Google highlights the advantages of nesting structured data types instead of implementing multiple structured data scripts.
In a Google SEO Office hours session, Lizzi Sassman addressed a question about combining different structured data types, shedding light on how Google interprets structured data and the benefits of combining or separating them. The process of combining multiple structured data is called nesting.
What is Nesting?
Nesting involves the incorporation of other structured data types within the main structured data. Structured data primarily consists of high-level data types (called Types) and the attributes of those Types (called Properties). This concept is similar to HTML, where the main building blocks of a webpage are called Elements, and every element has properties called “attributes.”
<HTML>
A structured data script begins by specifying the primarily structured data for the webpage. For example, if a webpage is about a recipe, the structured data might look like this:
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “Recipe,”
Is Combining Structured Data Allowed?
The main question is whether it is allowed to nest one structured data type inside another. Lizzi Sassman confirmed that nesting structured data could help Google understand the main focus of a page. She advises combining them so that the first part states the purpose of the webpage.
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “Recipe,”
Google's Documentation on JSON-LD Structured Data and Nesting
Google’s Search Central documentation about JSON-LD structured data emphasizes the importance of nesting: Nesting allows for more complex structures, enabling webmasters to convey richer information about their content. Following local schema markup best practices can significantly enhance a website’s visibility in search results, ensuring that search engines can interpret and display the data effectively. Properly implemented structured data can lead to improved click-through rates and a better user experience.
JSON-LD* (Recommended)
A JavaScript notation incorporated into a <script> tag within the <head> and <body> elements of an HTML page.
The markup does not intermingle with the user-visible text, facilitating the expression of nested data items, such as the Country of a PostalAddress of a MusicVenue within an Event.
Additionally, Google can interpret JSON-LD data when it is dynamically added to a page’s content, for instance, through JavaScript code or embedded widgets in a content management system.
For example, a webpage focusing on a musical event using the Event structured data type can also integrate additional data types for the music venue and its postal address.
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “Event,”
Communicating the Focus of the Webpage
The “O” in SEO stands for optimizing a webpage so that it is easy for search engines to crawl and understand what the webpage is about. Nesting structured data aligns with this optimization concept, as it helps clarify the focus of the webpage.
Conclusion
In conclusion, nesting structured data is an effective approach to organizing and presenting information on web pages in a way that enhances search engines’ understanding of the page’s primary focus.
By combining different structured data types, web admins can optimize their pages for better indexing and ranking. This practice aligns with Google’s guidelines and improves the overall clarity of a webpage’s purpose, ensuring that search engines can efficiently crawl and comprehend the content.
Read Next: How to Write a Good Meta Description for SEO
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