If you had any doubt about the importance of structured data for your website, Google has made an announcement that they will be replacing the URL within the search result snippet with the site name and breadcrumb path. Currently, this will only be reflected in mobile search results, but it may roll out across devices over time.
URL Replaced With Site Name and Breadcrumb Trail
Check out this before (left) and after (right) picture of a mobile search results page to get a better idea of what this update entails:
Via Google
With this announcement, Google has introduced structured data schema to help website owners communicate their site name and website data.
Site Name Schema Markup
Google has introduced support for schema.org structured data so website owners can communicate their website name (to be used in place of the domain name).
Here are some requirements:
- Must be similar to domain name
- Must be unique to your website – not used by another website
- Be a “natural” name (ex: Google rather than Google, Inc.)
- Can’t be misleading
Learn more about markup requirements and get code examples here.
Breadcrumb Schema Markup
Google has introduced support for schema.org structured data so website owners can communicate the structure of their URL as breadcrumbs.
First, determine the properties of your breadcrumbs:
- Title – the title of your breadcrumb (ex: Apparel)
- URL – the URL of a breadcrumb
- Child – the next breadcrumb in a hierarchy (note: must be another breadcrumb item)
Learn more about breadcrumb requirements and get code examples here.
This update is certainly an improvement in the appearance of URLs on mobile searches. Google has been mobile-focused lately, as this announcement comes on the heels of their Mobile-Friendly Deadline (April 21).
