What is Event structured data, and how do you add it?

What is Event structured data?

Structured data is a standardized format that provides information about a page and classifies its content. For example, it can describe ingredients and cooking times on a recipe page. Search engines use this data to understand the content of your page and gather information about the web and the world in general.

Event structured data specifically describes an event happening at a certain time and location, such as a concert, lecture, or festival. Google uses this information to show your content in a richer appearance in search results, known as a rich result. These interactive rich results display a list of organized events, making it easier for users to discover and attend them through Google Search and other Google products.

What kinds of events are eligible for rich results?

Google's event experience aims to help people discover and attend events through Google Search results and Google Maps. To be eligible for this, events must be bookable by the general public. Each event also requires a unique URL, or "leaf page," with the structured data markup directly on that URL.

It is important to note that virtual experiences without a real-world component are not supported for Event structured data. However, Schema.org notes that repeated events can be structured as separate Event objects.

Key properties for Event structured data

Schema.org defines several properties to describe an event, providing details such as its timing, attendance mode, and status. These properties help search engines understand the specifics of your event.

• startDate: Schema.org defines this as the start date and time of the event, in ISO 8601 date format.
• endDate: Schema.org defines this as the end date and time of the event, also in ISO 8601 date format.
• eventAttendanceMode: Schema.org indicates this property shows whether an event occurs online, offline, or a mix.
• eventStatus: Schema.org defines this property to represent an event's status, which is useful when an event is cancelled or rescheduled.
• previousStartDate: Schema.org defines this property to contain the previously scheduled start date.
• offers: Schema.org notes that ticketing information may be added via this property.

How do you add Event structured data to your page?

Google documents that if you are comfortable editing your HTML, you can directly integrate structured data into your web pages. Google generally recommends using JSON-LD, as it is often the easiest format to implement and maintain.

1. 01Identify the content type that represents your content, which in this case is Event.
2. 02Create the structured data markup for the Event type using reference documentation.
3. 03Insert the generated markup into each page you want to make eligible for search engines.

How do you validate Event structured data?

Google documents that after adding structured data, it is crucial to validate your code and fix any critical errors. Google's Rich Results Test is an easy and useful tool for validating your structured data and, in some cases, previewing how a feature might appear in Google Search. web.dev mentions using the Structured Data Linter to validate structured data. Google advises always following the general structured data guidelines, along with any specific guidelines for the Event type.

What are important considerations for Event structured data?

Google documents that each event must have a unique URL and that structured data should not be added about information not visible to the user on the page. Do not create blank or empty pages solely to hold structured data. To be eligible for enhanced display in Google Search, an Event object must include all required properties.

Google also advises that when an event's status changes, you should not remove the startDate. Schema.org notes that repeated events may be structured as separate Event objects.

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