Did you ever face the dilemma of having less information about companies on the internet? The problem at hand is on the brink of resolution. Google has announced the expansion of its existing support for organization-structured data markup.
Quick Take:
- Google would allow companies to provide more information about themselves.
- Various organizations would be able to list information, including contact information, addresses, and much more.
- Google has suggested specific organization markup subtypes for different business models.
The development would allow various organizations to provide extra information about themselves in search engine results. Similarly, Google would harness the capabilities of the markup to highlight the company’s details in several knowledge panels, along with additional visual elements on the search results page.
Google Transforms Search Engine Characteristics
Since 2013, Google has always allowed websites to actively use the logo and the URL markups to help them specify the image along with the link to their logos in search engine results.
Google would now allow various websites to mention their name, contact information, any possible partners, and much more. Google has retained its already existing logo structured data guidelines and amalgamated them with the wider organization markup documentation.
Similarly, Google highlighted that the existing logo report in the Search Console and validations in the Rich Results Test have been replaced with more robust organization validations in the Rich Results Test.
The fundamental role of the Rich Results Test is to set the stage for testing organization markup. This is usually done by submitting either a URL or a code snippet. Furthermore, the user is offered immediate feedback on whether the snippet has been correctly implemented or not.
Are Websites Required to do Anything?
Following this update, many might believe that websites would have to follow a set of detailed protocols. However, that is not the case. Google announced that websites with logo markups would not be required to do anything as the search engine would take care of things.
However, Google suggested adding new organization fields wherever applicable as a preferred course of action. Many users agreed that including additional organization details would make companies eligible to display expanded knowledge panels, which include Google’s recently launched merchant panels.
On the other hand, local businesses were not left out either. Google recommended that these businesses use both local and business organization markup. As far as online-only companies are concerned, it is suggested that they use the OnlineBusiness subtype of the organization markup.
Users have lauded Google’s ambition to make it easier for websites and businesses to help users find accurate information in search engine results. Furthermore, the upgrade demonstrates why websites must implement structured data markup, despite Google not yet utilizing it for rich result enhancements.
