Microformats are a new opportunity in SEO, especially for local searches. Local searches such as “seattle dentist” cause a search engine to find what they feel are the best listings for dentists in Seattle. In order to do this the search engine must be sure the site content is related to a dentist and this dentist is in Seattle (or close by). One of the reasons for SEO efforts is to ensure the content of the site is optimized to reflect the target market of the site.
The next challenge is to identify where the dentist is actually located. There are a number of keys within the content that can help the search engine verify the location of the dentist (or whatever the subject). City terms in the content, addresses, zip codes and phone numbers assist the process. However, like everything in Internet search the more specific and orderly the information is presented the better chance the search engines have in identifying your sites content and business location.
To address this challenge there are microformats. These are small HTML formats within your site’s code that specifically identify a number of different areas, one of which is specific to a business location. Microformats are available for businesses and organizations, products, reviews and people. Each microformat standard has defined data fields related to each of the microformats. The business and organization microformat is the one we are specifically interested in.
The data fields available for the business and organization microformat are:
- Name- Obviously the name of the business or organization.
- URL- Domain name, be sure to use the full web address including http://.
- Address- The address has three components: street-address, locality and region (state or province). You can also add country if need be.
- Telephone- Be sure to use a standard format such as 123 456 7890, or (123) 456 7890
- Geo- Longitude and latitude of the business. Helpful in defining the business location as it relates to the city center.
Once you have this information it is a simple matter of creating the HTML, or using a widget or plugin and adding it to your website. An example of a business listing follows:
<span class="fn org">Cluepad Pizza</span>
Located at
<div class="adr">
<span class="street-address">0101 Bit St</span>,
<span class="locality">Seattle</span>,
<span class="region">WA</span>.</div>
<span class="geo">
<span class="latitude">
<span class="value-title" title="47.37">
</span>
<span class="longitude">
<span class="value-title" title="-122.20">
</span>
</span>
Phone: <span class="tel">206-555-1234</span>
<a class="url" href="http://cluepadpizza.com/">http://cluepadpizza.com</a>
</span></span></div>
The <div class= “vcard”> indicates the HTML code following is a microformat with information on a business. By having this microformat HTML code it is very clear to the search engine this is a business and all of the details are provided to ensure they get the maximum exposure possible. To make maximum effective use of the business microformat have this code placed on every page on your site. In general regardless of the use of the microformat code you should always have your full business contact information on every page in your website.
Lastly, once you establish a format for your business microformat listing then be sure to use the exact same format everywhere. The address format, phone number format, any abbreviations for your company (Corp., Inc., LLC, etc.) should always be exactly the same on every web property you use. This consistency will help create synergy between your website and other web directories and sites that may highlight your company. The more sites you appear on the better chance you have of ranking well for your selected search terms, local or otherwise.
