Schema.org is a non-profit organization that may be changing the search game. In 2011 it unveiled a standard markup model (schema) that may well make keywords obsolete. This model codes content with html tags to make it easily identifiable to search engines.

The primary goals are to:
• Help search engines accurately identify the type of content on webpages
• Make it easier for users to find the information they are looking for

Maps posted to Schema.org demonstrate standard markups, adjusted to fit several different search engines, Google included.

Although schema continues to evolve, the end result is less guesswork, more structure in the way content is identified and retrieved.

Some of the more common html tags identify whether a page is a webpage, article or blog; whether it’s a product, image, event, etc. This provides more information to search engines resulting in more effective searches.

Although only one percent of organizations were using the html tagging, Schema.org found that the schema “snippets” were present in 41 percent of search results. And, organizations that used their recommended mapping/html tagging had a much higher SEO profile.

With these results, it makes sense that small- to medium-sized businesses who rely on web traffic should give content markup a try. I’m not advocating giving up keywords completely, but start adding html tags and see if you get better results.
If you’d like to know more about how this works, email me at .