In SEO (Search Engine Optimization), structured data proves to be a valuable ally for your website's visibility. It lets search engines accurately interpret the content of your pages and refine how they appear in search results.
Fortunately, to ensure accuracy and maximize the effectiveness of this data, developers and digital marketing experts have two essential tools: Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema.org markup validation tool.
Let's discover together how to use them to ensure your structured data is correctly implemented and to boost your organic search ranking!
Check structured data with Google's Rich Results Test
Available via Google Developers, the Rich Results Test tool ensures the search engine reads and displays your site's structured data perfectly.
Simply enter your page URL or paste your HTML code directly. The tool scans your tags, identifying errors and warnings. You get a list of detected structured data, visibility on the HTML code, and a screenshot.
You'll immediately know how Google interprets your page.
In the example below, from the Forbes France site, the search engine shows that it correctly interprets the page as an "Article":
In this other example, taken from a recipe page on Marmiton, we see that Google reads various structured data: the "Recipe" category, user reviews, the video accompanying the entry, and the photo carousel.
How to properly use Google's Rich Results Test tool?
- Use it for instant feedback: Don't wait until your site is finished to test. Integrate this tool into your development routine to fix issues as they arise.
- Understand the errors: Take the time to understand the errors and warnings reported by the tool. Google provides explanations for each type of anomaly—use that information to make precise corrections.
- Test after corrections: After making changes to your structured data, test the page again. This ensures your corrections solved the problems without introducing new ones.
Check structured data with the Schema.org Markup Validator
Developed by Google, Microsoft, Yandex and other search engines, Schema.org Validator is a universal tool to validate structured data markup, regardless of the technical specification (microdata, JSON-LD, or RDFa).
Let's revisit the Marmiton recipe example. The tool gives us this preview:
You can then check the precise syntax and structure of your data, optionally with a list of errors.
The markup validation tool is particularly useful for developers who want to ensure their markup follows Schema.org standards, for optimal interpretation by all search engines, not just Google.
How to properly use the Schema.org markup validator?
- Check regularly: Even if your site hasn't changed, Schema.org standards and best practices evolve. Run your pages through Validator.schema.org regularly to ensure they remain compliant.
- Test before deployment: Before publishing major changes to your site, use this tool to test the new structured data. This will let you fix any errors before they affect your SEO.
- Be precise: Make sure the markup accurately reflects the page content. Structured data must be accurate and up to date to avoid penalties for misleading information.
Verify structured data with Google Search Console
It is important to note that the Google Search Console plays a complementary role to these two tools, offering automatic alerts for issues related to structured data.
The platform monitors and reports markup errors, enabling webmasters to act quickly to fix any issue that could affect the visibility or presentation of web pages in search results.
This integration is valuable for maintaining the quality and effectiveness of your structured data over the long term.
You can find information about the tags implemented on your website in the "Enhancements" section:
Our final tip for checking the structured data of your pages
The combined use of these tools offers a comprehensive approach to optimizing your structured data. Start by using Validator.schema.org to ensure your markup complies with Schema.org standards and is free of syntax errors.
Then move on to the Rich Results Test to verify your page's eligibility for structured data and receive feedback based on Google's guidelines. Finally, regularly monitor alerts in Google Search Console to detect any anomalies.
In this SEO journey, the quality of your website's content plays an equally vital role! Informative, pleasant-to-read text is the foundation on which your structured data rests. And this is where our platform Redacteur.com : it helps you find a professional writer to draft your articles, pages, product descriptions, recipes… Post your ad now for free!
The article How to check the structured data of your web pages? first appeared on Redacteur.com.
