Ask the SMXpert: SEO markup and structured data

The Ask the SMXpert series continues the question and answer (Q&A) segment held during sessions at Search Marketing Expo (SMX) West 2018.

Today’s Q&A is from the Successful SEO Using Markup & Structured Data session with Alexis Sanders. With an introduction from moderator Chris Sherman.

Chris Sherman

At first glance, using markup and structured data can seem intimidating. There’s a lot of jargon to understand, and even making a small error with punctuation can lead to unintended or even disastrous consequences.

But as Alexis demonstrated at SMX West, succeeding with structured data needn’t cause ulcers, and can even be fun when approached with the right attitude. In this question and answer (Q&A), Alexis offers solid technical advice with straightforward answers and pointers for finding additional resources.

Alexis Sanders

Question: Do you recommend implementing microdata over JSON-LD for e-commerce sites?

Alexis: In terms of Google, no. Either [will] suffice — whatever is easier for your site’s development team to implement.

If Bing is a concern, then I’d opt for microdata. Although there are a few instances of Bing supporting JSON-LD for Recipe and Product markup, it’s still a bit spotty for Product.

Aaron Bradley maintains a community-driven Bing/JSON-LD tracker on GDrive. I recommend checking it out and updating with anything you see!

Bing hasn’t added JSON-LD to their structured data documentation.

Question: How can we do markups for review pages, where content is getting constantly refreshed?

Alexis: There are a few different approaches. Here are two common ones:

[Read the full article on Search Engine Land.]

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Debra Mastaler

Debra Mastaler is an internationally recognized authority on link building and is an OMCP Certified Link Building Trainer. Based in Washington DC, Debra is also a columnist for Search Engine Land, has written for or been featured in numerous tech publications and is active on the search marketing conference circuit as a speaker and trainer. Debra serves as a judge for the Landy Awards and is the President of Alliance-Link.com. Connect with Debra on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay in touch.