When it comes to using digital marketing to attract more customers to your plumbing business, if you’re not always evolving, you’re falling behind. One of the most valuable things you can do to get the most viewers to your website? Utilize schema markup.
If your plumbing business has a website, you may have heard mention of things like schema markup, microdata, and structured data. At the same time, you may not understand what it is or how you can use it to the benefit of your business.
Here’s a closer look at what schema markup is, along with how this strategy can boost your Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) positioning, improve your visibility, and attract leads.
What is Schema Markup?
Schema markup involves adding semantic vocabulary (aka “HTML code”) to your website. This form of microdata helps Google and other search engines more quickly and clearly understand your content. This allows them to provide the best and most relevant results for users. In a sense, schema markup lets you tell SERP exactly what you want to be displayed on SERP.
Schema markup was invented to support the user experience by improving SERP relevance. Because Google is all about user-focused improvement, plumber websites that utilize schema markup may be rewarded with higher SERP positions than those that do not.
How Schema Markup Works
Schema markup brings clarity to ambiguous webpages. Rather than forcing search engines to try to index what they happen to find at websites, it provides critical context. It uses something called “rich snippets,” aka enhanced descriptions, to accomplish this for all queries. It follows that the more comprehensive your schema markup is, the more useful it is to search engines.
Rich snippets are usually positioned beneath the page title for easy accessibility; they also highlight key data on results pages. In addition to the standard blue links, visitors see images and other non-textual elements.
Why Schema Markup Matters
As SERP design has changed, less space is available for organic links display. If your goal is to be seen, you need to use the space you do have in the way most likely to entice click-throughs. Schema markup and rich snippets work together to improve how your webpage looks in SERPs. This also has the potential to increase clicks, which can have a positive impact on your rankings.
Schema Markup and SEO
Schema markup is extremely useful for standing out in your local market.
With this strategy, schema markup can include your address, telephone number, opening hours, services, contact information, and other important details. With this information, you’ll get better SERP for searches performed within your geographical area.
The value of this, when incorporated into your plumbing internet marketing strategies, cannot be understated — especially when you factor in the vast number of searches that are looking for local businesses.
Schema Markup and Your Plumbing Website
Search engine optimization (SEO) lets you optimize your website to respond directly to what searchers are looking for — and improve your visibility in the process. When incorporated into your SEO efforts, schema markup can make it more effective.
It also offers the following benefits for your plumbing website:
- It is more understandable to Google than plain text
- It provides more relevant results to searchers
- Your rich snippets may earn you entry into Google’s coveted Knowledge Graph
Adding Schema Markup to Your Plumbing Website
Even if you don’t have tons of experience with website-building and HTML, you can still put schema markup to work for you. One of the easiest ways to take advantage is by using Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper. While this process is relatively straightforward, Google makes it even easier by providing a step-by-step guide to using structured data.
If you use WordPress, meanwhile, you also have the option of downloading and adding a plugin, such as All in One Rich Schema Snippets and the Schema App Structured Data.
And be sure to use the Schema Markup Test Tool to see what rich results are being generated by your site’s structured data. Using this feature can help you know exactly how your schema markup and rich snippets are performing so you can refine them, if necessary.
In sum, schema markup helps your plumbing site rank better, look better, and perform better. And yet despite all of its powerful optimization benefits, many businesses aren’t taking advantage of it.
That’s where The Light Digital comes in. Specializing in internet marketing for plumbers, we can help you with everything from how to build a brand online to how to increase your sales leads.
Whether you’re looking for help with schema markup or another tool, our experienced team can help you start harnessing the full power of digital marketing and advertising, including affordable local SEO services. To get started, connect with us today.
