What to Know:
– Google has made changes to its forum structured data documentation.
– The focus of the update is on authorship data.
– The changes aim to provide more accurate and relevant information in search results.
– The update includes new guidelines for marking up author information in forum posts.
– Google has also clarified its stance on marking up user-generated content.
The Full Story:
Google has recently made changes to its forum structured data documentation, with a focus on authorship data. The update aims to provide more accurate and relevant information in search results.
The changes include new guidelines for marking up author information in forum posts. This means that website owners can now use structured data to indicate the author of a forum post, allowing Google to display this information in search results. This can help users identify the author of a post and determine the credibility and expertise of the information provided.
In addition to the guidelines for marking up author information, Google has also clarified its stance on marking up user-generated content. The updated documentation now states that website owners should not mark up user-generated content, such as forum posts, with structured data for things like reviews or ratings. This is because the content is not created or endorsed by the website owner, and therefore should not be attributed to them.
The changes to the forum structured data documentation are part of Google’s ongoing efforts to improve the quality and relevance of search results. By providing more accurate and reliable information about the authors of forum posts, Google aims to help users make more informed decisions and find the information they are looking for more easily.
According to Google, the update to the forum structured data documentation is based on feedback from webmasters and site owners. The company has been working to improve its understanding of authorship data and how it can be used to enhance search results. By providing clearer guidelines and recommendations, Google hopes to encourage more website owners to implement structured data markup for author information.
The update to the forum structured data documentation is just one of many changes that Google has made to its search algorithms and ranking factors in recent years. The company is constantly refining its algorithms to provide the most relevant and useful search results to users. This includes taking into account factors such as the expertise and credibility of authors, as well as the quality and relevance of the content they produce.
Website owners who want to take advantage of the new guidelines for marking up author information in forum posts can refer to the updated forum structured data documentation on Google’s website. The documentation provides detailed instructions on how to implement structured data markup for author information, as well as examples and best practices.
In conclusion, Google has made changes to its forum structured data documentation, with a focus on authorship data. The update includes new guidelines for marking up author information in forum posts, as well as clarifications on marking up user-generated content. The changes aim to provide more accurate and relevant information in search results, helping users find the information they are looking for more easily. Website owners can refer to the updated documentation for instructions on how to implement structured data markup for author information.
Original article: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-forum-structured-data-guidance/504158/