Rich Results jargon overview for your Shopify store

I’m frequently asked what Rich Results, Rich Snippets, and Rich Cards are, and what the heck structured data even means.

Here’s a short primer on everything about it, and why this matters for your Shopify store.

Structured Data

Structured data is a way of marking up data so it can be easily found and analyzed by search engines. Think of it like a matching game where we structure the data in a way that search engines know which field you want them to use for your product name or product price.

To markup your data, most Shopify stores use JSON-LD or microdata.

• JSON-LD is a format of structured data that uses the JSON format and markup is typically grouped together in one piece of code. Although JSON-LD and JSON are often confused, they are not the same thing. JSON is a file format to transmit data. JSON-LD is a method to link data using JSON.
• Microdata is another format of structured data that typically is spread throughout the theme’s HTML.

Rich Results

Rich Results (previously called Rich Snippets) is what Google calls their search enhancements for organic search results. Many Rich Results, like reviews in organic results, require structured data (e.g. JSON-LD or microdata) in order to qualify for the enhancement. 

Because Rich Results was previously called Rich Snippets, you'll hear these two terms used interchangeably. 

Rich Snippets

Rich Snippets are now used more to reference a specific enhancement (e.g. Review Rich Snippets or Review Rich Results).

Rich Cards

Rich Cards are a form of Rich Results that appear in a grid or a carousel. We usually see Rich Cards used to reference things like Recipes. Since Rich Cards are a version of Rich Results, they also require structured data.

JSON-LD for SEO adds JSON-LD structured data to every page in your Shopify store. For each page type, we add the appropriate structured data for products, business information, and blog posts.

Once Google finds that data on your store, Google may award you with various search enhancements depending on the type of structured data and content on your site.

Only Google has control over which sites get Rich Results but having structured data is the first step. The types of Rich Results Google shows and the data they use are all up to their algorithm. JSON-LD for SEO always includes as much data as you have set up including the prices, availability, and reviews. It depends on their algorithm if they show something or not. 

Adding structured data makes your site eligible for Rich Results. Google does not guarantee Rich Results will be shown nor do they guarantee that all results will receive Rich Results.

Hope this helps you understand what Rich Results are and how they work. There’s a whole bunch of technical details behind all of this but this is a good summary of it all.