Schema Markup

Selected answers from the Dumb SEO Questions Facebook & G+ community.

• 
  amy jasmine: I have a question about Schema Markup!
  Does the structured markup really help in SEO or is it really a ranking factor?
  Because I have heard somewhere that almost all the websites that are ranked at the top SERPs used Schema.Org.
  What's your opinion regarding this?
• 
  Mach Page Speed: Well to give you my 2 cents:
  1 schema is markup made for the search engines so you are "speaking their language".
  2 schema markup is supported and promoted by the search engines.
  3 schema structure is telling exactly what you are trying to convey. ...no guess work.
  4 Google has invested the time and money into making a tool to make and test markup.
  
  Besides page speed and content markup ranks towards the top in things websites should focus on.
• 
  Daniel Lloyd Barrett: It may also depend on the type of site. Schema mark up works best on ecommerce sites where you have lists of products. I'd say mainly sites where you may have a lists of "stuff" it could be products, books, videos, articles etc. Otherwise I wouldn't bother
• 
  Rotimi Orimoloye: What they told you is not proven. A myth. And the search engines won't promise you any ranking for marking up your site.
  
  It helps in your search appearance. Not really in ranking.
  
  Do a quick test:
  (by the way, I did these searches from Nigeria, West Africa, so i won't be surprised if your results are a bit different)
  
  Do a Search for "Ogilvy New York". You'll see that the site is using schema, right?
  
  OK now search for "new york advertising agency".
  
  Halo is on top and Halo is using schema (if you try searching the way you searched Ogilvy). But the interesting thing is that Anomaly is ranked a step higher than Ogilvy.
  
  Now search "anomaly new york" and there is no sign that they use Schema.
  
  It is always safer to use Schema for the reasons that schema.org says you should use it. Those reasons are good enough if you have the time to implement it. Any "extra reasons" people choose to add is often unnecessary. "Ranking" is fast becoming a myth because people see different search results most of the time, due to different reasons.
• 
  I M SEO GUY: Schema markup is just one of the many factors they use to rank the website. If you are doing it, that will add some points to your SERP to rank well. ;
  It's like some websites even rank well without social signals. That is because they might be focusing on some other factors. ;
  So if you are doing it, then do it with perfection. It will help you rank better.
  I agree with  ;schema markup works best on ecommerce websites. But just adding schema markup won't help you rank well. You have to concentrate on other factors as well.
  Hope that helps.
  Cheers!
• 
  Edwin Jonk: From the expert panel in this weeks SEO Questions hangout on air on 00:48:31 into the YouTube video: https://dumbseoquestions.com/q/schema_markup +amy jasmine
  
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