Structured data for e-commerce
Geir Halvorsen
Senior SEO Specialist
Do you have a handle on your e-commerce structured data? If not, it's high time to get on top of it. Why, you ask? Well, if you run an e-commerce store, this is an important way for you to help search engines and AI algorithms better understand your products.
What is structured data?
Structured data is information that is organised in a way that makes it easy to understand and process. It is presented in a formal and standardised manner, which allows search engines and AI algorithms to read and interpret the information in a consistent way.
Structured data is already very important today for making things easier for search engines, and may become even more important now that AI is becoming increasingly common in search and information retrieval.
Why is structured data so important for e-commerce?
Structured data is important for e-commerce for several reasons, but the four most important ones are:
- Structured data makes it easier for search engines to index and understand the content on your site. By using structured data, such as schema.org microdata or JSON-LD, you can optimise your product pages for search engines and thereby improve your chances of ranking higher in search results.
- E-commerce sites often contain extensive product information, including attributes such as price, size, colour, stock status and much more. By using structured data, this information can be easily categorised and interpreted by both humans and machines, making it easier for customers to find and compare products.
- By using structured data, your e-commerce store can improve its appearance on search result pages by displaying so-called rich snippets*. These can include extra information such as reviews, prices and availability directly in the search result, making it more enticing for potential customers to click on the link.
- Structured data also facilitates automated processes and integrations between different systems. It can be used to create smooth handling of product data, order management, inventory management and other aspects of e-commerce operations.
*What are rich snippets?
Rich snippets is an SEO term that refers to the enhanced and more detailed information snippets displayed in search engine results. These snippets give users more direct and useful information about the page's content, and they make search results more informative and relevant.
Here we see a search result showing the product's rating, how many votes it has received and the price:
Do you have a handle on your structured data?
If you run an e-commerce store, it is important to keep track of your structured data and have it verified. I recommend testing your site with one of these tools:
- Google Search Console (has its own section for this)
- Google's structured data tool
In the latter link you will find two tools where you can test and have your site's structured data verified in the Schema Markup Tool, as well as check whether your products can display Rich Results in search results.
Summary
Structured data makes your e-commerce store more accessible, searchable and user-friendly. It not only helps make your site more understandable for search engines — but also for potential customers. It can also affect your search result click-through rate, as it can make your result stand out a little more with rich snippets. Structured data is therefore a very important component for optimising your e-commerce store for both your customers and your site.
So test your site and make sure you have marked up all the important data. Good luck!
