Do you find yourself wondering, “how much does product schema markup increase CTR?” Well, look no further! Schema Pros has compiled original research that answers the question of how product schema markup relates to click-through rate.
In this case, we compared six sites that implemented product schema markup versus six sites that did not implement product schema markup. There were no other significant changes or optimizations made to these websites during the period that was studied.
Our Findings on How Much Product Schema Mark Increases CTR
Although it was expected that product schema markup would increase CTR and, as a result, total traffic, it was not expected that the results would be so significant.
Product schema markup increased total CTR, compared to comparable websites without product markup, by 42% on average. This is significant data.
For example, if a URL previously brought in 1000 visitors a month, that same URL would now be able to bring in around hundreds more people each month.
Service Pages
After examining the data with increased scrutiny, it became obvious that product schema markup had a different effect when applied to service vs. product pages. When product schema markup was applied to service pages, CTR only increased by about 31%.
Service pages may not yield the full benefit of product schema markup, as it is more common for website owners to misuse product schema markup on these pages. Website services do not typically attract as many reviews as products do, so some website owners feel inclined to make up reviews.
This is against Google guidelines and can result in a manual penalty, but people do it anyways. The black-hat practice has likely reduced the level of trust in positive reviews on service pages.
Product Pages
Product pages, on the other hand, performed very well with the addition of product schema markup. This might be because products are much more likely to have an exist
ing set of reviews from which to draw, so website owners feel more inclined to use an accurate data set.
Failure to do so is much more likely to result in a manual penalty on a product page than on a service page. As a result, people likely trust reviews on product pages more than they do on service pages.
Unsurprisingly, then, product schema markup on product pages increased total CTR by 49%. Considering how little time product markup takes to implement, a 49% increase in click-through rate is exceptional.
Effect on Revenue
Revenue increased at a higher rate than total traffic. As the product schema markup was the only variable that brought in additional traffic, this means
that the product schema markup affected all visitors – not just the visitors who clicked the URL as a result of the rich result.
So, users that would have visited the page anyways had increased buyer intent due to the favorable reviews displayed below the product or service pages. For example, total traffic increased 42% on average as a result of adding product schema markup, but total review increased by 49%.
This relationship between product schema markup and revenue indicates that product schema markup helps to build trust in products and services for all users, even those who would have visited the website regardless.
Effect on Ranking
Although schema markup does not directly affect ranking, it can indirectly affect rankings. For example, the simple addition of product schema markup will not cause a website to rank higher for certain keywords.
That said, the markup might increase the number of clicks to your website. The increased number of clicks to your website may indicate to Google that your website is more valuable than originally thought, which may lead to increased rankings. In this way, product schema markup may indirectly impact rankings.
Through our original research,
we noticed a trend. The average ranking across all product and service pages changed.
Rankings on Product Pages
The average rankings on product pages with [product schema markup increased by 1.2
rankings in our research. This is significant, as each single ranking increase can yield a significant increase in traffic. Therefore, it is evident that product schema markup on p[roduct pages increases both traffic and rankings.
Rankings on Service Pages
The average ranking on service pages increased by .4. This data was not statistically significant, so it cannot be definitively concluded that adding product schema markup to service pages yields an increase in rankings.
Important Findings
The websites that implemented schema markup saw an increase in social following at the same time. The number of social followers increased by 12% compared to the websites that did not implement schema markup. Therefore, it can be concluded that the additional SERP real estate that product schema provides also increases brand recognition.
FAQ:
Why Does Product Schema Increase CTR?
How much does product schema markup increase CTR and other important metrics? We found that product schema allows for rich snippets in search, so search results with product schema will stand out. Product schema provides valuable and relevant information to a user’s query.
The additional SERP real estate that product schema provides is also favorable. Finally, product schema displays valuable information about a product without a visito
r having to “spend the cost” clicking on a site.
Do All Schema Types Increase CTR?
No. Some schema types only serve to provide extra information to search engines. Schema does not always result in a rich snippet or additional SERP real estate. That said, Google is liable to rank a website higher if it properly understands it.
For example, some schema elements may indicate that the author of a blog is a professor at an ivy league school. This might not end up in a rich result, but it will certainly improve the E-A-T of the website.
I Use Shopify. Is Product Schema Markup Still Useful?
Yes. product schema markup is useful regardless of if you use Shopify or a similar eCommerce service. In fact, users on Shopify should expect a significant benefit from implementing markup.
What Ratings Can Be Used for Product Schema Markup?
Ratings must be sourced directly from users. Human editors may not curate the rating information. Marked-up reviews must be immediately evident to users from the marked-up page. Failure to follow these guidelines can result in a manual penalty from Google.
Contact Us for More
At Schema Pros, we take pride in providing the best schema markup services for clients. We provide product schema markup services, and we work with both eCommerce businesses and non-eCommerce businesses. Contact us if you have custom requirements, and we will suit your needs.