SEARCHENGINES

The Past, Present and Future Of Structured Data With Google Search

Published

2 years ago

April 8, 2022

The Past, Present and Future Of Structured Data With Google Search

Lizzi Sassman and Martin Splitt brought on a special Google guest on their Google search off the record podcast to discuss structured data. The guest is named Ryan Levering who has been with Google for over 11 years working on structured data.

Structured Data Past At Google

In short, Ryan Levering explained that when he first started working on the structured data project, he worked on that legacy data highlighter tool in Search Console. But early on, Google seemed to try to move away from requiring us to highlight or markup our content and wanted to use machine learning to figure it all out, which Google’s Gary Illyes said back in 2017 but kind of retracted in 2018. So Google poured a lot of effort into machine learning to figure it out.

Structured Data Present At Google

But over time, Ryan said, it was “much easier �to just ask people to give us their data rather than to pull it off of the web pages.” “It’s surprisingly more accurate,” he added. So they then moved more resources into building out structured data and support documents for site owners to use and hand over the data.

But machine learning is now thrown out the window. Ryan said they still use it a lot for (1) sites that do not use structured data where Google wants to still show rich results for those, (2) for mistakes or abuse, so Google can verify what really the page is saying compared to the structured data. So Ryan said it is a “multiple pronged approach” to using structured data and machine learning for understanding it all.

So that is how Google uses it all today but what about the future.

Structured Data Future At Google

The “medium term future,” Ryan said they plan on using structured data “not just visual treatments but actually help with more understanding on the page.” Google has mentioned this before, that structured data can help Google understand the page but it is not a ranking factor. I guess Google will be working more on that. Plus, medium term future” Ryan said Google wants figure out “how to use structured data more universally in a lot of our features rather than just like here and there, scattered around.”

Long term, Google said how Google can use structured data with how Google “interprets it in general into our internal graph.” Ryan said he “would like to move to where we are adjusting more and more data through structured data-specific channels rather than necessarily conveying all of our information on the web page itself.” Basically figuring out a “cleaner way to do data transfer between data providers and Google.” How does Google do this, he said maybe by working with the large CMS platforms so they can build it into their platforms directly.

Here is the podcast embed:

Here are parts of the transcript:

Ryan Levering : So, my introduction, when I started at Google, we were working on extraction from web pages. So like doing it via ML. So we came in, and the first thing I worked on was the data highlighter product, which is externally. We were looking at web pages and pulling structured data from unstructured text, and my whole team was very into the actual ML aspects of it. So how do we extract data, which in academic circles is often called “wrapper induction”? So when you take the– you build a wrapper that can pull the data out of a template. So reverse engineer the database. But after several years of working on it, there was another project that was side by side that was extracting structured data, which became the core of what we use now.

And I became convinced, after talking to people for a long period of time that, it was much easier �to just ask people to give us their data rather than to pull it off of the web pages. It’s surprisingly more accurate. There’s other problems that can happen because of that, but it’s generally an easier thing to do. And it’s a lot less work for us, and it’s a lot better for the provider. So I came to it from ML and seeing structured data as the enemy at first. And then I was won over as a good mechanism.

So machine learning is– I see as like multiple prongs in our approach for how we get stuff. We want to use machine learning for cases where either we don’t have more information where it’s not provided for us. But it’s always going to be easier to just have the data shown to us, I think. So we will try– I think it’s like a multi-tiered approach, where you have machine learning for cases where we don’t have that data specifically. But then providers always have the option of giving us data, which usually improves accuracy, which usually gives better benefit for the actual provider. So I always see them as working side by side in an ideal world.

Most of our features over time migrate to that approach where we ingest it. Maybe we start with one approach where we’re just using ML. And then we eventually add markups so people have control. Or it’s the opposite way around. And we start– we bootstrap with markup in an eco-system approach where people are giving us data. And then we enhance coverage of the feature by adding ML long run. So, I see them as very compatible. But it’s always good to empower people who are giving you data, to have control over that. So I think it’s really important that structured data in general is part of the overall strategy so the people can actually have some control over the content that we show.

The primary challenge is that we then have to figure out a way to verify that the structured data is accurate. And sometimes this is from actual abuse. And sometimes this is just because there’s a problem with synchronicity. Sometimes people generate structured data for their websites and it becomes out of sync with the actual stuff that’s being shown visually. We see a lot of both. So there needs to be other mechanisms to figure out some balancing act where those things are enforced. So that’s the cost of structured data, I guess, is that extra checking.

Lizzi Sassman: Yeah, speaking of the work that has been done, what about the work that’s to come, the next couple of years for structured data? If you were to give us a peek into the future, what is next for structured data?

Ryan Levering: In the medium-term, I think we’re… I mean we continue to flesh out the structured data usage in terms of adding more features and looking into more ways we can use it in cooler things that are not just visual treatments but actually help with more understanding on the page, I think. And figuring out how to use structured data more universally in a lot of our features rather than just like here and there, scattered around. I think that’s what we’re looking at in a medium-term.

Long-term, I think that it’s going to play a really interesting role at interacting with the way that we interpret it in general into our internal graph. So I would like to see more machine learning, figuring out– I would like to move to where we are adjusting more and more data through structured data-specific channels rather than necessarily conveying all of our information on the web page itself. So I think that’s a much cleaner approach, particularly for some of our structured data ingestion paths. So figuring out a way to get around the actual visual representation and figuring out ways to link the structured data with the web page but not necessarily embed it on the web page. So I think there’s a cleaner way to do data transfer between data providers and Google.

I think that it will make it easier for plug-ins and CMSs to create that information particularly. Because I feel like a lot of the eco-system has moved in that direction where people aren’t implementing the structured data themselves but rather are using content creation tools. I think it’s becoming more important that we have mechanisms to work directly with those content creation tools to ingest the data in a programmatic way in order to make it fresher and easier.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

Source: www.seroundtable.com

Related Topics:Data future Google Present Search Structured

Up Next

Microsoft Bing Does Not Support The data-nosnippet HTML Attribute

Don't Miss

Massive Google Ranking Fluctuations, New Google Multisearch, Ad & Analytics Latency & Local Search News

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

SEARCHENGINES

Google AI Overview Ads, New Link Format, AI Organized Search Results & Plus More

Published

16 hours ago

October 6, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

Google announced a bunch of new AI Search features including search ads finally rolling out to AI Overviews, the new link format rolling out, AI-organized search results, new AI shopping features, Google Lens and more.

Of course, Google announced this when I am offline, but at least I got a heads up a few hours prior. So I was able to write it up for Search Engine Land and here and schedule it.

Ads In Google AI Overviews

Google‭ Search‬‭ and‬‭ Shopping‬‭ Ads are now rolling out to AI Overviews. These ads will have the “Sponsored” label on them, like other search ads. Google said these ads now‬‭ available‬‭ for‬‭ mobile‬‭ users‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ US after several months of testing.

“People‬‭ have‬‭ been ‬‭fidning the‬‭ ads‬‭ within‬‭ AI‬‭ Overviews‬‭ helpful‬‭ because‬‭ they‬‭ can‬‭ quickly‬‭ connect‬‭ with‬‭ relevant‬‭ businesses,‬‭ products‬‭ and‬‭ services‬‭ to‬ take‬‭ the‬‭ next‬‭ step‬‭ at‬‭ the‬‭ exact‬‭ moment‬‭ they‬‭ need‬‭ them,” Google wrote.

Here is a screenshot of the ads in the AI Overviews, which look like they are under the AI Overviews:

Google is also rolling out Shopping‬‭ Ads‬‭ through‬‭ Google‬‭ Lens. Shopping‬‭ ads‬‭ will‬‭ appear‬‭ above‬‭ and‬‭ alongside‬‭ visual‬‭ search‬‭ results‬‭ by‬‭ the‬‭ end‬‭ of‬‭ the‬‭ year.‬

Google wrote, “For‬‭ example,‬‭ let’s‬‭ say‬‭ you’re‬‭ shopping‬‭ at‬‭ a‬‭ mall‬‭ and‬‭ a‬‭ backpack‬‭ displayed‬‭ in‬‭ a‬‭ store’s‬‭ window‬ ‭ catches‬‭ your‬‭ eye.‬‭ You‬‭ want‬‭ to‬‭ learn‬‭ more‬‭ — ‬‭ and‬‭ check‬‭ if‬‭ there’s‬‭ other‬‭ colors‬‭ available‬‭ — ‬‭ but‭ you’re‬‭ in‬‭ a‬‭ hurry.‬‭ Simply‬‭ tap‬‭ the‬‭ Lens‬‭ icon‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ search‬‭ bar,‬‭ snap‬‭ a‬‭ photo‬‭ or‬‭ upload‬‭ one‬‭ from‬ ‭ your‬‭ gallery‬‭ to‬‭ learn‬‭ more‬‭ about‬‭ the‬‭ product.‬‭ Lens‬‭ will‬‭ bring‬‭ together‬‭ our‬‭ advanced‬‭ AI‬‭ models‬ ‭ and‬‭ Google’s‬‭ Shopping‬‭ Graph‬‭ — ‬‭ which‬‭ has‬‭ information‬‭ on‬‭ more‬‭ than‬‭ 45‬‭ billion‬‭ products‬‭ — ‬‭ to‬ ‭ identify‬‭ the‬‭ exact‬‭ item‬‭ in‬‭ your‬‭ photo.‬”
‭

Links Updated In AI Overviews

As Google showed us in August, Google has a new link format for AI Overviews that are now rolling out “globally to all countries where AI Overviews are available,” Google told us.

Google also told us, “with AI Overviews, we’re seeing that people have been visiting a greater diversity of websites for help with more complex questions.” “And when people click from search result pages with AI Overviews, these clicks are higher quality for websites — meaning users are more likely to spend more time on the sites they visit,” Google added.

They said they have seen a positive reception during testing, saying, “we’ve seen that this improved experience has driven an increase in traffic to supporting websites compared to the previous design, and people are finding it easier to visit sites that interest them.”

Here is the illustration Google posted:

Here are the screenshots of this test we posted a few weeks ago:

AI-Organized Search Results

Also previously announced, Google is now rolling out AI-organized search results.

Google wrote, “we’re rolling out search results pages organized with AI in the U.S. — beginning with recipes and meal inspiration on mobile. Y ou’ll now see a full-page experience, with relevant results organized just for you. You can easily explore content and perspectives from across the web including articles, videos, forums and more — all in one place.”

Here is what it looks like:

Plus, as I mentioned at Search Engine Land, there is also more on Google Lens and Shopping:

New multimodal Lens features. Google is launching the ability to search with video in Lens and ask complex questions about moving images (available through Search Labs) and voice input in Lens, so you can ask questions out loud while snapping a photo (or recording video) to more easily search what you see.

Shop easily with Lens. Google is now showing more helpful product information when using Lens for shopping, including a product’s price across retailers, reviews, or where to buy.

Source link

SEARCHENGINES

Google Ranking Volatility Record, Forbes Advisor Slapped, Bing Generative Search Experience & More

Published

2 days ago

October 5, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

Google Ranking Volatility Record, Forbes Advisor Slapped, Bing Generative Search Experience & More

We had more of the same Google ranking volatility but this time, we broke a record of the longest period of heated search ranking volatility ever. Google may have slapped Forbes Advisor with some sort of penalty. Bing generative search experience is now rolling out. I posted the big Google October 2024 webmaster report. Google Search Console released sticky performance filters. Google Search Console recommendations is now fully rolled out but more people see it. Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, was interviewed again, this time by Aledya Solis. Google warned about using JavaScript generated product markup. Google spoke again about noindex versus canonical tags. Google said don’t use a generic coming soon page for new pages. Bing Search can get dates and times wrong for search snippets. Microsoft Advertising has a new ad console experience, and new diagnostics and performance snapshot. Bing is testing replacing the ad label with a sponsored label. Google Shopping is testing a new updated interface with expandable refinements. Google Local Service Ads has a new bidding option for target cost per lead. BingBot celebrated its 14th birthday. Google didn’t celebrate its 26th birthday for some reason. I am offline today and yesterday for Rosh Hashanah, so this video and post was pre-recorded and scheduled. The Google AI Overview news did not make it into the video, as I recorded it before I was given a heads-up on this news. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.

Sponsor: BruceClay one of the founding fathers of the SEO space, doing search marketing optimization since 1996. Bruce Clay is big into SEO training, check out seotraining.com to learn more and check them out at bruceclay.com. Also, check out their new product, Prewriter.ai – this tool empowers writers to write better and more efficiently, so check it out.

Make sure to subscribe to our video feed or subscribe directly on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite podcast player to be notified of these updates and download the video in the background. Here is the YouTube version of the feed. For the original iTunes version, click here

Search Topics of Discussion:

Please do subscribe on YouTube or subscribe via iTunes or on your favorite RSS reader. Don’t forget to comment below with the right answer and good luck!

Source link

SEARCHENGINES

Daily Search Forum Recap: October 3, 2024

Published

3 days ago

October 4, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.

We have record-breaking Google search ranking volatility going into October. Microsoft Advertising streamlined its ad interface and added some new features. Google is testing search instead for sections. Google said SEOs can help shape policies and decisions around AI. Google Ads is testing swipable images to map. Bing celebrated the 14th birthday of BingBot. And I am offline, this content was pre-written and scheduled.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

Record-Breaking Google Search Ranking Volatility Continues Into October

Surprise, surprise, the heated Google Search ranking volatility has continued into October. This is the longest ongoing period of heated Google Search ranking volatility we had ever recorded according to data provided…

Microsoft Advertising New Ad Experience, Diagnostics & Performance Snapshot

Microsoft announced a new streamlined experience below Copilot’s organic response and two new capabilities, diagnostics and performance snapshot.

Google Testing Search Instead For Section

Google is testing replacing the “People also search for” box with a “Search instead for” box. I think this is just a title change because the functionality looks equivalent to the previous version.

Google: SEOs Can Help Shape Client Policies & Decisions On AI Bots

Google’s John Mueller said that SEOs are in a great place because they understand how crawlers work, how the controls work, and they can help their clients decide on their AI policies and decisions as they navigate this new era of AI bots.

Google Ads With Images & Map Carousel

Google is testing an ad format for Google Ads where you swipe over a carousel of images, eventually leading to a map. When you click on the map, it takes you to the Google Business Profile in Google Maps.

Happy 14th Birthday BingBot

Fabrice Canel from Microsoft posted on X this week that BingBot turned 14 years old. Yea, 14 years of crawling the web. Fabrice wrote, “Happy 14th Birthday, BingBot! You’ve been crawling…

Google Atlanta Poolside View

Here is a photo, I guess of a hotel across the street from the Google offices in Atlanta. I think… So if you want to relax and go for a night swim, while checking your rankings, this might be a good place to do that.

Programming Note: Rosh Hashanah 5785 – Happy & Healthy Jewish New Year

This is a programming note that Thursday and Wednesday are Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and I will be offline the next two days. I will be offline on Thursday and Wednesday, October 3rd and October 4th.