Boost Your Sales with Structured Data

Enhance Event Discoverability with Structured Data

Are you looking to:

• Increase your event search engine rankings?
• Decrease manual event information entry on external sites?
• Utilize discoverability via Artsdata, Canada’s arts sector-owned knowledge graph?

If so, integrating structured data into your event pages is essential.

Understanding Structured Data

In 2019, Nesta and The Sartori Lab recommended arts organizations incorporate Schema structured data on event pages. But what is structured data, and how does it benefit your organization?

Structured data is essentially a set of instructions that describe “things” on a webpage. Schema.org structured data, developed by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex, is the most common type. This data helps search engine robots understand webpage content. For example, if you have a page about a performance of “Carmen,” structured data clarifies that “Carmen” refers to an event, not a person, place, or recipe, and provides details like date, time, and location.

Pages with structured data are more likely to appear in “Events near me” search results. Additionally, they can be uploaded to Artsdata, allowing you to share event information automatically with cultural calendars, directories, and other platforms, reducing manual entry.

Does Your Event Page Have Structured Data?

To check if your event page already has structured data:

1. Copy and paste your event page URL into the Schema Validator.
2. Look for an “Event” box (or subcategories like TheatreEvent or MusicEvent).
3. Check for the following properties:
   • name
   • startDate (with the correct timezone)
   • location (with a @Place value and preferably a valid postalCode)

If these properties are missing or incomplete, your structured data needs improvement.

For event series, ensure multiple Event boxes are present to display individual start and end times.

Adding or Improving Event Structured Data

1. With a Web Developer: Send them the Artsdata Structured Data Template for Events, including the event series add-on. They can code it into your website’s header, streamlining future event entries.
2. Without a Web Developer:
   • Experienced coders can use the Artsdata template.
   • New coders can use Web Code Tools’ Event Structured Data Generator. Enter event information, and the tool will generate the structured data code to paste into your event page.

Platform-specific instructions:

• Wix: Insert the code into the Structured Data Markup via the Advanced SEO tab (more info).
• WordPress: Insert the code into a custom HTML box near the top of your webpage (more info).

For further assistance, contact the Artsdata team at artsdata@capacoa.ca.