Introduction to Structured Data
Showing different content to logged-out users than to logged-in users and to Google via structured data is a common question. Recently, someone asked if this practice is okay, and John Mueller’s response was clear and direct. The question revolved around whether markup for products would work in an unauthenticated view where prices are not available to users, and they need to log in to view the pricing information.
Understanding the Question
The person asking the question wanted to know if they could use markup for products even though the price is only visible to users after they log in. John Mueller’s answer was straightforward: if a price is only available to users after authentication, then showing a price to search engines (logged out) would not be appropriate. He emphasized that the markup should match what’s visible on the page. If there’s no price shown, there should be no price markup.
The Problem with Structured Data
The issue here is that while the price is visible to logged-in users, it’s not visible to logged-out users or to Google. Google judges what “on the page” means based on what logged-out users will see on the page. This means that even though the content (the product price) is available to some users, it’s not considered available for the purposes of structured data if it’s behind a login.
Google’s Guidelines
Google’s guidelines about structured data are clear: don’t mark up content that is not visible to readers of the page. The structured data must be a true representation of the page content. This guideline is in place to ensure that search engines can provide accurate information to users and that websites are not misleading users or search engines.
Implications and Examples
This question is relevant because it gets asked frequently on social media and in forums. Understanding Google’s guidelines on structured data can help website owners avoid potential issues with their search engine rankings. For example, if a website is using markup to show prices that are only available to logged-in users, they may be violating Google’s guidelines.
Related Topics
For more information on related topics, you can check out articles on confirmed CWV reporting glitches in Google Search Console and Google’s new graph foundation model, which improves precision by up to 40X.
Conclusion
In conclusion, showing different content to logged-out users than to logged-in users and to Google via structured data is not okay if the content is not visible to all users. Website owners should ensure that their structured data matches what’s visible on the page to avoid potential issues with search engines. By following Google’s guidelines, website owners can provide a better experience for their users and improve their search engine rankings.