Today, we’re focusing on the power of local business schema. We’ll discuss what it is, and how to effectively use it on your website to enhance your local SEO.
Unpacking Local Business Schema
Local business schema is a form of code applied to the back end of your website. It serves the crucial function of providing search engines with extensive information about the content of your page. When implemented effectively, it facilitates more informative, robust, and engaging search results for your business on Google.
Let’s dive right into how you can implement this powerful tool on your website!
A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing Schema
Setting the Stage: Accessing Your WordPress Website Backend
This tutorial will have a WordPress focus. We’ll also briefly touch on a more technical method of implementing schema. First, let’s navigate to the backend of your WordPress website.
Enhancing SEO with RankMath
For our implementation, we’ll be using my favourite SEO plugin, RankMath. This all-in-one SEO plugin is essential for your website’s performance. To install RankMath:
- Go to the “Plugins” section of your WordPress dashboard.
- Search for “RankMath”.
- Install and activate the plugin.
You can find RankMath in the WordPress menu once it’s installed.
Setting Up Local Schema with RankMath
RankMath offers a comprehensive setup wizard. It guides you through the process of configuring the plugin, including the local SEO settings. Follow these steps:
- Go to “Titles and Meta” under RankMath settings.
- Navigate to “Local SEO”.
- Fill in as much information as you can about your business.
This includes your company name, logo URL, email address, physical address, and business type. You can also specify your operating hours and provide links to your “About” and “Contact” pages.
RankMath even allows you to input your Google Maps API key and geo coordinates, providing valuable geographical information to Google.
Post Schema with RankMath
Now that you have your local schema set up, you can implement it in any of your posts:
- Go to the “Posts” section of your WordPress dashboard.
- Click on a post to edit it.
- Find the RankMath plugin section.
- Navigate to the “Schema” tab.
- Ensure the schema type is correct based on the content of the post.
RankMath offers a plethora of schema types to choose from, whether your post is an article, a product showcase, a recipe, or a video.
The Technical Route with Schema.org
For those with a technical background, schema.org, owned by Google, provides a more hands-on method for implementing schema. It offers common use schema types and clear instructions on how to integrate schema into your website’s code.
A comparison of a website backend with and without schema clearly shows the wealth of information made available to search engines through schema implementation.
Validating Your Schema with Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool
Google’s free Structured Data Testing Tool is an excellent resource for validating your website’s schema. Simply input your URL, run the test, and the tool will identify the types of schema on your website and any potential errors or warnings.
Wrapping Up
Properly implementing schema on your website is a must for any business aiming to increase its online visibility. Thanks for joining us in this journey, and we hope you found this tutorial helpful. Start using schema today and get your business found online!