Visual Guide to Rich Snippets on SEOmoz created by [Opt7_Microdata_Organization_48982914]
A LOOK AT RICH SNIPPETS – REVIEWS – PRICE RANGE
SEARCH IS CHANGING MORE RAPIDLY THAN EVER.
High rankings in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) are no longer enough. Rich snippets are Part of increasingly enhanced SERPs longer snippets are designed to help people make decisions before they click.
THE BASICS OF RICH SNIPPETS
- Snippets are the lines of additional information that appear near a [Opt7_Microdata_Organization_1224016721] search result: **** 139 reviews – 1 hr 34 mins
- Rich snippets are designed to give the user a sense of what a webpage may contain.
- Rich snippets give detailed information for specific queries.
Rich snippets help users discover sites that are relevant to their searches, resulting in higher Click-through rates.
The hierarchy of rich snippets is
- Semantic Web – Structured Data – Microformats
- Microdata – [Opt7_Microdata_Organization_345068084]
- RDFa
WHERE DID RICH SNIPPETS COME FROM?
Rich snippets give users QUICKER ACCESS TO INFORMATION. Rich snippets also give webmasters an additional layer of optimization, and a chance to highlight the contents of a site within the SERPs. This provides a short blurb about a website’s content without actually requiring a user to dig through countless webpages for specific knowledge
FOR WHAT TYPES OF CONTENT CAN RICH SNIPPETS APPEAR?
- Restaurants average review, number of stars, and price range
- Recipes Rich snippet: photo, recipe rating, and time required
- Music albums Rich snippet: lyrics anda link to play the song
- Video Rich snippet: video image
- People Rich snippet: phone number and photos
- Products Rich snippet: ratings, picture, and price range
- Business and Organizations Rich snippet: location and customer review
- Authors Rich snippet: author photo, name and a link to more articles
- Events Rich snippet: event date, location, and time
Structured data help search engines to UNDERSTAND LARGER CONCEPTS. For instance, HTML5 microdata specification is designed to use < span > and < div > tags to recognize ideas. This categorizes information into specific properties and items that are recognized by search engines. The result is a “snippet” of information near a search result
RICH SNIPPETS IN THE SERPS
Rich snippets increase the click-through rate (CTR) from organic search engine results pages. They are a visual way for business to display products, prices and reviews quickly
***** 11 reviews – Price range: $210 – 12 stores Nearby stores – In Stock
Results using rich snippets have higher visibility within the SERPs.
USING RICH SNIPPETS
Once you’ve deckled to give rich snippets o try, it is important to know HOW TO MARKUP YOUR WEBSITE CONTENT to create the snippets and the best way to test your results.
HOW TO MARKUP CONTENT FOR RICH SNIPPETS
Take the right steps to help Google identify rich snippet data from your website
Pick a markup format
- Microdata
- Microformats
- RDFa
Markup the content using HTML tags to give descriptive names to text Examples of content tags: venue, event, time, and rating
Test your rich snippet markup at https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets It will read the marked up data, and the user can see if rich snippets are appearing
When Google discovers the new markup on your site, it will begin reading the tags and displaying rich snippets for your site within the SERPs
Search About 112,000,000 results (0.20 seconds)
- Complete Google’s request form to let them know rich snippet tags have been added to a website.
- Make sure rich snippet content is visible to human users.
- Google will not display hidden content.
- Make sure the markups match the requirements for each content type.
- Verify that tags and attributes are in the correct format.
- Make sure the marked up content represents what is on the actual webpage.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR CREATING RICH SNIPPETS
UTILITIES FOR RICH SNIPPET EDITING
Several PLUGINS have been developed for WORDPRESS SITES that allow users to tag rich , snippet content easily within their sites.
MICRODATA FOR WORDPRESS Free plugin Allows user to generate HTML5 microdata code in posts and pages
- event
- person
- organization
- review
- place
- product
RICH SNIPPET CREATOR – MODULE OF SEO ULTIMATE
Created by SE0 Design Solutions Contains module for creating rich snippets Only applies to “event’ data
SCHEMA FOR WORDPRESS
Plugin marks up existing content in WordPress site . Simple ‘Schema for WordPress button Pay attention to div/span codes begins the process
- < div id-'wrapper >
- < div id- sidebar >
- < div Class=Sidebar-Inner" >
EASY RECIPE
Plugin exclusive to recipe snippets Clean visual representation
Plugin appears with Upload/Insert media icon in WordPress
Button to run finished product through Rich Snippet testing tool. Once you add a new recipe, microformat tags are automatically added.
MICRO ANYWHERE
Plugin for events and contact information Output = readable paragraph with suitable microformat (Still in development) Potential time-saver
RICH SNIPPETS AND CLICK THROUGH RATES
DO RICH SNIPPETS WORK? RICH SNIPPETS INCREASE CTR
Is the click-through rate for rich snippets better than regular search results? Aesthetically pleasing layouts that include stars, asterisks, and photos draw more attention than plain text
SERP TEXT Rich Snippets help break up lines of text in the SERPs THE RESULT: More click-throughs to the sites with rich snippets.
Many companies have seen a 20 – 30% RISE in click-through rates when using rich snippets. Users know what to expect before accessing the site.
THE RESULT: More qualified visitors who are likely to stay on the site longer
THE FUTURE OF RICH SNIPPETS Rich snippets are the gateway ” to the Semantic Web Due to the value rich snippets provide, they likely are here to evolve and stay. What does the future hold for them?
Bing and Yahoo! have implemented structured data for their rich snippets Google, Bing and Yahoo formed Schema org, endorsing microdata as the standard for all sites.
Schema.org provides multitudes of HTML tags that can integrated easily into existing website designs to improve click-through rates and visibility
This is a collaborative effort to restructure Internet search functions to easily narrow a user’s query. Descriptive information is attached to content in metadata form.
RICH SNIPPETS HELP YOU STAND OUT FROM THE COMPETITION.
The visual queues and images break up the lines of generic text and set those search results above the rest.
RICH SNIPPETS CAN IMPROVE CLICK-THROUGH RATES AND BRING TARGETED USERS TO WEBSITES.