Google continues to emphasize structured data such as Schema.org markup to help understand a website and associated entities. Structured data’s benefits extend beyond producing rich snippets and are increasingly vital to search engine optimization.
Organization schema is critical to assist Google in knowing more about a business and its knowledge graph.
Google has strict guidelines for just two schema properties: logo and url. Other useful properties include:
- name and alternateName
- address and areaServed (for local businesses)
- contactPoint
- sameAs
Some of these properties impact how your business appears in search. All will help Google understand your business.
Organization Schema Essentials
1. Include name and alternative name
Google recommends schema Organization properties of name and alternativeName, such as a brand. They appear above the title in search snippets. Otherwise, Google displays the domain name.
A company or brand name above a search snippet builds recognition and trust. And including all associated brands in schema markup helps Google understand the overall company setup.
2. Include your logo
Linking the logo property to what’s shown on your site helps Google display the correct image in your knowledge panel. For example, searching for “shopify” produces a knowledge panel with the logo in the top-right.
Remember to update the logo property in your Organization schema after rebrands or redesigns.
Shopify’s logo appears in its knowledge panel, which includes the company’s associated social media channels. Click image to enlarge.
3. Add more sameAs properties
Schema’s sameAs property identifies the external channels managed by your company, such as social media profiles. Google may also include sameAs links in a knowledge panel (as in the Shopify example above), although the logo property is a stronger signal.
4. Description
Google doesn’t offer guidelines on properties such as description and keywords from, respectively, the WebPage and Thing schema types. But both are popular and likely help Google understand the site.
Many third-party tools generate schema markup. Once generated, confirm the accuracy via validators in Search Console’s URL Inspection Tool or Schema.org.
Schema 101
Google supports structured data using JSON-LD code. JSON-LD code using the Schema.org markup is the most popular. It’s now more or less the industry standard.
Labels in Schema.org can be confusing. “Types” are analogous to categories. “Properties” are like products. There are roughly 800 types and 1,500 properties. Google supports only some of them.
Google offers no instruction on the specific types or properties to deploy other than highlighting their use. A good rule is to include as many as necessary to help Google understand your business. However, avoid unimportant details such as unmaintained profiles, a slogan, or the number of employees. Focus your Organization type on what you want Google to use.
