Google has updated its documentation on forum and Q&A structured data to outline new authorship-related requirements for both types of structured data.
For forum structured data, there are clarifications to the InteractionCounter schema.org data type, along with a new recommended property for the author type. These changes are specifically related to authorship data.
In the case of Q&A structured data, the update involves adding links to author profiles for those posing questions, providing answers, or commenting on questions. These modifications impact how Google interprets information related to users engaging in forum discussions or Q&A formats.
This update is noteworthy as it focuses on Google’s keen interest in identifying content authors, particularly within the contexts of forums and Q&A pages. Currently, search results featuring user-generated answers from forums do not display author names. However, given Google’s increasing emphasis on authorship signals, such as displaying author names for news articles, it remains uncertain whether displaying forum user names is under consideration or if Google has other plans for author data behind the scenes.
Authorship Requirements for New Q&A Structured Data
Google has recently made updates to the Q&A (QAPage) structured data, introducing requirements linked to author signals.
Q&A pages, which typically feature questions, answers, and additional comments that fall outside the question-and-answer format, are subject to these updates. Publishers are now obligated to include links that specify the identities of the authors in the structured data for Q&A pages.
Here are the three changes about authorship
- Creators of a question: The Question structured data type pertains to the question initiating the discussion, serving as the thread starter. This requirement is associated with the author of the question.
- Creators of an answer: This concerns the author in the Answer Schema.org structured data type, which includes two properties: suggestedAnswer and acceptedAnswer. These properties refer to suggested answers and an accepted answer, representing two types of responses.
- Creators of comment: The Comment type is an optional structured data that can be employed to elucidate clarifications made by the individual posing the question or discussions that may not necessarily be answers. This includes responders seeking clarification.
The new requirements exhibit similarities across all three categories of authors: question, answer, and comment.
Author of a Question
“author.url URL
A link to a web page that uniquely identifies the author of the question, most likely a profile page of the Q&A website. We recommend marking up that page using profile page structured data.”
Author of the Answer
“author.url URL
A link to a web page that uniquely identifies the author of the answer, most likely a profile page of the Q&A website. We recommend marking up that page using profile page structured data.”
Author of the Comment
“author.url URL
A link to a web page that uniquely identifies the author of the answer, most likely a profile page of the Q&A website. We recommend marking up that page using profile page structured data.”
Google Integrated Forums and Profiles Using New Structured Data
InteractionCounter Structured Data Type
A Schema.org structured data type serves as the central component of a specific section of structured data code. The Property, on the other hand, functions as a description of that particular structured data type.
In Schema.org terminology, a Property is an attribute of the Type. The InteractionCounter Schema.org structured data type informs Google about the frequency of author interactions.
This is significant because InteractionCounter structured data comes with essential structured data properties. “Required” implies that using these properties is mandatory to qualify for display in Google Perspectives and other search results featuring rich results.
Previously, Google’s documentation for the InteractionCounter “type” in forums lacked clarity, providing only definitions for two “properties” associated with that type. It did not include examples illustrating the context of using that data Type and the two associated Properties.
To address this, Google has improved this section to make it more apparent why the InteractionCounter type is crucial and beneficial for documenting various author interactions.
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More About interactionType
Here are the modifications Google implemented in the documentation for forum structured data.
The guidance previously stated:
“Required properties
interactionType Action
See the place where this is used for a list of valid Action subtypes for this property.”
Below is what the new guidance shows, with the changed text highlighted with italics:
“Required properties
interactionType Subtype of Action
For a list of valid Action subtypes for this property, check the property that’s using InteractionCounter (for example, interactionStatistic).”
Author Added To Required Properties
Author.URL Property
Another significant revision to the Forum structured data guidance involves the inclusion of the author.url Property within the Comment structured data Type.
This alteration carries significance as it introduces a required property that directly impacts eligibility for forum-related rich results in Google search.
The newly added guidance is as follows:
“author.url URL
A link to a web page that uniquely identifies the author of the post, most likely a profile page of the forum. We recommend marking up that page using profile page structured data.”
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