Google unveiled a new carousel rich result designed for showcasing local businesses, products, and events. This feature presents a horizontal carousel that scrolls through all the items in the list. Notably versatile, it can also create a “top things to do in a city” compilation by integrating hotels, restaurants, and events. Currently in beta, this new feature is undergoing testing.
The latest carousel rich result serves to exhibit lists in a carousel layout. As per the announcement, the rich result is currently limited to the following types:
“LocalBusiness and its subtypes, for example:
– Restaurant
– Hotel
– VacationRentalProduct
Event”
Subtypes provide a clear illustration of this concept, such as Lodgings, which fall under the category of LocalBusiness. Illustrating the Schema.org hierarchical structure, the LodgingBusiness type is depicted as a subset of the LocalBusiness type:
- Thing > Organization > LocalBusiness > LodgingBusiness
- Thing > Place > LocalBusiness > LodgingBusiness
Regarding the ItemList Structured Data, the carousel showcases “tiles” containing webpage information like price, ratings, and images. The sequence in the ItemList structured data determines their display order in the carousel.
To qualify for the new rich result, publishers must use the ItemList structured data. All details within the ItemList structured data must originate from the webpage. Similar to other structured data, information not visibly present on the webpage cannot be included in the structured data.
When using this structured data, two important rules apply:
- The ItemList type must serve as the primary container for the structured data.
- Each URL in the list must direct to distinct webpages within the same domain.
Regarding the requirement for the ItemList to be the top-level container, it implies that the structured data cannot be compromised with another structured data where the primary container is anything other than ItemList.
Google Forum and QA Structured Data Update Centered Around Authorship
For instance, the structured data must start in the following manner:
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “ItemList”,
“itemListElement”: [
{“@type”: “ListItem”,
“position”: 1,
Mix and Match
One advantageous aspect of this fresh carousel rich result is the ability for publishers to combine and customize various entities, provided they fall within the eligible structured data types.
Permissible Structured Data Types
- LocalBusiness and its subcategories
- Product
- Event
Google’s announcement elaborates on how to merge and customize different structured data types:
“You can mix and match different types of entities (for example, hotels, restaurants), if needed for your scenario. For example, if you have a page that has both local events and local businesses.”
Below is an instance of ListItem structured data suitable for a webpage detailing Things To Do In Paris.
The provided structured data consists of two events and a local business:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "ItemList",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"item": {
"@type": "Event",
"name": "Paris Seine River Dinner Cruise",
"image": [
"https://example.com/photos/1x1/photo.jpg",
"https://example.com/photos/4x3/photo.jpg",
"https://example.com/photos/16x9/photo.jpg"
],
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"price": 45.00,
"priceCurrency": "EUR"
},
"aggregateRating": {
"@type": "AggregateRating",
"ratingValue": 4.2,
"reviewCount": 690
},
"url": "https://www.example.com/event-location1"
}
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 2,
"item": {
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"name": "Notre-Dame Cathedral",
"image": [
"https://example.com/photos/1x1/photo.jpg",
"https://example.com/photos/4x3/photo.jpg",
"https://example.com/photos/16x9/photo.jpg"
],
"priceRange": "$",
"aggregateRating": {
"@type": "AggregateRating",
"ratingValue": 4.8,
"reviewCount": 4220
},
"url": "https://www.example.com/localbusiness-location"
}
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 3,
"item": {
"@type": "Event",
"name": "Eiffel Tower With Host Summit Tour",
"image": [
"https://example.com/photos/1x1/photo.jpg",
"https://example.com/photos/4x3/photo.jpg",
"https://example.com/photos/16x9/photo.jpg"
],
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"price": 59.00,
"priceCurrency": "EUR"
},
"aggregateRating": {
"@type": "AggregateRating",
"ratingValue": 4.9,
"reviewCount": 652
},
"url": "https://www.example.com/event-location2"
}
}
]
}
</script>Go for Specificity
Google’s guidelines advocate for maximum specificity. However, if there isn’t a structured data type that precisely matches the business type, it’s permissible to use the broader LocalBusiness structured data type.
“Depending on your circumstances, select the most suitable type to use. For instance, if your webpage features both hotels and vacation rentals, use both Hotel and VacationRental types. While it’s preferable to use the type most aligned with your scenario, opting for a more general type (such as LocalBusiness) is acceptable.”
Applicable to Product Display
A particularly intriguing application of this structured data is its usage in presenting a list of products within a carousel rich result.
The structured data for that begins as a ItemList structured data type like this:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "ItemList",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"item": {
"@type": "Product",The structured data can include images, ratings, reviewCount, and currency, similar to any standard product listing. Implementing it this way renders the webpage eligible for carousel rich results. Google provides a set of recommended properties for use with the Products version, including offers, offers.highPrice, and offers.lowPrice.
Beneficial for Local Businesses and Merchants
This innovative structured data presents a valuable opportunity for local businesses and publishers featuring events, restaurants, and lodgings to participate in a novel form of rich results. However, using this structured data does not guarantee its display as a rich result; it merely renders it eligible. This feature is currently in beta, indicating it’s undergoing testing.
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