Google Video Structured Data Guidance Updated: What You Need to Know
Google Updates Video Structured Data Guidance
On May 22, 2023, Google announced updates to its video structured data guidance. The most significant change is that Google now requires the date and time that the video was first published, in ISO 8601 format. This was previously optional but is now required for all videos that want to be eligible for rich results in Google Search.
Google has also updated its guidance on the following topics:
- Thumbnail transparency: Google recommends that at least 80% of the thumbnail pixels have little or no transparency. This will help Google to better index your video.
- Key moments: Google Search tries to automatically detect the segments in your video and show key moments to users. However, you can also manually tell Google about the important points of your video by using the key Moments property.
- Video Object structured data: The Video Object structured data type is used by Google to display various kinds of rich results in Google Search, Google Discover, video search results, and Google image search results.
Google has updated its guidance on this structured data type to clarify the following:
The date and time that the video was first published must be in ISO 8601 format.
The expiration date must also be in ISO 8601 format, if applicable.
Google has also added a new section to its video structured data documentation on how to mark up videos that are embedded in Recipe structured data. This is useful for videos that provide step-by-step guidance to make food or drinks.
Why are these updates important?
Google’s updates to its video structured data guidance are important because they can help you to improve the visibility of your videos in Google Search and other Google products.
By providing accurate and complete structured data, you can make it easier for Google to understand your videos and display them in relevant search results.
How to implement the updates?
If you are already using video structured data on your website, you will need to update your code to include the new requirements. Google has provided updated documentation and examples to help you with this process.
If you are not currently using video structured data, you can start by reviewing the Video structured data documentation. Google also offers a structured data testing tool that you can use to test your structured data and make sure that it is valid.
Conclusion
Google’s updates to its video structured data guidance are designed to help you to improve the visibility of your videos in Google Search and other Google products.
By providing accurate and complete structured data, you can make it easier for Google to understand your videos and display them in relevant search results.
