In this article we will explain what rich snippets are, how to implement them and how to get the most out of them for your site. While there are various ways to implement Rich Snippets, in this article we will explain how to set them up using 2 handy WordPress plugins.

So, let’s begin.

What are rich snippets?

Rich snippets are those well structured and good looking results that you get in Google when searching for a specific term or company. Any type of content/pages can be displayed with a rich snippet (i.e. recipes, events, products, reviews, photographer websites, etc.). In order to get rich snippets in Google search results you need to add structured data to your site pages.

What are the benefits of rich snippets?

Getting rich snippets will not immediately affect your Google score, since they’re not a direct organic search ranking factor. However, they will help Google better understand your content (semantic/meaning). The more structured data you denote on your site, the bigger the chances to get rich results and improve your search listing in organic results.

Here are the main benefits:

Extra visibility – you get more real estate in search results and your snippets are eye catchy. These include images, reviews, video etc.

Better CTR (Click through rates) – users tend to click more frequently on rich snippet results.

Quality – once you implement rich snippets, Google will better “understand” the content on your site. Hence you will have higher chances to get even richer results in organic search results (the ones that display your rating, location, key pages from your site, etc)

More conversions – visitors get what they are looking for, consequently you get more reads, downloads, inquiries, sales, etc.

How to implement rich snippets?

Google search supports structured data in 3 different formats:

JSON-LD (recommended) Microdata RDFa

Most of structured data types are based on schema.org vocabulary, which is comprised of a large set of different schemas (for example: organization, local business, event, review, article, product, etc.).

You will have to identify what are the most appropriate schemas for your business and then implement them into your website (which means adjusting the code of your site).

For a photography or videography website the most common schema types might be:

General enhancements – like breadcrumbs, site name, logo, social profiles and more.

Local business – worth considering if you don’t have a Google My Business account.

Product or service – if you provide products or services, you can display their price, availability, rating.

Videos – to show additional info in search results like thumbnail, description, upload date, etc.

Blog posts – if you have a blog on your site and constantly post interesting articles, you might want to denote them using this schema type.

Examples

Here are a few examples of markup using JSON-LD (recommended by Google). Feel free to copy them and adjust for your own website. Keep reading, as in the following sections we’ll explain how to implement these.

Home page (WebSite schema)

<script type=’application/ld+json’> {

“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org”,

“@type”:”WebSite”,

“@id”:”#website”,

“url”:”https:\/\/flothemes.com\/”,

“name”:”Flothemes”,

“potentialAction”: {

“@type”:”SearchAction”,

“target”:”https:\/\/flothemes.com\/?s={search_term_string}”,

“query-input”: “required name=search_term_string”

}

}

</script>

Product page (Product schema)

<script type=”application/ld+json”> {

“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org\/”,

“@type”:”Product”,

“@id”:”https:\/\/flothemes.com\/themes\/evora\/”,

“name”:”Evora”,

“image”:”https:\/\/flothemes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/08-Welcome.png”,

“description”:””,

“sku”:””,

“offers”:[ {

“@type”:”AggregateOffer”,

“lowPrice”:”279.00″,

“highPrice”:”449.00″,

“priceCurrency”:”USD”,

“availability”:”https:\/\/schema.org\/InStock”,

“url”:”https:\/\/flothemes.com\/themes\/evora\/”,

“seller”: {

“@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “Flothemes”, “url”: “https:\/\/flothemes.com”

}

}

]

}

</script>

Blog post (BlogPosting schema)

<script type=”application/ld+json”>{

“@context”: “http://schema.org”,

“@type”: “BlogPosting”,

“headline”: “14 amazing websites built with Porto”,

“mainEntityOfPage”: {

“@type”: “WebPage”,

“@id”: “https://flothemes.com/”

},

“author”: {

“@type”: “Person”,

“name”: “Igor P.”

},

“image”: {

“@type”: “ImageObject”,

“url”: “https://flothemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/image.png”,

“height”: 575,

“width”: 565

},

“datePublished”: “2018-06-12”,

“dateModified”: “2018-06-12”,

“publisher”: {

“@type”: “Organization”,

“name”: “Flothemes”,

“logo”: {

“@type”: “ImageObject”,

“url”: “https://flothemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Logo-small-black.png”,

“height”: 58,

“width”: 324

}

}

}</script>

How to implement rich snippets?

There are multiple ways to implement structured snippets, you can do it:

If your site is powered by WordPress, the simplest way to implement structured snippets is to use a plugin. There are 2 excellent plugins that will help you out:

WP SEO Structured Data Schema

Let’s start with WP SEO Structured Data Schema plugin. It supports a wide variety of schemas and is easy to use (especially on individual posts or pages). Follow these steps to set up rich snippets on your site:

Install the plugin Set up the schema on your home page.

To access the plugin go to “WP SEO Schema” in your WordPress admin menu. Here you can define: your organization name, website, contact details, logo, social profiles, etc. You can choose to apply the schema on home page only, or an all website. In order to adjust this option: go to “Settings” and select the appropriate radio button.

Set up the schema on your single pages/blog posts (page by page)

Simply go to any page or post you want to adjust and click on “Edit”. Then, scroll down to “WP SEO Structured Data Schema” meta box. Select the most relevant schema type and fill in the fields. Click on “Update” and it’s done.

Schema

This handy plugin also supports a wide variety of schemas and is easy to use. It’s a good option if you need schema markup sitewide. Follow these steps to set up rich snippets on your site:

1.Install the plugin

2.Set up the schema on your home page.

To access this section go to “Settings” located under Schema plugin icon. Choose the most appropriate options:

General – here you can choose your site type (for example: photography) and site logo.

Knowledge graph – the info you define here might appear on the right side of organic search results. This info might be: organization name, website, social profiles, contact details.

Schemas – in this area you can choose the About and Contact page on your site, so the plugin could automatically set up the schema on those pages.

Advanced – here you can disable duplicate features and choose to delete all data, when you delete the plugin.

3. Set up sitewide schema

To access this section go to “Types” located under Schema plugin icon. Here you can set up a sitewide schema for your blog posts, pages, products, etc. This means that this schema type will be automatically applied to all your posts, pages or products. For example, you can set up a “BlogPosting” schema type for your blog posts and all of them will have the appropriate markup.

How to test rich snippets?

Here is a handy tool provided by Google where you can easily test your web page or a specific piece of code: search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool/u/0

The structured data testing tool even allows you to preview the results (this only works for specific schema types like products, local business, etc.). For further details, you can explore the examples provided by Google and read the implementation guides for the ones you need.

Will my results show up as rich snippets now?

There is no guarantee that your structured snippets will be displayed in Google search results (even if you implement them properly). Generally, if you manage a well known brand, you will get rich results easier. Also, it might be a good idea to review Google’s structured data guidelines and most common errors.

Bottom line

Structured data will probably become a more significant part of Google’s search algorithm, as it always evolves and serves more complex results. Chances are, implementing rich snippets now will definitely benefit your website in the longer run.

Flothemes Team,

Supporting You.