Discussion & Profile Page Markup: Structured Data Update
Update on Monday, November 27, 2023, by Google Search Central
In the latest update from Google, support has been announced for profile page and discussion forum structured data to be utilized in Google Search, accompanied by the introduction of new reports in Search Console. This markup facilitates integration with Google Search features designed to present first-person perspectives from social media platforms, forums, and online communities. By implementing this structured data, content accuracy and completeness in these features are enhanced.
ProfilePage markup is tailored for websites where creators, whether individuals or organizations, share firsthand perspectives. It enables Google Search to better identify creator information such as their name, social handle, profile photo, follower count, and content popularity. Both the Perspectives and Discussions and forums features leverage ProfilePage markup.
DiscussionForumPosting markup, on the other hand, caters to forum-style websites where users collectively share firsthand perspectives. It enables Google Search to recognize forum sites and online discussions across the web. While forums with this markup are considered for inclusion in the Perspective and “Discussions and forums” features, its usage does not guarantee appearance.
For websites already employing Q&A markup for question and answer-themed user forums, updates have been made to the Q&A structured data documentation to align with the richness of the new discussion forum guidelines.
It is not necessary to utilize both types of structured data on the same page. Website owners are advised to select the markup that best suits their use case: Q&A markup for question-answer forums and DiscussionForumPosting for general forums.
To assist in verifying and monitoring structured data, Google is launching profile page and discussion forum rich result reports in Search Console. These reports display errors, warnings, and valid items related to marked-up pages. Additionally, support for both features is provided in the Rich Results Test for testing and validation purposes.
Google encourages feedback on the functionality of discussion thread and profile page structured data, which can be submitted through social media channels or forums.
Click to read the latest Google Algorithm update 2024.
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