🚀 In this blog, we’re diving into the details on Google’s latest structured data update for November 2023. We’ll be discussing the latest features and enhancements for Courses Lists, Logo, and Profile Pages and Forums structure data updates. Let’s get started!
1. List Your Courses with New Structured Data!
📅 Wednesday, November 15, 2023
As the demand for detailed course information on Google grows, we’re excited to introduce a new set of recommendations for course structured data. Publishers now have the opportunity to showcase comprehensive course details like pricing, educational level, ratings, and length on Google Search using structured data. This information can feature in the course info rich result, a dynamic carousel in Google Search, aiding learners in discovering and comparing courses tailored to their needs.
🌐 Display Your Courses with Structured Data Features:
For the past few years, Google has supported a course list markup feature. The existing course list rich result continues to be supported, ensuring no impact on your traffic, whether you adopt the new course info markup or not. Both features use the same schema.org structured data type.
📝 New Developer Documentation:
Explore our new course info developer documentation for guidance on filling required and recommended fields. This ensures your courses are eligible to appear in both the existing course listing and the new course info features, meeting feature guidelines and eligibility criteria.
🔍 Verify and Monitor with Search Console:
To assist you in monitoring and fixing structured data issues, we’ve added a new course info Rich result report in Search Console. It highlights valid and invalid structured data items, along with issues causing items to become invalid. Use this report to debug, fix, and validate your structured data issues.
Image Source: Google Search Central
📊 Course Info Rich Result Report in Search Console:
Additionally, utilize the Rich Results Test in Search Console to test the validity of your course info markup instantly. Submit the URL of a page or a code snippet to confirm the validity without waiting for the rich result report to update.
Let’s make your courses stand out on Google!
2. New Structured Data: ProfilePages and DiscussionForumPosting
📅 Monday, November 27, 2023
Today, we’re thrilled to announce the support for profile page and discussion forum structured data in Google Search, along with the introduction of new reports in Search Console. This markup enhances the display of first-person perspectives from social media platforms, forums, and communities, ensuring accuracy and completeness in the information presented by Google Search.
Image Source: Google Search Central
🔍 ProfilePage Markup:
Designed for sites where creators (individuals or organizations) share firsthand perspectives, ProfilePage markup allows Google Search to better identify creator information. This includes details such as name, social handle, profile photo, follower count, and content popularity. Our Perspectives and Discussions and Forums features both utilize ProfilePage markup.
📌 DiscussionForumPosting Markup:
Tailored for forum-style websites where people collectively share firsthand perspectives, this markup aids Google Search in identifying forum sites and online discussions. Forums with this markup are considered for inclusion in Perspective and “Discussions and Forums” features, though appearance is not guaranteed.
❓ Q&A Markup vs. Forum Markup:
For those using Q & A markup for question and answer-themed forums, our Q&A structured data documentation is being updated to align with the richness of new discussion forum guidelines. Choose the markup that best suits your forum structure:
- Q&A forums: Use Q&A markup for forums structured by a question followed by answers.
- General forums: Opt for DiscussionForumPosting if your forum structure is more general and not strictly question and answer content.
🛠️ Verification and Monitoring with Search Console:
We’re introducing profile page and discussion forum rich result reports in Search Console to help monitor issues related to markup, showing errors, warnings, and valid items. The Rich Results Test also supports both features for testing and validation.
3. Enhanced Organization Details with Logo Data
📅 Wednesday, November 29, 2023
🖼️ New Logo Structured Data Features:
Since 2013, Google has supported logo structured data for organizations, recognizing logo and URL fields. Today, we’re enhancing this support by incorporating additional administrative data like name, address, contact info, and business identifiers. While you can still specify the logo and URL, this update allows Google to utilize the markup in knowledge panels and other visual elements, improving the visibility of your organization on Google Search.
🔄 Merge of Logo Documentation:
As part of this extended support, we’ve merged the logo documentation into the new organization documentation. The existing logo report in Search Console is now replaced with more comprehensive organization validations in the Rich Results Test.
✅ Already Added Logo and URL? No Worries:
If you’ve already added logo and URL fields through organization markup, no action is needed—Google still recognizes your logo markup. However, we encourage adding new fields if applicable for your organization.
🔍 Testing with Rich Results Test:
You can now test your organization structured data using the Rich Results Test by submitting a URL or code snippet. This tool provides instant confirmation of the validity of your markup.
Image Source: Google Search Central
🏢 Local Business Recommendations:
For local businesses, follow existing local business markup guidelines alongside the new organization markup. Online businesses are recommended to use the OnlineBusiness subtype of Organization.
Thank you for taking the time to read our blog! We hope you found it both interesting and informative. Stay connected with RankWeb Blogs for more exciting updates and valuable insights in the world of digital marketing.
