SEO, properly used, can be a magnificent lever to deliver short-term results when you know what you're doing and apply it correctly.
As an example, here's the following case from one of our clients:
Where the massive implementation of FAQ Schema markup has delivered outstanding performance.
Jose Vicente Pérez (AKA Josevi), SEO Manager at iSocialWeb, and his core team have been able to leverage the use of the FAQ schema on 1,120 informational blog pages to significantly grow the project's organic traffic and click-through rates (CTR).
This is the case study we'll focus on: the massive implementation of FAQ schema markup.
Below, we'll show you the remarkable results obtained in just 7 days.
Specifically, during this period we achieved the following results:
In short, implementing FAQ schema markup produced a substantial increase in organic traffic.
On average, the set of web pages where it was applied experienced a daily increase of 200 organic clicks:
And out of the 1,120 URLs where it was applied, in less than 11 days the FAQ rich result was showing up in Google for 462 pages, 41% of the total, as we can see below:
This traffic growth demonstrates the effectiveness of FAQ schema markup in attracting relevant users to the website.
And all of it within a few days, no small feat.
Below, we'll walk you through all the details we faced to hit these numbers.
So don't stop and keep reading!
Starting point: why implement FAQ Schema Markup in 2023?
Knowing that Google has stated on numerous occasions that Schema code on a page isn't a ranking factor.
You're probably asking yourself this question.
Why start working on rich data optimization on informational content, when you could focus on transactional content?
All of this, at first glance, seems crazy.
Well, the answer is very simple.
The iSocialWeb core team led by Josevi had been working on this project for a year and a half.
And once the higher-impact SEO optimization tasks were completed, all that was left were "smaller" tasks.
But we were looking for tasks that met two conditions:
You'll agree with us that one of the keys to SEO is getting as many improvements implemented as possible, and if you can, in the shortest time possible.
Well then.
Following these premises, and reflecting with the client on costs / benefits, we concluded that implementing the structured data markup for FAQ was an ideal candidate for being the next task to execute.
The problem: the client's CMS was custom-developed, and a manual action would have to be performed for hundreds of URLs if we wanted to implement this improvement.
The challenge: how to implement structured data for FAQs at scale and make this action profitable
Given that:
If we stuck to the cost / benefit condition set by the client, we were looking at an option to discard given its:
However, when we discussed this with the client's development team, we realized how simple it was to deploy specific code to generate, via JSON-LD, the data markup for the selected pages.
This way, we solved the manual-implementation problem, going from weeks to hours.
Something essential within the conditions we'd set to decide which SEO tasks to execute next.
The other problem was demonstrating that it was worth betting on this indirect action in monetary terms.
Well:
Since the average CLV for a SaaS tends to be high, we quickly saw that the action could be very profitable if it was executed fast and at scale.
We're talking six figures a year for a 0.3-point increase in conversions.
So, discussing the situation with the client's development team and seeing how easy it was to roll out this action, we proposed implementing it on 1,120 blog URLs at once.
Without touching anything else.
Not even the content, so we wouldn't lose any time.
Without a doubt, Josevi's deep internal knowledge of the client, thanks to his skill at analysing client data, let us leverage the situation to our advantage.
But let's see how we pulled it off:
The solution: defining the pages to implement FAQ on and the rules for development
The biggest challenge we faced was correctly implementing the FAQ data markup without errors, since it was going to be rolled out at scale.
And in a single action.
You can imagine the mess that could have ensued if the code was reproduced across hundreds of pages at once with errors.
It would have been a total disaster.
Well:
To guarantee the success of the FAQ Schema application, we followed a very strict process:
Below we explain the different actions for developers in detail.
To avoid potential errors or misunderstandings.
This is what we did:
1 – Identify pages where FAQ Schema could be applied
Schema markup can be applied to various pages on a website, depending on the type of content. It's important to strategically choose the pages where Schema markup will have the greatest impact.
For FAQ Schema specifically, it's recommended to implement it on pages dedicated to frequently asked questions or informational articles, where users need clarification on a specific topic.
By adding FAQ Schema to these pages, we provide search engines with structured data that helps them better understand the content and display this relevant information in search results:
For example, if you run an ecommerce site selling electronic equipment with a page dedicated to FAQs about shipping policies and product warranty information, implementing FAQ Schema on this page can make the result more eye-catching.
But using it on blog articles or on your site's service pages also works.
Because taking up more space in the Google SERPs tends to help increase clicks, visits and conversions.
In short:
Applying Schema markup such as FAQ Schema can greatly benefit various types of web pages, such as:
Helping boost visibility in the SERPs and attracting more clicks from interested users looking for relevant information.
In short:
This markup applied to our client's blog content let us gain a lot of space on the SERP "real estate".
2 – Decide what to include in the FAQ content on your page
When creating the FAQ content for these pages, we took into account the target audience's needs and questions, while leveraging the existing copy created by our client's content team.
This helped update the article content and better serve users' search intent.
Achieving a double effect:
Which explains the significant growth in organic traffic experienced by content pieces that previously showed an almost flat line of clicks and impressions.
3 – SEO validation of the Schema Markup code implementation
Once we decided and selected the pages on which the development would be deployed to activate the mass data markup, we moved on to the code validation phase to ensure there were no problems.
This step was the most important. We couldn't afford to make any mistake.
To do so, we started a code validation process in three phases:
Step 1: Testing the code
To verify the correct implementation of the base code on your web page, we used Google's Structured Data Testing tool.
You only need to enter the code snippet or provide the URL of the test page to get a free evaluation and know whether the implementation is correct.
The tool also provides valuable information to make any necessary adjustments.
This guarantees a thorough validation process and offers the advantage of being sure of the shot.
Step 2: Preview with Google's Rich Results Tester
The second step was implementing the code on only one test page and running Google's Rich Results Test.
Although not required, we wanted to make sure the code decoding was correct.
That way we could verify it in a live test.
This test tool not only tells you whether the page is eligible for rich results but also shows how the data will appear in the search engine results pages.
Step 3: Recrawl the page
To wrap up, once the code was deployed on the 1,120 pages, we decided to recrawl and reindex these pages so Google would account for the changes in its search results as soon as possible.
Overall, validating the Schema markup code implementation ensures that search engines accurately understand and display your FAQ content in rich snippets.
But this way we ensured we'd accelerate the rollout and verified that the rich data was being shown in the SERPs.
The results: dramatic boost in informational content performance
It's clear that between implementing data markup and not implementing it, the former is the preferred option.
The best proof of it all is right below:
Compared to the same previous period, the "MoM" results speak for themselves:
That's the average, because individual results for many URLs were far higher.
And all of this in less than 11 days until the rollout was complete in Google's SERPs.
Which leaves us with some important lessons such as:
In conclusion: the right Schema markup still drives high SEO returns
Even though we're already in 2023, correctly implementing FAQ Schema, itemlist or How-to can have a significant impact on a site's visibility, click-through rates and results.
Not only that.
The strategic use of FAQ Schema on informational pages helps improve the profitability of these pages, increasing their contribution to any company's conversion funnel.
In this case, an increase of 200 daily clicks means 6,000 additional monthly visits.
If the conversion rate were 0.15% and the average client CLV is €1,800, we'd be talking about additional economic value of €194,400 per year.
Because for subscription-based business models, these "small incremental improvements" can mean the difference between crossing the break-even point or not, and can additionally provide substantial profit increases thanks to marginal acquisition costs that are nearly zero.
In any case, not a number to overlook.
This is the potential that SEO optimization of informational content has for a business.
Therefore:
If you're looking for an effective way for SEO to deliver quick results and you have a SaaS-style business model:
Rest assured that incorporating FAQ Schema should be one of the priorities on your list.
In short:
Leverage our experience implementing structured data markup to attract more organic traffic to your site while improving your returns.
We'll be happy to answer your questions.
Co-CEO and Head of SEO at iSocialWeb, an agency specialized in SEO, SEM and CRO that manages over 350M organic visits a year with a 100% decentralized infrastructure.
Also behind Virality Media, a company of owned projects with more than 150 million active monthly visits spread across different sectors and industries.
Systems engineer by training and SEO by vocation. Tireless learner, AI fan and prompt dreamer.