It's obvious schema markup is becoming more important for high search rankings on the semantic web, but very few websites actually use it.

Ranking highly on SERPs is a multi-pronged effort these days, thanks to the numerous signals Google draws on to rank organic content in search results. In fact, thinking in terms of rankings at all might be a waste of resources. Instead, brands should optimize their web marketing for total visibility, rather than chasing vanity metrics.

As Brafton reported, schema markup is growing, as Google, Yahoo and Bing have all agreed on the language used to enrich web pages and help search engines understand what data they contain. The benefits of schema language is clear, but adoption is apparently sluggish.

People using their smartphones may be even more hesitant to go beyond the first page of search results than desktop users, so the faster information gets to target customers, the better.

Brands are slow to jump on the markup bandwagon

A recent study by Searchmetrics found over a third, or 36.6 percent, of Google searches return Knowledge Graphs or other media-rich SERP elements populated by schema markup. Yet the number of websites that have actually integrated schema markup is miniscule: 0.3 percent.

Schema isn’t the simplest fix for SEOs looking to drive up traffic and gain visibility, but it may be one of the most effective in the long run. This is particularly true when it comes to mobile searchers. People using their smartphones may be even more hesitant to go beyond the first page of search results than desktop users, so the faster information gets to target customers, the better.

Schema: one more link in the chain

Web marketers have clearly taken other elements of the semantic web to heart. According to a survey by Search Engine Watch, 71 percent of professional SEOs agree understanding the link between social posting and page rank is more important in 2014 than 2013, and 85 percent say mobile search has similarly come to the front burner in the past year.

It’s clear businesses looking to put themselves out in front of inbound leads and prospects should be using schema markup, but actually rolling up one’s sleeves and changing code is another process entirely. That’s why it’s essential to speak to a webmaster or agency about optimizingcontent marketing for this changing search landscape.

Alex Butzbach is a Marketing Writer at Brafton. He studied Communications at Boston College, and after a brief stint teaching English in Japan, he entered the world of content marketing. When he isn't writing and researching, he can be found on a bike somewhere in Metro Boston.