Schema is an oft-overlooked aspect of SEO that every website should employ. Also known as structured data, Schema sends specific signals to Google regarding important information on specific web pages. For example, structured data can tell Google a company’s address, phone number, online ratings, price range, and products or services provided by an organization.
The easiest way to implement Schema on the backend of a website is through a plugin. Plugins make it simple to change pages en masse. We’ve got some suggestions as to which plugins would work well for your website.
Structured Data for WP
This plugin for WordPress sites works well if you have many sites you need to implement structured data/Schema for. For a singular price, you get a lifetime of unlimited sites to download the plugin to. It becomes even more cost-effective the more websites you have.
We’ve found this is great for these types of structured data:
- Local Business
- Review
- FAQ
You can choose what type of local business you want with the Schema.org parameters, such as a dentist or live music venue.
Then, populate the Schema to whatever pages you want.
Pro tip: When you fill out the parameters for Local Business Schema, make sure you fill in all the information as much as possible, including the price range (anywhere from $ to $$$$). To do this, fill in the Local Business Schema manually with this tool.
Another pro tip: Test the structured data in Google’s testing tool. It will tell you immediately if there is a problem with the implementation. It will tell you what to fix.
Watch out for sending structured data to blogs and posts. Some WordPress websites have subcategories of pages similar to blog posts, such as team members or high-level service pages. The Structured Data for WP plugin might see these as blogs when they really aren’t.
For FAQs, the best setup is to create FAQ pages or blogs with the same blog category and then implement FAQ structured data among all of the FAQs using the category feature. When you add new FAQs to your blogs, they will automatically have this Schema implemented under the FAQ category.
Add-ons, like the vaunted Aggregate Review Schema, are extra. But they are well worth it if reviews are essential to your business model.
Schema Pro
Schema Pro offers much of the same functionality and features as our previous entry. The fee starts at a base price for one website, so it’s great if you have a minimal number of WordPress websites on which you need to implement structured data. Once you get to four WordPress sites, it’s more cost-effective to buy into Structured Data for WP.
One great thing about Schema Pro is its knowledge base and tutorial videos. If you’re wondering how to set up Local Business Schema, the team has an explainer video for it. In this respect, Schema Pro excels. They have the same basic types of Schema as the first entry on our list.
Schema App
If you want the Maserati of structured data and have a massive website or family of websites, check out Schema App. When we first did our research, some of the pricing seemed a bit steep for the full version with their proprietary analytics suite. But this one offers expanded functionality that might be well worth the extra cost depending on your situation. Schema App works with all websites, not just WordPress, which makes it versatile for agencies with diverse website work. Web dev teams should check its compatibility with more advanced CMS software like Craft CMS.
It does have a fantastic knowledge base, and Schema App prides itself on having dedicated account managers who can help your team. The analytics suite certainly looks impressive, showing how your structured data implementations improve rankings and click-through rates. However, you can do the same kind of metrics tracking through Google Search Console and GA4 (which are free).
Partner With SEO Pros for Schema & Structured Data Implementation
Even with plugins for Schema and structured data implementation on your website, it takes the right people to know how to make it work on the backend of a website properly as part of an overall SEO strategy.
The team at BigPxl can help with that. Reach out for a consultation with our team!
