Los Angeles | December 12, 2023 – Google Search has taken a step towards deeper comprehension of online communities with the introduction of structured data markup for discussion forums and profile pages. This new feature allows websites to explicitly highlight key information about forum threads, profiles, and their creators, enhancing search results and user experience.
The new markup, is available for two schema types – DiscussionForumPosting and ProfilePage – provides Google Search with valuable context about online discussions. This includes details like forum titles, post dates, author names, profile pictures, follower counts, and content popularity. This enriched understanding enables Google to:
- Surface relevant forum threads in search results: Users searching for specific topics can now easily discover relevant threads within forum discussions, promoting more targeted and valuable information.
- Power features like “Perspectives” and “Discussions and Forums:” Google Search can now leverage structured data to personalize search results and showcase diverse perspectives from various online communities.
- Improve disambiguation and context: By understanding the context of discussions and participants’ identities, Google Search can better disambiguate entities and provide more accurate information to users.
For website owners and forum moderators, implementing the new markup offers several benefits:
- Increased visibility in search results: Websites using the markup may see their forum threads and profiles appear more prominently in relevant searches.
- Enhanced user engagement: By making content more discoverable and providing richer context, the markup can lead to increased user engagement and participation in discussions.
- Improved user experience: Users searching for specific information within forums can now find relevant content more easily, thanks to the enhanced understanding of forum structure and content.
The introduction of a discussion forum and profile page markup demonstrates Google’s ongoing commitment to understanding the ever-evolving landscape of online communities. By providing websites with a way to structure their content, Google Search can offer users a more comprehensive and relevant experience when navigating online discussions and profiles.
Get started: Website owners and forum moderators can learn more about implementing the new markup by visiting the Google Search Central documentation:
- Discussion Forum Posting (DiscussionForumPosting) Schema Markup: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/discussion-forum
- Profile Page (ProfilePage) Schema Markup: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data
By embracing structured data, online communities can improve their visibility and contribute to a richer and more informative search experience for everyone.
