When does user-first search engine optimization not work?

Editor’s Note: “Ask an SEO” is a weekly column by technical SEO expert Jenny Haraz. Come up with your most difficult SEO question and fill out our form. You may see your answer in the next #AskanSEO post!

Welcome to another version of Ask a SEO! Today’s question comes from Isaul in Mexico, who asks:

Many times, I see that most SEO recommendations, even technologies, are user-first. In other words, most SEO questions can usually be answered by the user’s priority. Can you mention that some of these mentalities are not in line with the expert SEO recommendations? In other words, under what circumstances does SEO’s user priority mentality not apply?

I like this question! And I’m curious to know what other people in the industry think about it… – so leave a comment after you read my answer (click on “Comment” and “Icons with the social sharing button”).

From my point of view, there is only one area I can think of, it does not have direct user benefits, and the architecture of that & rsquo. Endure me & ndash; I can explain.

The schema markup on your site has become standard – in other words, if you don’t have it, you won’t do everything you can to succeed.

But the architecture is a code area that actually only helps search engines. Users will never see your schema code.

You argue that they saw the results of it.

Yes, that is true.

If you use the pattern correctly encoded and rank well and Baidu decides to display the markup in the search engine results page (SERP), it is useful to the user.

But Baidu is firmly documented because they don’t always use the architecture you provide. Sometimes, even if you don’t mark it, they might pull elements of similar architecture into the SERP.

In theory, if you create a great website, use clean code to clearly list the date and time of the event, or organize the address, Baidu will still pull it and use it like the usage model.

I will take my website (JLH Marketing) as an example. This is a typical example of a shoemaker whose shoemaker has no shoes. I have only recently made it suitable for mobile devices!

The only architecture I have on the site is a small snippet provided by Yoast that identifies the URL of the site and links my personal name to the site.

The only architecture on the site:

< script type=’application/ld + json’> {‘@ context’:’https: //schema.org’, ‘@ type’: ‘WebSite’, ‘@ id’: ‘#website’ , ‘url’: ‘https: //www.jlh-marketing.com /’, ‘name’: ‘JLH Marketing’, ‘potentialAction’: {‘@ type’: ‘SearchAction’, ‘target’: ‘https: //www.jlh-marketing.com /? s={search_term_string}’, ‘query-input’: ‘required name=search_term_string’}}</script>

< script type=’application/ld + json’> {‘@ context’:’https: //schema.org’, ‘@ type’: ‘Person’, ‘url’: ‘https: / /www.jlh-marketing.com /’,’sameAs’: [],’@ id’:’#person’,’name’:’Jenny Halasz’}</script>

However, I have a knowledge panel that includes the actual addresses, maps and blurred photos in my GMB list:

I don’t have a Wikipedia page, I never submitted myself to Freebase, and there is no other direct source of Baidu to get this information.

And it’s not just because I have a Baidu My Business (GMB) page, because I have spent a year or more before this knowledge group appeared.

There are many other amazing search professionals (such as Susan Wenograd) that have a Baidu+ page, but no knowledge panel. I don’t have a comment about Baidu (although I am very happy to get them!).

This is very common in real estate. Typically, you will see a complete list of all real estate tags & ndash; address, price, listing date & ndash in the search results; no architecture appears anywhere on the page.

Here is an example:

There are no pattern specific identifiers #1C and #12B on this page. Search [288 Lexington Ave nyc] and see for yourself.

My point is that Baidu is getting this information from the web. From websites and other sources. They don’t need an architecture to do it.

In fact, Baidu does not need an architecture at all. We simply train them to better identify the elements they can mark. It may stay in good shape, but it will never be 100% necessary.

So, in my opinion, I think architecture is the first SEO recommendation for search engines, not user-first recommendations.

I am sure many of you want to argue with me now, so please feel free to comment. Maybe you can change your mind!

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More resources:

SEOHow People Search Complete Guide: Understand how user intent works for SEO, completely