“How will AI change SEO?” is a question we’re asked a lot. Traditional search engines relied primarily on keyword matching to deliver relevant results, but the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the way search engines operate, giving them more power to answer open-ended questions in a specific and conversational fashion. They’ve been trained on lots of content, and if you’ve ever trained an algorithm, you know the utility of labels and structure – so structured data matters. This report from Seer Interactive says it well – the importance of structured data is “one of the few things everyone in the SEO industry agrees on.” We took a look at how AI-powered search engines appear to leverage structured data to provide users with more comprehensive and personalized search experiences.
The Role of Structured Data in AI-Powered Search Engines
Structured data is a type of data that is organized in a way that makes it easy for machines to read and understand. It typically consists of key-value pairs, where each key represents a specific attribute and the corresponding value provides information about that attribute. For instance, structured data for a restaurant might include its name, address, phone number, cuisine type, and star rating.
AI-powered search engines utilize structured data to enhance their search algorithms in several ways:
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Context Understanding: Structured data helps search engines grasp the context of a user’s search query. For example, when a user searches for “coffee shops near me,” structured data enables the search engine to identify relevant coffee shops based on their location, ratings, and other attributes.
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Accurate Ranking: Structured data facilitates more accurate ranking of search results. By analyzing structured data, search engines can assess the relevance and quality of websites, ensuring that users are presented with the most pertinent results.
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Rich Snippets: While rich snippets have decreased in prevalence, structured data empowers search engines to display rich snippets, which are informative summaries of web pages, for queries where they are still provided. Rich snippets provide users with quick insights into a website’s content, such as recipes, movie reviews, or business information.
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Personalized Search: Structured data contributes to personalized search experiences. Search engines can analyze user behavior and preferences to tailor search results based on their interests and past searches.
The Impact of Structured Data on Map Listings and Store Locators
Structured data plays a particularly crucial role in map listings and store locators. This data allows search engines to provide users with accurate and up-to-date information about businesses, including their name, address, phone number, hours of operation, website URL, and customer reviews.
The completeness and accuracy of structured data in map listings and store locators directly impact a business’s search engine ranking and is especially critical for businesses with multiple locations that require comprehensive location listing management. Businesses that maintain comprehensive and accurate structured data are more likely to appear in relevant search results, attracting more potential customers.
Why Businesses Need Complete and Accurate Structured Data
In today’s competitive online landscape, businesses must prioritize the completeness and accuracy of structured data in map listings and store locators. Here are some compelling reasons to do so:
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Improved Search Visibility: Complete and accurate structured data enhances a business’s search engine ranking, increasing its visibility to potential customers searching for relevant products or services.
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Enhanced User Experience: Accurate structured data ensures that users are presented with correct information about a business, leading to a more positive and informed user experience.
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Increased Customer Engagement: Improved search visibility and a positive user experience can translate into increased customer engagement, leading to more website traffic, phone calls, and in-store visits.
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Competitive Advantage: Businesses that prioritize structured data gain a competitive advantage over those with incomplete or inaccurate data, attracting more customers and boosting revenue.
AI-powered search engines have revolutionized the way users interact with online information. Structured data appears to play a pivotal role in their operation, enabling search engines to deliver more relevant, accurate, and personalized results. Businesses that recognize the importance of structured data and choose a vendor for their location marketing services like map listings and store locators will be better able to maintain complete and accurate information, which can significantly enhance their search engine ranking, improve customer engagement, and gain a competitive edge in today’s digital marketplace.
If you’d like to learn more about our easy-to-use location management platform and how structured data can bolster your rankings, contact us for a demo.