Google’s Preferred Structured Data: JSON-LD vs. Microdata via @sejournal, @martinibuster

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Google uses structured data to amended recognize what a webpage is astir by classifying the topic, identifying important parts of the webpages similar logos and images, and displaying webpages prominently astatine the apical of the page.

There are aggregate kinds of structured data, but lone 1 of them is preferred by Google, truthful it’s important to usage the close format.

Which Types Of Structured Data Does Google Support?

Google supports 3 kinds of structured data:

JSON-LD.
Microdata.
RDFa.

Each of those standards is simply a antithetic mode of communicating structured information and is specified connected the authoritative Schema.org website.

Screenshot of Schema.org Structured Data Examples Screenshot by author, May 2022

In the representation above, it tin beryllium seen that the Schema.org structured information illustration provides examples successful 3 formats.

There are 3 tabs. Each tab corresponds to a antithetic signifier of structured data: Microdata, RDFa, and JSON-LD structured data.

What Is Microdata Structured Data?

Microdata is simply a mode to adhd metadata wrong the HTML codification and is simply a portion of the HTML specification, besides known arsenic the WHATWG (Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group) HTML standard.

Microdata is an HTML specification for marking up a webpage wrong the HTML itself.

It is fundamentally metadata that is placed wrong the HTML codification that is published wrong the <body> tags and is readable by machines similar Googlebot.

Schema.org, the non-profit enactment that creates the structured information specifications, published a structured information explainer called Getting Started and utilized Microdata successful each of their examples.

So, Microdata is inactive a valid mode to pass structured information and is presently supported by the Schema.org standards-making assemblage arsenic good arsenic by Google (except successful circumstantial cases wherever it is explicitly not supported).

The microdata is nested wrong existing HTML like this:

<body itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/WebPage"> <div itemprop="breadcrumb"> <a href="category/books.html">Books</a> <a href="category/books-literature.html">Literature & Fiction</a> > <a href="category/books-classics">Classics</a> </div>

In the supra code, the microdata called, “itemprop” is inserted to specify the structured information Property, successful this case, the breadcrumb structured information property.

This is what that codification looks similar without the microdata structured data:

<div>
<a href=”category/books.html”>Books</a>
<a href=”category/books-literature.html”>Literature & Fiction</a>
<a href=”category/books-classics”>Classics</a>
</div>

There are different ways of doing the aforesaid happening by utilizing the BreadcrumbList structured information benignant arsenic well.

What Is RDFa Structured Data?

RDFa is an acronym for Resource Description Framework successful attributes. It is an hold of HTML.

The crushed it’s called an hold of HTML is that it extends HTML.

Google describes RDFa similar this:

“Microformats specify some a syntax for including structured information into HTML documents and acceptable of microformat classes each with its ain circumstantial vocabulary of allowed attributes.

RDFa, connected the different hand, specifies lone a syntax and allows you to usage existing vocabularies of attributes oregon make your own.

It adjacent lets you harvester aggregate vocabularies freely. If the existing vocabularies bash not conscionable your needs, you tin specify your ain standards and vocabularies by creating caller fields.”

RDFa offers an further mode of communicating structured information to Google that is little intrusive to the codification than the microdata method.

Like microdata, RDFa is presently specified arsenic a valid signifier of information by Schema.org and is presently supported by Google (except erstwhile explicitly not specified).

This is what a breadcrumb structured information can look like successful the RDFa format:

<div itemprop=”breadcrumb”>
<a href=”category/books.html”>Books</a> >
<a href=”category/books-literature.html”>Literature & Fiction</a> >
<a href=”category/books-classics”>Classics</a>
</div>

What Is JSON-LD?

JSON-LD is simply a scripting connection that allows publishers to pass important accusation to hunt engines.

JSON-LD is an acronym for JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data.

Because it’s a script, it’s comparatively easier to usage than Microdata and RDFa due to the fact that JSON-LD is not embedded wrong the HTML arsenic metadata oregon arsenic an hold of the HTML itself.

JSON-LD tin beryllium placed anyplace connected a webpage, adjacent successful the Head conception of the webpage codification which is wherever metadata usually goes.

JSON-LD tin besides beryllium placed astatine the extremity of the codification oregon wrong the contented conception of the codification (it volition not beryllium disposable to tract visitors).

Another payment of JSON-LD is that, due to the fact that it’s separated from the HTML and exists wrong its ain script, it tin beryllium easy edited and reviewed.

A breadcrumb database structured information markup tin look similar this:

Troubleshooting a publication that is wholly separated from the HTML is truthful overmuch easier than trying to codification the structured information wrong the HTML, which is however Microdata and RDFa are done.

According to the authoritative JSON-LD website:

“Data is messy and disconnected. JSON-LD organizes and connects it, creating a amended Web.

It is simply a mode to make a web of standards-based, machine-readable information crossed Web sites.”

JSON-LD scripts tin beryllium added to a webpage successful a mode that tin beryllium templated wrong a website, making it casual to add, update, and remove.

The authoritative Schema.org structured information specification tin beryllium recovered astatine Schema.org (surprise!).

Which Type Of Structured Data Does Google Prefer?

Even though Microdata continues to beryllium supported by the Schema.org standards-making organization, what matters is the mentation that Google supports.

In a Google Office-hours hangout from March 2019, a subordinate asked the pursuing question:

“What benignant of Schema markup is preferable for Google? Should I usage Jason or… microformats? Which format is preferable?”

John Mueller answered:

“We presently similar JSON-LD markup. I deliberation astir of the caller structured information that are benignant of travel retired for JSON-LD first. So that’s what we prefer.”

Google Prefers JSON-LD Structured Data

Google’s John Mueller made it wide that Google preferred JSON-LD structured data.

A payment of JSON-LD structured information is that it is non-intrusive.

It’s non-intrusive due to the fact that it keeps structured information abstracted from the HTML code.

That makes reading, troubleshooting, and updating structured information truthful overmuch easier due to the fact that it’s much elemental to instrumentality and maintain.

Additionally, the JSON-LD scripting connection follows a acceptable of easy learned rules and tin easy beryllium added oregon removed from a site.

How To Implement JSON-LD Structured Data

The authoritative Schema.org JSON-LD structured information Schema.org website has galore examples of however to constitute the structured information code. Just instrumentality an illustration and usage it arsenic a template.

Here’s an representation of an illustration without structured data:

screenshot of contented without structured data Screenshot by author, May 2022

This is an illustration of the nonstop aforesaid contented expressed arsenic JSON-LD Schema.org structured data:

Screenshot of json-ld structured information from schema.org Screenshot by author, May 2022

Google Prefers JSON-LD Structured Data

Google’s preferred format for structured information is JSON-LD.

Because that’s Google’s preference, it’s a bully thought to marque definite that each structured information utilized wrong a webpage is utilizing JSON-LD and not the JSON-LD structure.

Watch the Google Webmaster Office-hours hangout astatine the 22:33 infinitesimal mark:

More Resources:

Featured Image: Helder Almeida/Shutterstock