Introduction to Google’s Structured Data Carousels Update
Google has updated the structured data documentation for their European Economic Area (EEA) carousels, which are currently in beta. A significant change is the expansion of the shopping queries carousels beta testing beyond Germany, France, Czechia, and the UK, making it available to all EEA countries. This update also brings a more organized and easily understandable documentation.
What’s Changed in the Documentation
Apart from reflecting the changes to the carousels beta program, another part of the update was to make the information flow in a more orderly manner. This was achieved by removing exceptions and rearranging topics into their own sections. The section about filling out the applicable form was edited to remove the exception about flight queries. It initially read: “…you can start by filling out the applicable form (for flights queries, use the interest form for flights queries).” Now, it simply states: “you can start by filling out the applicable form:”
Improved Organization for Better Understanding
The reason for this change was to make the documentation less confusing by decoupling unrelated information and creating mini-sections for different topics. This includes adding flight query parts into its own mini-section, resulting in a more orderly procession of information that makes the entire page easily understandable. New sections were added, including:
“For queries related to ground transportation, hotels, vacation rentals, local business, and things to do (for example, events, tours, and activities), use this Google Search aggregator features interest form
For flights queries, use this flight queries interest form
For shopping queries, get started with the Comparison Shopping Services (CSS) program”
Feature Change and Expansion
A section was removed because the availability of the features changed. Initially, it stated: “For shopping queries, it’s being tested first in Germany, France, Czechia, and the UK.” This was replaced with: “This feature is currently only available in European Economic Area (EEA) countries, on both desktop and mobile devices. It’s available for travel, local, and shopping queries.” Google’s changelog explains the update as follows: “Updating the interest forms for structured data carousels (beta) What: Updated the structured data carousels (beta) documentation to include the current interest forms and supported query types. Why: To reflect the current state of the feature and process for expressing interest.”
Accessing the Updated Documentation
For more information on the feature availability, you can read Google’s documentation here.
Conclusion
In summary, Google’s update to the structured data carousels documentation brings about significant changes, including the expansion of the shopping queries carousels beta testing to all EEA countries and a more organized documentation structure. These changes aim to make the information more accessible and easier to understand for users. By improving the documentation, Google facilitates a better experience for those interested in its structured data carousels feature.