
Chances are, not all of the above pieces of information are clearly visible on your website page. That’s okay; you can add missing tags to linked data manually by clicking the button on the right side of the page.
6. Download the Script as an HTML File
Once you’ve finished labeling all the relevant data elements, click “Create HTML” in the top right corner of the tool.
Google supports structured data in two formats:
- JavaScript Object Notation (JSON-LD), which is a type of JavaScript code that Google recommends for structured data
- Microdata, which you can use in the <head> or <body> of the page
While both are supported formats, JSON-LD may be easier to use. JSON-LD uses JavaScript and embedded widgets to display your content, simplifying the web development process.
Choose JSON-LD as your code format from the dropdown menu, then click “Download” above the structured data to download the HTML code snippet to your files.
7. Publish Your Structured Data Markup
Next, add the JSON-LD code snippet to your website page. Copy and paste it from your downloads into the CMS or source code of your page. You should paste it below the head section of your HTML code.
Then, return to the Structured Data Markup tool and click “Finish” in the top-right corner. Google will give you a few next steps that you should complete to optimize your structured data in SEO.
The first one is to view the schema.org documentation lists to identify other tags you may want to add to your website that are unavailable through the Markup Helper tool. Click the link and peruse the properties for ones that may relate to your website.
The next step Google recommends is to test your schema markup using its structured data testing tool.
8. Test Your Schema Markup
Testing your schema markup ensures you formatted it according to the proper structured data protocol. Any errors or bugs could lead Google to struggle with identifying the data in your markup, harming your rankings in search engines.
You can leverage a few testing tools to check your schema markup. The first you’ll want to use is the Structured Markup Validator from schema.org.
After you’ve published your structured data to your website, paste the URL into the text box in the Structured Markup Validator tool. You can also enter a code snippet if you just want to check a portion of the JSON-LD code.
Then, click “Run Test.” You’ll see your HTML on the left-hand side and any errors or warnings detected on the right side. Take time to review any issues the tool has identified.
You can also use Google’s Rich Results Test to evaluate whether your page supports rich results. Just paste your URL into the search box and click “Test URL.” You can test it with Google’s Inspection Tool for smartphone or desktop. (If your website uses accelerated mobile pages (AMP pages), you’ll want to use the smartphone tool to test the mobile pages).
Google will take a minute or two to test your URL. Then, it will display a list of the valid items it has detected that could be used within rich snippets or rich results. It will also alert you to any issues you may need to fix.
9. Fix Any Detected Issues
After using these testing tools, you’ll have a good understanding of how your structured data will perform within the search engines and whether it will meet your SEO goals. If these tools identify any issues, you’ll want to take the time to correct them before officially publishing your structured data to the web.
This stage may feel intimidating if you don’t know much about JSON-LD or web development. If you’re unsure how to fix any issues, feel free to consult a professional for assistance. You don’t want to risk making the issue worse and lowering your rankings in search engines as a result.
10. Wait For Your Search Rankings To Increase
It typically takes a few weeks for Google to recognize changes in structured data. As a result, you won’t immediately see any changes in your rankings for a specific search result. Even after a few weeks, you may not see your content in rich snippets or the Google knowledge panel.
Be patient and recognize that you may need to wait a while before you can see any noticeable improvements from your structured data efforts.
Tips To Optimize Structured Data for SEO
Adding structured data for SEO is a great way to boost your rankings in search engines over time. You’ll want to ensure you understand how structured data works before you begin. Also, be aware of the following tips to optimize your structured data:
- Use the appropriate data types: Ensure you choose the right structured data types for each website page. If you’re unsure which data type a page fits into, do some research on schema.org.
- Fill in missing tags: If you find that you have to add a lot of missing tags manually, you may want to go back into your page and add markup elements like the author and date published to all your product pages and articles.
- Mark up relevant elements: Focus structured data efforts on highlighting the elements that represent the main content on the page rather than just a piece of it. For example, mark up the title for the whole page, not a heading for a smaller section.
- Consider your pages for rich search results: Do your website pages have the right structure and content to appear in rich results like carousels, the knowledge graph, rich snippets, etc.? Consider how you can restructure certain pages to better accommodate the featured snippet format.
Enhance Structured Data Markup With Relentless Digital
Structured data helps search engines understand your plumbing website and display them in relevant Google search results. If you want your plumbing company’s online presence to stay competitive with others in your area, you’ll want to add schema markup strategically.
But being responsible for your own schema markup can be time-consuming, especially while trying to run a full-fledged plumbing business. That’s why many plumbers turn to Relentless Digital for Google structured data assistance.
Let us take care of the entire process of implementing structured data in SEO. Contact us today to book your free strategy call, then check out our recent article on adding social links to GMB listings to learn more about other digital marketing strategies.
