Google released a case study demonstrating the benefits of implementing structured data and adhering to best practices, which resulted in enhanced discoverability and increased search traffic. Although the focus was on Video structured data, the insights gleaned are relevant to various content formats.
The latest case study highlights the experience of Vidio, an Indonesian publisher.
How CDNs Can Cause Indexing Problems
The case study highlights a significant issue concerning how Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) handle image and video files with expiring URLs. Google’s new documentation stresses the importance of CDNs utilizing stable URLs, directing readers to further detailed information on another Google documentation page.
Google clarifies that certain CDNs employ rapidly expiring URLs for video and thumbnail files. It urges publishers and SEOs to ensure each video is linked to just one stable URL. Notably, this practice not only aids Google in indexing the files but also facilitates the collection of user interest signals.
Here’s the recommended approach from the documentation:
“Some CDNs use quickly expiring URLs for video and thumbnail files. These URLs may hinder Google from effectively indexing your videos or retrieving the video files. Additionally, they make it challenging for Google to gauge users’ interest in your videos over time.
Employ a single, unique, and stable URL for each video. This enables Google to consistently discover and process the videos, verify their availability, and accurately collect signals regarding the videos.”
Implementing The Correct Structured Data
Google emphasized the significance of employing accurate structured data and validating it using Google’s structured data testing tool.
Here are the outcomes of this effort:
“Within a year of integrating VideoObject markup, Vidio witnessed enhancements in impressions and clicks on their video pages. Despite a roughly 30% increase in the number of videos published by Vidio from Q1 2022 to Q1 2023, the inclusion of VideoObject markup rendered their videos eligible for display across various locations on Google.
Consequently, there was a threefold surge in video impressions and nearly a twofold rise in video clicks on Google Search. Vidio also utilized the Search Console video indexing report and performance report, enabling them to pinpoint and address issues across their entire platform.”
Indexing + Structured Data = More Visibility
The case study underscores the importance of two key factors for improved search performance. Firstly, it emphasizes the necessity of ensuring that Google can effectively crawl the URLs—a step that can often be neglected in the haste to attribute a decline in rankings to a recent algorithm update. During a site audit, it’s crucial not to dismiss any potential contributing factors.
Secondly, the case study recommends the implementation of the correct structured data. Utilizing appropriate structured data can significantly enhance a webpage’s eligibility for improved search visibility through Google’s enhanced search features, such as featured snippets.
Original news from SearchEngineJournal