Google’s John Mueller, in an search engine optimization Workplace Hours session, answered a query about whether or not the <article> semantic HTML aspect has an influence on Google.
John answered the query immediately however there’s a good bit of nuance that was disregarded of his reply that must be addressed.
Does the <article> Component Have an Influence on Google?
The particular person asking the query in regards to the <article> HTML aspect wished to understand how Google dealt with that aspect.
In addition they wished to know if wrapping product itemizing content material in an <article> aspect was an excellent observe.
That is the query:
“Does using an <article> HTML tag have an effect on Google? Is it higher to place the content material of a product itemizing web page in an <article> tag?”
That is how Mueller answered:
“The <article> HTML aspect doesn’t have any explicit impact in Google Search.
That is just like plenty of different kinds of HTML tags.
There’s a lot extra to utilizing HTML than simply Google Search although!
Generally there are accessibility or semantic causes to make use of a selected sort of markup, so don’t solely give attention to search engine optimization.”
Semantic HTML Components
John Mueller accurately stated that there are “semantic causes” for some HTML components.
On the whole, the phrase “semantic” pertains to what the that means of a phrase is.
However in computing, the phrase semantic pertains to the aim of the code.
Understanding the position of HTML code helps builders perceive what that code is doing.
Semantic HTML tells builders (or engines like google) what the aim of that code is.
For instance, the <footer> aspect tells builders or engines like google that no matter is wrapped inside that aspect <footer></footer> is the footer part of the webpage.
The <footer> semantic HTML aspect describes the aim of that part of content material.
The <article> Component
John Mueller accurately stated that the <article> aspect has a semantic cause.
The semantic cause is that it communicates that the content material wrapped between the <article></article> components are the principle content material.
Serps divide a web page into sections just like the navigation, fundamental content material, and footer.
Google’s Martin Splitt talked about that in a pair podcasts.
Relating to using heading components to establish what sections of a web page are about, Martin Splitt stated:
“It’s just about that.
With any sort of content material some semantic and a few construction in your content material in order that it’s simpler for automated programs to grasp the construction and the sort of like, the bits and items of your content material.”
In one other webinar, Martin Splitt talked about what Google calls the Centerpiece Annotation, which is sort of a abstract of what the subject is about.
Martin Cut up mentioned how Google seems on the semantic content material and the format tree (how the HTML components label the sections of a web page) to find out what the subject is.
He defined:
“That’s simply us analyzing the content material and, I don’t know what we’ve got publicly stated about this, however I believe I introduced it up in one of many podcasts episodes.
So I can most likely say that we’ve got a factor referred to as the Centerpiece Annotation, as an illustration, and there’s a number of different annotations that we’ve got the place we have a look at the semantic content material, in addition to doubtlessly the format tree.”
He goes on to elucidate that Google reads from the HTML content material construction to determine that the content material contained in that part is a couple of particular subject.
So in different phrases, the <article> aspect isn’t an search engine optimization rating issue.
It’s used as a approach to divide a webpage into sections and talk to Google what that part is, what may be present in that a part of the webpage.
<article> Component and Accessibility
Mueller additionally talked about using the <article> aspect for functions of constructing a webpage extra accessible.
The Mozilla Developer useful resource pages, a fantastic supply of data, describes the position of the article aspect:
“…the <article> aspect ought to be used. Consumer brokers translate this to the suitable accessibility info similar to the article position.
Utilizing the <article> aspect additionally helps engines like google higher uncover the construction of a web page.”
Can <article> Component Be used for Product Itemizing Pages?
The final query that was requested is that if the <article> aspect can be utilized for product itemizing pages.
The official HTML documentation signifies that sure, the <article> aspect can be utilized for a product itemizing web page as a result of it’s an “impartial merchandise of content material”.
The documentation explains:
“The article aspect represents a whole, or self-contained, composition in a doc, web page, utility, or website and that’s, in precept, independently distributable or reusable, e.g. in syndication.
This could possibly be a discussion board submit, {a magazine} or newspaper article, a weblog entry, a user-submitted remark, an interactive widget or gadget, or another impartial merchandise of content material.”
The Mozilla Developer documentation for the <article> aspect is extra specific:
“The <article> HTML aspect represents a self-contained composition in a doc, web page, utility, or website, which is meant to be independently distributable or reusable (e.g., in syndication).
Examples embrace: a discussion board submit, {a magazine} or newspaper article, or a weblog entry, a product card, a user-submitted remark, an interactive widget or gadget, or another impartial merchandise of content material.”
Ought to You Use the <article> Semantic HTML Component?
I believe that some individuals misunderstand the phrase “semantic” when contemplating the phrase, Semantic HTML.
It isn’t semantic within the sense of telling Google what a subject is about.
It’s semantic within the sense that it pertains to figuring out the aim of a piece.
And that’s what the <article> aspect does, it tells Google the aim of a piece of a webpage.
The basic essence of search engine optimization is making it simpler for engines like google to grasp what a webpage is about.
The <article> aspect makes it simpler for engines like google to establish the place the principle content material is, making it simpler to seek out the place to seek out what Martin Splitt calls, the Centerpiece Annotation.
What the Google search engine optimization Workplace Hours Video on the 6:44 minute mark:
Featured picture by Shutterstock/ViDI Studio
