JSON-LD for SEO

On this page:

1. What's JSON-LD?


2. What does this app do?


3. Where can I learn more?

1. What's JSON-LD?

JSON-LD is a brand new way for websites to provide "structured data" to search
engines and other online services. It's championed by Google, and offers a much
deeper level of functionality to users than has been available previously.

So... what does "structured data" actually do?

Have you ever seen "enhanced" search results, with information like product
prices, average ratings, and availability status? That's a result of "structured
data" - Google being able to extract this detailed information from your site
and use that information to enhance what a users sees in their results.

Over the past year or so, you might also have noticed some sites with
information cards next to their search results, or with a site-specific
search box contained in their search result. These features are also enabled
through structured data, and form part of Google's Knowledge Graph.

How does structured data help my Shopify store?

If you're a store owner, it's in your interest to make it as easy as possible
for search engines and others to extract information about your store and
product range. To quote Google's Structured Data page:

When your web pages include structured data markup, Google (and other search
engines) can use that data to index your content better, present it more
prominently in search results, and surface it in new experiences like voice
answers, maps, and Google Now.

In plain language, setting up structured data on your Shopify store means your
products will be linked to in more places and be more likely to be clicked on in
search results.

Adding structured data to become part of Shopify's Knowledge Graph (something
only possible at the moment with JSON-LD) gives users searching for your brand
or product additional functionality that makes it easier to find you and what
you're selling.

Why is JSON-LD better than existing structured data markup like Microdata?

While reading the above, you might have thought; "Hey! My store already has
these rich snippets enabled, what gives?"

It's a fair question - in fact, many stores will already have some structured
data support through the use of alternative structured data solutions, namely
Microdata. Microdata provides structured data through the editing of

However, there are two keys limitations of the Microdata approach:

• There's no way to provide markup compatible with Google's Knowledge Graph,
  meaning features like the Sitelinks Search Box won't be available to
  users;


• The metadata about your site and products is mixed in with the HTML code of
  your Shopify theme, making it harder to maintain (and requiring more technical
  knowledge to update).

2. What does this app do?

This app automatically gives your store the SEO benefits of JSON-LD without you
having to lift a finger (well, aside from clicking "Install"). As soon as you've
installed the app, search engines and other services will be able to extract
structured data from your store.

Additionally, as search engines and other services support more and more of the
features of JSON-LD, this app will automatically keep the markup on your store
up to date.

Why don't you have a trial period?

Unlike most apps on the Shopify App Store, JSON-LD for SEO only charges you a
one-time fee, rather than an ongoing monthly charge. As store owners
ourselves, we know how annoying it can be to constantly fork over money. As a
result, we decided to price this application at a fraction of the cost you'd
pay a developer to implement JSON-LD markup on your store.

Because you'll get the benefit of the application immediately, we think it's
fair to "bill" you for the work straight away -- just as if you'd hired a web
developer or Shopify Expert to do the work for you. Unlike hiring a developer,
though, the $49 you spend today entitles you to free updates and improvements
-- for life.

3. Where can I learn more?

If you'd like to learn more about us (the authors of this app), you can check
out the Disco website. We're more than happy to answer any questions you
have about the application or JSON-LD and rich markup in general - you can
email us right here.

If you're interested in learning more about Microdata and/or JSON-LD before
taking the plunge and installing the app, here are some useful resources:

• Official JSON-LD Home Page


• JSON-LD Explainer on Google's Webmaster Blog


• Microdata on Shopify and other eCommerce Platforms (an post by this app's lead developer on Microdata, the predecessor to JSON-LD)