As SEO evolves and AI Overviews take over more of Google searches, structured data becomes an essential part of every ecommerce website.
It tells search engines and LLMs what your content is about, increasing the visibility of your web pages.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about ecommerce schema. You'll learn how to properly mark up your product pages, optimize your rich snippets, and leverage schema.org vocabulary to enhance your search engine presence.
What is Structured Data?
Structured data for ecommerce is a standardized format that helps search engines understand website content. It uses schema markup, typically in JSON-LD format, to provide context about products, prices, and other key information.
This enhanced understanding allows search engines to display rich snippets and rich results in search engine results pages (SERPs).
For online stores, ecommerce schema markup is crucial. It improves site navigation, product visibility, and overall SEO performance. Click-through rates will likely increase and the traffic you get will be more qualified.
What is the Difference Between Structured and Unstructured Data?
Structured data for ecommerce follows a predefined format, like product specifications in tables or databases. It's quantitative and easily searchable. Unstructured data, however, lacks a set structure and includes qualitative information like text documents, images and audio files.
Examples include:
- Structured data: Price, availability, size, color, material
- Unstructured data: Customer reviews, product images, videos
Structured data is easier to manage and analyze since they can be aggregated and put into graphs. That makes it easier for search engines to understand and use.
It's harder to do so with unstructured data because the data can't fit into rows and columns and usually come in too many variations. However, unstructured data offers rich insights into customer behavior which helps with generating product descriptions and other product content that resonate.
Leveraging both data types is crucial for SEO and overall ecommerce success.
The Importance of Structured Data Important for Ecommerce Sites
Structured data is crucial for improving search engine visibility and user experience for your ecommerce store.
By implementing ecommerce schema markup, you help search engines differentiate between brands, products, and other elements on your ecommerce site since they're able to compare attributes more accurately.
This enhanced understanding leads to more informative search results, including rich snippets and product carousels.
The benefits of SEO structured data for ecommerce websites are significant: improved click-through rates, enhance visibility in search results, and a competitive edge in the crowded online marketplace.
Examples of Structured Data on Ecommerce Sites
Google has a list of structured data features for all sorts of websites. But let's look at the ones that are most relevant to ecommerce and bring the greatest impact to your business.
Product Schema
Product schema is the most critical component of ecommerce schema markup—it enhances how your products appear in search results, including Google Images and Google Lens.
Key elements include price, name, description, availability, brand, reviews and image URLs. Applying product schema markup can significantly impact SERP results, enabling rich snippets that display stars, ratings, and pricing information which all contribute to better click-through rates.
The product schema of a leather sofa might look like this, although there are some parts you might want to remove if it's not relevant:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org/",
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Elegant Leather Sofa",
"image": "http://www.example.com/image-of-sofa.jpg",
"description": "High-quality leather sofa for the modern home.",
"brand": {
"@type": "Brand",
"name": "Modern Furniture Store"
},
"sku": "SOFA12345",
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"url": "http://www.example.com/elegant-leather-sofa",
"priceCurrency": "USD",
"price": 99.99,
"availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
"itemCondition": "https://schema.org/NewCondition",
"shippingDetails": {
"@type": "OfferShippingDetails",
"shippingRate": {
"@type": "MonetaryAmount",
"value": 5.99,
"currency": "USD"
},
"deliveryTime": {
"@type": "ShippingDeliveryTime",
"handlingTime": {
"@type": "QuantitativeValue",
"minValue": 1,
"maxValue": 2,
"unitCode": "DAY"
},
"transitTime": {
"@type": "QuantitativeValue",
"minValue": 3,
"maxValue": 5,
"unitCode": "DAY"
}
},
"freeShippingThreshold": {
"@type": "MonetaryAmount",
"value": 50,
"currency": "USD"
}
}
},
"aggregateRating": {
"@type": "AggregateRating",
"ratingValue": 4.5,
"reviewCount": 89
},
"hasMerchantReturnPolicy": {
"@type": "MerchantReturnPolicy",
"merchantReturnDays": 14,
"returnPolicyCategory": "https://schema.org/MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow",
"returnMethod": ["https://schema.org/ReturnByMail", "https://schema.org/ReturnInStore"],
"returnFees": "https://schema.org/FreeReturn"
}
}
}
Breadcrumb Schema
Breadcrumb schema is a structured data that helps search engines understand the ecommerce site's hierarchy.
With breadcrumb schema, online stores can enhance their SERP display with clear navigation paths. This SEO structured data not only improves user experience but also highlights keywords, making it easier for potential customers to find relevant products.
Here's an example of a breadcrumb schema:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"itemListElement": [{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"name": "Home",
"item": "https://www.modernfurniturestore.com"
},{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 2,
"name": "Category Name",
"item": "https://www.modernfurniturestore.com/category"
},{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 3,
"name": "Product Name",
"item": "https://www.modernfurniturestore.com/category/product"
}]
}Local Business Schema
Local business schema is a powerful tool for ecommerce websites with physical stores. This structured data helps search engines understand your business's location, hours, and contact information.
By implementing local business schema, you can boost your visibility in local search results or Google Maps and improve your chances of appearing in voice search queries. The required properties for LocalBusiness structured data include address, name, and URL.
The local business schema shows crucial information like your opening hours and address so potential customers can easily find you. It'd look something like this in code:
{
"@context": "http://schema.org",
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"name": "Modern Furniture Store",
"url": "https://www.modernfurniturestore.com",
"telephone": "555-123-4567",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "123 Furniture Lane",
"addressLocality": "Springfield",
"addressRegion": "IL",
"postalCode": "62701",
"addressCountry": "US"
},
"openingHoursSpecification": {
"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
"dayOfWeek": [
"Monday",
"Tuesday",
"Wednesday",
"Thursday",
"Friday"
],
"opens": "11:00",
"closes": "20:00"
},
{
"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
"dayOfWeek": [
"Saturday",
"Sunday"
],
"opens": "10:30",
"closes": "21:00"
},
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/modernfurniturestore",
"http://www.instagram.com/modernfurniturestore",
"https://twitter.com/modernfurniturestore",
"https://www.linkedin.com/business/modernfurniturestore"
]
}Organization Schema
Organization schema provides crucial information about your business, like social media profiles, payment options, as well as delivery and return policies.
This ecommerce schema markup enhances your online presence, making it easier for search engines to understand and display your company's details accurately. It also boosts your brand's credibility.
The organization schema also puts your brand prominently on the first page of Google which helps you stand out. It typically looks like this:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Urban Chic Apparel",
"alternateName": "UCA",
"url": "https://www.urbanchicapparel.com",
"logo": "https://www.urbanchicapparel.com/logo.png",
"description": "Urban Chic Apparel offers trendy, sustainable fashion for the modern, eco-conscious consumer.",
"foundingDate": "2015-03-15",
"founder": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Emma Styles"
},
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "789 Fashion Boulevard",
"addressLocality": "New York",
"addressRegion": "NY",
"postalCode": "10012",
"addressCountry": "US"
},
"telephone": "+1-212-555-9876",
"email": "info@urbanchicapparel.com",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/urbanchicapparel",
"https://www.instagram.com/urbanchicapparel",
"https://www.twitter.com/urbanchicapparel",
"https://www.pinterest.com/urbanchicapparel"
],
"contactPoint": {
"@type": "ContactPoint",
"telephone": "+1-800-555-1234",
"contactType": "customer service"
},
"brand": {
"@type": "Brand",
"name": "Urban Chic",
"slogan": "Sustainable Style for the Urban Explorer"
},
"paymentAccepted": [
"Cash",
"Credit Card",
"Debit Card",
"PayPal",
"Apple Pay",
"Google Pay"
],
}
</script>Other Important Schema Markups for Ecommerce Sites
Navigation & Search Schema
Navigation schema markup helps search engines understand website navigation and search functionality, enhancing your brand's visibility on SERPs.
This structured data can potentially influence the appearance of sitelinks in search results, making your ecommerce product listing more prominent and informative.
How-to Schema
How-to schema is great for ecommerce websites that offer instructional content. This helps search engines understand step-by-step or product care guides.
By implementing this schema markup, tutorials and product guides can appear as rich snippets, potentially increasing click-through rates. It also improves the user experience by providing clear, structured information directly in search results, making it easier for customers to find and follow product-related instructions.
Video Schema
Video schema markup helps search engines better understand and display video content in search results, which is particularly beneficial for product videos.
This schema markup includes essential properties like title, description, thumbnail, and duration, making product videos more appealing and informative to potential customers.
Common Issues & Concerns with Structured Data
Implementing structured data for ecommerce websites offers significant SEO benefits, but it comes with challenges that can impact results if not addressed properly.
A common issue is displaying outdated or incorrect information in search results, such as marking out-of-stock products as available or the other way round. This can lead to frustrated customers and missed sales opportunities.
Another notable concern is implementing product markups on category pages, which currently lacks clear support or guidelines from Google. Adding product schema to these pages can lead to confusion for search engines and may result in errors or limited visibility.
Additionally, markup errors—like missing required fields, using invalid formats, or conflicting schema types—can affect your entire domain's schema performance. To avoid these pitfalls, ensure your structured data complies with Google’s best practices and regularly validate it using tools like Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema Markup Validator.
Optimize Your Ecommerce Website with Structured Data
As search engines continue to evolve, structured data will play an increasingly important role in helping your products stand out online. By implementing structured data on your ecommerce website, you'll enhance your visibility in search results and provide a better user experience for potential customers. Focus on the most relevant schema types for your products and business, test your markup thoroughly, and monitor its performance.
Experiment with Hypotenuse's AI ecommerce data cleansing tool to ensure all your product data follow the same format and are free of spelling or factual mistakes. Once that's cleared, implement ecommerce search enrichment to fill any missing data so your product schema markup provides comprehensive data that'd encourage clicks. And if you'd like to learn more about Hypotenuse AI, book a demo with us and we'd be happy to help!
