Google Webmaster Tools Rich Cards

Google has now introduced Rich Cards feature in Webmaster Tools giving site owners the ability to markup their site using Rich Cards.

It is not a matter of if mobile will be the future of internet users finding information online, because its already here, you are living in and also competing in a digital economy, and your target audience is now using their mobile devices to find your business.

Think about your smartphone, its with you from the moment you wake up in the morning, till you sleep. And how many times do you use your mobile phone? Or search using it? That’s also the case for millions of other mobile device users as well.

Rich Cards vs Rich Snippets

Rich cards are a new Search result format building on the success of rich snippets. Just like rich snippets, rich cards use schema.org structured markup to display content in an even more engaging and visual format, with a focus on providing a better mobile user experience.

Rich snippets, and information regarding its usage in Google seems to be buried down (this is another case of Google flexing its muscles) to sway website owners towards optimizing for mobile (for a valid reason indeed). Because people use mobile today. Globally.

Rich Cards vs Rich Snippets vs Structured Data vs Schema Markup

Let’s simplify all these, all you have to know about all these often times confusing terms is “schema.org vocabulary” using Microdata. But because that is a rather complex field for most of Google Webmaster Tools customers, Google tries to simplify all this by just telling you to use JSON LD scripts. Which, not only is more complex to insert for the modern sites, its actually a terrible way to use Microdata on any site.

For example: just imagine a recipe related site trying to insert Recipe Markup using JSON-LD. How? Not possible for 99% site owners because creating step by step how to guide with images for your recipe is hard enough. How can you then stop and try to insert Recipe Markup. Sure sure, there are countless Plugins which claim to simplify adding Structured Data, but almost all of them will not validate in Rich Results Test.

Best way to add Schema Markup is to code your website theme (and perhaps couple that with a plugin). This will streamline adding the markup so that you can focus on creating content instead of adding the markup manually.

Should We Use Rich Cards?

Absolutely because you can take advantage of these additional features and display your webpages more prominently in Google search results page.

Imagine you have a food related blog sharing recipes and now Google is willing to show results as the above the rest featuring your Rich Cards for recipes. Need say no more. Don’t wait till your competitors use these, instead either learn how to use them on your site or hire a Schema Markup Expert because inserting markup for Rich Results will help you to get more results online.

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