Schema markup is a powerful tool for ecommerce websites. It helps search engines understand the content on your pages, which can lead to richer search results and potentially higher click-through rates.
Ecommerce Schema Markup Benefits
- Enhanced Search Visibility
Ecommerce schema markup helps search engines better understand the content on your site. This can result in rich snippets, which are more detailed search results that can include elements like product ratings, prices, and availability. These enhanced listings make your products more attractive in search results.
- Improved Click-Through Rates (CTR)
Rich snippets generated by schema markup can make your search listings more appealing and informative, leading to higher click-through rates. Users are more likely to click on a listing that provides detailed information upfront, such as product ratings or price.
- Increased Conversion Rates
By displaying detailed product information directly in search results—like price, availability, and reviews—potential customers are better informed before they even land on your site. This can lead to higher conversion rates, as the users who click through are more likely to be interested in making a purchase.
- 4. Competitive Advantage
Not all ecommerce sites utilize schema markup, so using it can give you a competitive edge. Your products will be more prominent in search results due to the rich snippets, attracting more clicks and conversions compared to competitors who don’t use schema markup.
- 5. Structured Data for Voice Search and Virtual Assistants
As voice search becomes increasingly popular, having structured data becomes essential. Ecommerce schema markup ensures that voice-activated devices like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa can accurately understand and relay your product information, offering another channel for potential customers to discover your products.
Implementing ecommerce schema markup can significantly improve your site’s visibility and performance in organic search, leading to tangible business benefits.
Here are 20 ways you can use Schema markup to enhance your ecommerce site.
Product Information
Display essential product details like name, image, and price.
{
"@context": "http://schema.org/",
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Laptop",
"image": "laptop-image.jpg",
"price": "999.99"
}
Product Availability
Indicate whether a product is in stock or out of stock.
{
"@type": "Offer",
"availability": "http://schema.org/InStock"
}Product Ratings
Show the average rating and number of reviews for a product.
{
"@type": "AggregateRating",
"ratingValue": "4.5",
"reviewCount": "200"
}Display the navigation path to a product.
{
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"name": "Home"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 2,
"name": "Laptops"
}
]
}Business Information
Provide details like business hours and location.
{
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"name": "Tech Store",
"telephone": "+1-800-555-5555",
"openingHours": "Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00"
}Sales and Discounts
Highlight ongoing sales or discounts on products.
{
"@type": "Offer",
"price": "799.99",
"priceValidUntil": "2023-12-31"
}Payment Methods
List the payment methods you accept.
{
"@type": "Store",
"paymentAccepted": "Credit Card, PayPal"
}Shipping Information
Specify shipping options and costs.
{
"@type": "OfferShippingDetails",
"shippingRate": "Free",
"shippingDestination": "Worldwide"
}Product Variants
Show different colors or sizes for a product.
{
"@type": "Product",
"additionalProperty": [
{
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"name": "Color",
"value": "Red, Blue"
}
]
}Video Content
Embed product videos.
{
"@type": "VideoObject",
"name": "Product Demo",
"contentUrl": "demo.mp4"
}FAQs
List frequently asked questions about a product.
{
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How to install?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Follow the guide."
}
}
]
}Show products that are often bought together.
{
"@type": "Product",
"isRelatedTo": [
{
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Laptop Bag"
}
]
}Product Features
Highlight key features of a product.
{
"@type": "Product",
"featureList": "High-resolution screen, Long battery life"
}Warranty Information
Provide warranty details for a product.
{
"@type": "WarrantyPromise",
"durationOfWarranty": "1 year"
}Brand Information
Specify the brand of the product.
{
"@type": "Brand",
"name": "Apple"
}Material
Indicate the material of the product.
{
"@type": "Product",
"material": "Aluminum"
}SKU and Identifier
Provide SKU or other identifiers for the product.
{
"@type": "Product",
"sku": "ABC123"
}Product Bundle
Offer a bundle of products at a discounted price.
{
"@type": "Product",
"isVariantOf": {
"@type": "ProductModel",
"name": "Laptop Bundle"
}
}Seasonal Offers
Promote seasonal or holiday offers.
{
"@type": "Offer",
"availabilityStarts": "2023-12-01",
"availabilityEnds": "2023-12-25"
}Safety Information
Include safety warnings or guidelines for a product.
{
"@type": "Product",
"safetyWarning": "Keep away from children."
}Schema Plugins for Shopify and BigCommerce
Optimising your ecommerce site with schema markup can be challenging, especially if you’re not tech-savvy. Luckily, platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce offer plugins to make this task easier. These plugins automate schema implementation, helping your products stand out in search results. Here are some top plugins for both platforms, complete with links for easy access.
Shopify Schema Plugins
- SEO Manager: This app provides a comprehensive range of SEO tools, including support for schema markup. It’s user-friendly and offers additional features like SEO audits and keyword suggestions.
- Smart SEO: This app automatically generates schema markup for your entire Shopify store. It aims to make your products more visible in search engine results without requiring manual coding.
BigCommerce Schema Plugins
- Shogun Landing Page Builder: This app allows you to build custom landing pages and includes SEO features like schema markup. It’s designed to be easy to use while offering advanced customization options.
- ScribbleFunnels: This app provides tools for adding schema markup to your product pages. It’s aimed at making the process straightforward, even for those who are not tech-savvy.
These plugins and apps are designed to simplify the process of adding schema markup to your ecommerce site, thereby improving your SEO performance and user experience.
Free Schema Markup Validation Tools
Tools commonly used to check the validity and effectiveness of schema markup on ecommerce websites, along with their respective links:
This tool allows you to either fetch a URL or paste a code snippet to check for errors in your schema markup. It provides a detailed report that includes both the detected data types and any errors or warnings. It’s particularly helpful for those who aim to optimize for Google Search.
This open-source tool can validate schema markup in various formats including RDFa, Microdata, and JSON-LD. It provides a user-friendly interface and detailed error messages, making it easier to identify and fix issues in your markup.
Accessible through Bing Webmaster Tools, this validator checks the markup used on your website, providing a report on whether the markup has been implemented correctly. While it’s not as commonly used as Google’s tools, it’s valuable for those interested in optimizing for Bing’s search engine.
Each of these tools offers a unique set of features and capabilities, but they all serve the essential function of validating your schema markup to ensure it’s correctly implemented and optimized for search engines.