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Performance & SEO:

Structured Data & Open Graph:
Why They Matter

Published November 4, 2024  |  by Roger Soucy

You’ve probably spent hours crafting your website’s layout, perfecting your content, and optimizing load speed. Still, if you’re not using structured data or Open Graph tags, you’re leaving valuable SEO opportunities on the table. These behind-the-scenes tools help search engines and social media platforms better interpret your content and present it more effectively to users.

When implemented well, structured data and Open Graph can increase your visibility in search results, drive more traffic, and create a better first impression for anyone discovering your site.

What is Structured Data?

Structured data is a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying its content. It’s written in JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa, and is primarily used by search engines like Google, Bing, and Yandex to enhance the way your page is displayed in search results.

These enhancements are called rich results—think product ratings, review stars, recipe times, breadcrumbs, or FAQs shown right in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page).

Common Use Cases for Structured Data:

  • Articles and blog posts
  • Product listings and reviews
  • Events and webinars
  • FAQs and how-to guides
  • Business information (e.g., name, logo, hours)

Benefits of Use:

  • Higher click-through rates (CTR)
  • Improved visibility in search
  • Enhanced voice search results
  • Better accessibility for automated tools

What is Open Graph (OG)?

Originally developed by Facebook, Open Graph metadata helps social media platforms understand what content to display when someone shares a page URL. Twitter has its own tags (twitter:card), but most platforms fall back to Open Graph.

If you’ve ever shared a link and been disappointed by the image, title, or description that showed up, that’s likely due to missing or misconfigured Open Graph tags.

Open Graph Tags Typically Include:

  • og:title – The page title
  • og:description – A short summary
  • og:image – A preview image (1200x630 is ideal)
  • og:url – Canonical URL
  • og:type – Type of content (e.g. website, article)

How to Add Structured Data

Let’s say you have a blog post. You want it to appear with enhanced search features like author name, publication date, and description.

Here’s a simple JSON-LD example using Schema.org:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Article",
    "headline": "The Modern Web: Why Simplicity Still Wins",
    "author": {
        "@type": "Person",
        "name": "Roger Soucy"
    },
    "datePublished": "2025-04-14",
    "image": "https://elusiveconcepts.com/images/modern-web-article.jpg",
    "publisher": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Elusive Concepts, LLC",
        "logo": {
            "@type": "ImageObject",
            "url": "https://elusiveconcepts.com/images/logo.svg"
        }
    }
}
</script>

You can test your structured data using Google’s Rich Results Test or the Schema Markup Validator.

How to Add Open Graph Metadata

Open Graph tags go in the <head> section of your HTML. Here’s a basic example:

<meta property="og:title" content="The Modern Web: Why Simplicity Still Wins">
<meta property="og:description" content="Learn why less is more in modern web development and how to avoid over-engineering your website.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://elusiveconcepts.com/images/modern-web-og.jpg">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://elusiveconcepts.com/blog/modern-web-simplicity">
<meta property="og:type" content="article">

To optimize for Twitter, add these as well:

<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="The Modern Web: Why Simplicity Still Wins">
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Learn why less is more in modern web development and how to avoid over-engineering your website.">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://elusiveconcepts.com/images/modern-web-og.jpg">

Choosing the Right Data to Include

The best structured data and Open Graph strategies are intentional, not exhaustive. Adding irrelevant or incorrect metadata can confuse bots or even get your site penalized.

Ask yourself:

  • What content is most valuable to users?
  • What do I want search engines and social media platforms to highlight?
  • What visual or written cues will drive engagement?

For example:

  • A local restaurant might focus on location, menu, reviews, and hours.
  • A design agency might prioritize portfolio images and service descriptions.
  • A product page might include price, availability, and ratings.

Avoid using structured data for content that doesn’t exist on the page (e.g., fake reviews or inflated ratings). Google will notice.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

  • Broken images or URLs in OG tags
  • Outdated publication dates on structured data
  • Duplicated content between OG and structured data (they should complement each other)
  • Forgetting to test tags after deployment
  • Assuming WordPress plugins like Yoast handle everything perfectly (they often need customization)

Conclusion

Structured data and Open Graph are simple additions that yield outsized results. By giving search engines and social media platforms clear signals, you improve your visibility, boost SEO performance, and shape how your brand is perceived online.

Don’t treat metadata as an afterthought—it’s one of the smartest, most affordable ways to enhance your digital presence.

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