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Understanding Google's New Guidelines on Structured Data
In a recent update, Google has provided crucial clarifications regarding how structured data rules apply to merchant return policies and loyalty programs. This change aims to reduce confusion for retailers and ensure their offerings are compatible with Google Search features. For merchants, this is a pivotal shift that will help optimize their visibility online.
What Are the Key Changes?
Google's updated structured data documentation emphasizes that return policies should be categorized under Organization markup rather than Offer. This new directive is essential for businesses looking to gain full support for their return policies, allowing for a general consistency across their product catalog.
This shift underscores that product-level return policies are only meant for exceptions and provide limited properties for detailing them. Google explains that the comprehensive return policy needs to be tied to the organization level, giving a broad overview of what customers can expect.
The Separate Lane for Loyalty Programs
Moreover, the document stresses the necessity for loyalty programs to be distinctly structured under MemberProgram associated with the Organization markup. This means that while merchants can mention loyalty benefits in terms of pricing and points at the product level, the core structure must exist independently.
What's important to note is that Google does not support certain perks like shipping discounts or extended return windows as part of loyalty programs in their structured data, which implies that they will not showcase these features in Google Search results. This is crucial for businesses that emphasize these benefits as part of their customer retention strategies.
Why These Changes Matter
The clarification from Google does not introduce new functionalities but serves to rectify misunderstandings regarding structured data implementation. It’s a call to action for businesses to review and audit their existing markup, ensuring the stipulations are followed. Maintaining compliance with these updated guidelines is essential for leveraging structured data features in both Google Search and Shopping.
Next Steps for Merchants
Businesses should take this opportunity to refine their structured data practices. Audits of existing markup for return policies and loyalty programs must be prioritized. It is crucial that businesses ensure these aspects are well-defined and separate, providing a seamless experience for their customers while enhancing their marketplace presence.
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