Adding Vacation Rental Structured Data - Google Rich Results

7 min readDec 27, 2023

*A vacation rental property with lush green garden, spacious veranda, pool, barbecue area, and outdoor furniture.*

The importance of structured data in the vacation rental industry cannot be overstated. By providing organized information about vacation rental properties to search engines, structured data plays a pivotal role in enhancing SEO and driving Google Search traffic.

Implementing structured data can significantly improve the visibility of vacation rental listings on Google Search, ultimately attracting more potential guests to these properties.

How Structured Data Works for Vacation Rentals

One widely recognized vocabulary or framework used to create structured data markup is schema.org. It provides a standardized way to define and structure data on the web. Schema.org offers specific types for vacation rentals, allowing property owners to provide detailed information about their listings.

There are different formats available for implementing structured data, including:

Microdata
RDFa
JSON-LD

However, JSON-LD is recommended for vacation rental websites due to its flexibility and ease of implementation. JSON-LD allows developers to add structured data directly to the HTML code without altering the visual appearance of the page.

By using JSON-LD, vacation rental websites can include relevant properties such as:

The property’s name
Description
Location
Images
Amenities
Pricing
Availability
And more

This structured data helps search engines understand the key details of a vacation rental listing and display it prominently in search results.

Key Properties for Vacation Rental Structured Data

Structured data for vacation rentals includes a set of key properties that provide essential information about the property to search engines. Understanding these key properties is crucial for creating effective schema markup.

Required and Recommended Properties

In structured data, there are two types of properties: required and recommended.

Required properties: These are the minimum set of properties that should be included in your schema markup to ensure proper understanding of your vacation rental listing. Search engines rely on these properties to display relevant information in search results.
Recommended properties: While not essential, including these properties can provide additional details about your vacation rental and potentially improve its visibility in search results.

For vacation rentals, here are some of the key required and recommended properties:

Essential Key Properties

containsPlace: This property specifies the primary geographic location of the vacation rental.
occupancy: The occupancy property indicates the maximum number of guests that the vacation rental can accommodate.
identifier: The identifier property uniquely identifies the vacation rental listing.
image: Images play a significant role in showcasing the vacation rental.
latitude and longitude: These properties provide precise geographical coordinates of the vacation rental, enabling accurate mapping and location-based search results.

Building, Testing, and Deploying Vacation Rental Structured Data

When it comes to adding vacation rental structured data to your website, there are several important steps to follow. This section will provide a step-by-step guide on how to create well-structured and valid JSON-LD markup for vacation rentals, as well as the importance of testing and deploying the structured data.

Step 1: Creating JSON-LD Markup

Begin by incorporating the key properties discussed earlier, such as containsPlace, occupancy, identifier, image, latitude, and longitude. These properties provide essential information about the vacation rental property.

Ensure that each property is properly formatted within the JSON-LD markup. For example:

<script type="application/ld+json">
      {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "VacationRental",
        "additionalType": "HolidayVillageRental",
        "brand": "my_brand_id",
        "containsPlace": {
          "@type": "Accommodation",
          "additionalType": "EntirePlace",
          "bed": [{
            "@type": "BedDetails",
            "numberOfBeds" : 1,
            "typeOfBed": "Queen"
          },
          {
            "@type": "BedDetails",
            "numberOfBeds" : 2,
            "typeOfBed": "Single"
          }],
         "occupancy": {
            "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
            "value" : 2
          },
          "amenityFeature": [
            {
              "@type": "LocationFeatureSpecification",
              "name": "ac",
              "value": true
            },
            {
              "@type": "LocationFeatureSpecification",
              "name": "airportShuttle",
              "value": true
            },
            {
             "@type": "LocationFeatureSpecification",
              "name": "balcony",
              "value": true
            },
            {
              "@type": "LocationFeatureSpecification",
              "name": "beachAccess",
              "value": true
            },
            {
              "@type": "LocationFeatureSpecification",
              "name": "childFriendly",
              "value": true
            }
          ],
          "floorSize": {
            "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
            "value" : 75,
            "unitCode": "MTK"
          },
          "numberOfBathroomsTotal": 1,
          "numberOfBedrooms": 3,
          "numberOfRooms": 5
        },
        "identifier": "abc123",
        "latitude": "42.12345",
        "longitude": "101.12345",
        "name": "My Beautiful Vacation Rental",
        "address": {
          "addressCountry": "US",
          "addressLocality": "Mountain View",
          "addressRegion": "California",
          "postalCode": "94043",
          "streetAddress": "1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy."
        },
        "aggregateRating": {
          "ratingValue": 4.5,
          "ratingCount": 10,
          "reviewCount": 3,
          "bestRating": 5
        },
        "image": [
          "https://example.com/mylisting/unit_image1.png",
          "https://example.com/mylisting/unit_image2.png",
          "https://example.com/mylisting/unit_image3.png",
          "https://example.com/mylisting/unit_image4.png",
          "https://example.com/mylisting/unit_image5.png",
          "https://example.com/mylisting/unit_image6.png",
          "https://example.com/mylisting/unit_image7.png",
          "https://example.com/mylisting/unit_image8.png"
        ],
        "checkinTime": "18:00:00+08:00",
        "checkoutTime": "11:00:00+08:00",
        "description": "A great Vacation Rental in the perfect neighborhood.",
        "knowsLanguage": ["en-US", "fr-FR"],
        "review": [{
          "@type": "Review",
          "reviewRating": {
            "@type": "Rating",
            "ratingValue": 4,
            "bestRating": 5
          },
          "author": {
            "@type": "Person",
            "name": "Lillian Ruiz"
          },
          "datePublished": "2022-12-01",
          "contentReferenceTime": "2022-11-17"
        },
        {
          "@type": "Review",
          "reviewRating": {
            "@type": "Rating",
            "ratingValue": "5",
            "bestRating": "5"
          },
          "author": {
            "@type": "Person",
            "name": "John S."
          },
          "datePublished": "2022-10-01",
          "contentReferenceTime": "2022-09-28"
        }
      ]
      }
    </script>

Step 2: Testing the Structured Data

It is crucial to test the implemented structured data to ensure its proper display in search results. Google’s Rich Results Test is a useful tool for this purpose. Follow these steps:

Copy and paste your JSON-LD markup into the Rich Results Test tool.
Click on the “Test Code” button to analyze your structured data.
Review the results to see if any errors or warnings are displayed.
Address any issues that arise to ensure the structured data is valid and properly recognized by search engines.

Step 3: Checking with the URL Inspection Tool

The URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console allows you to check how Google crawls and interprets web pages with structured data. Although not directly related to structured data testing, it provides valuable insights into how Google views your pages. Here’s how to use it:

Open Google Search Console and select your property.
Enter the URL of the page with the structured data in the search bar.
Click on “Enter” or press the “Enter” key.
Review the information provided, including crawl status, indexing, and any issues detected.

Step 4: Deploying Pages with Structured Data

Once you have finalized your JSON-LD markup and tested it for validity, it’s time to deploy the pages with structured data. Here are some best practices for deploying and maintaining structured data:

Insert the JSON-LD markup into the head of your HTML document or directly on the web page where the vacation rental listing appears.
Ensure that each page with structured data contains unique and accurate information.
Regularly update and maintain your structured data as necessary to reflect any changes or updates to your vacation rental listings.
Notify search engines about updates by requesting a recrawl of your URLs through Google Search Console.
Submit a sitemap containing URLs with structured data to help search engines discover and crawl your pages more efficiently.

By following these steps, you can effectively build, test, and deploy vacation rental structured data on your website.

Troubleshooting Vacation Rental Structured Data Issues

When working with vacation rental structured data, website owners may encounter common challenges that can affect the implementation and display of their data. It’s important to troubleshoot these issues to ensure that the structured data is correctly interpreted by search engines and eligible for rich results.

Here are some useful tips and techniques for troubleshooting vacation rental structured data:

1. Missing or incorrect property values

One common issue is when certain required properties are missing or have incorrect values in the structured data markup. Double-check that all essential properties, such as containsPlace, occupancy, identifier, image, latitude, and longitude are included and accurately filled out.

Pay attention to formatting requirements for property values, such as using the correct date or price formats.

2. Markup errors

Check for any syntax errors or formatting issues in your JSON-LD markup. Even a small mistake can cause the structured data to be invalid or not properly understood by search engines.

Use an online JSON-LD validator to identify and fix any errors in your markup.

3. Testing with Rich Results Test

Utilize Google’s Rich Results Test tool to test how your structured data appears in search results. This tool will highlight any errors or warnings and provide suggestions for improvement.

Make sure to address any issues identified by the tool and retest until the structured data is displaying correctly.

4. Eligibility guidelines

Familiarize yourself with the eligibility criteria set by search engines for displaying rich results with structured data. For example, Google has specific guidelines for different types of content, including vacation rentals.

Ensure that your structured data adheres to these guidelines to increase the chances of your listings being featured prominently in search results.

5. General structured data guidelines

In addition to eligibility guidelines, it’s crucial to follow general structured data guidelines when implementing vacation rental structured data.

This includes providing accurate and up-to-date information, avoiding spammy or misleading content, and maintaining compliance with relevant policies.

Taking Your Vacation Rental SEO Further

When it comes to vacation rental SEO, implementing structured data is just one piece of the puzzle. To truly optimize your vacation rental listings and improve your search engine rankings, it’s important to explore advanced SEO strategies beyond structured data.

Here are some key points to consider:

Optimizing Listing Content

While structured data provides search engines with valuable information about your vacation rental, it’s equally important to optimize the content on your listing. Make sure:

Your titles, descriptions, and other text elements include relevant keywords that potential guests might use when searching for a vacation rental.
You provide detailed and accurate information about your property, amenities, location, and nearby attractions to help search engines understand the value of your listing.

Building High-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks continue to be an integral part of SEO. Here’s how you can build high-quality backlinks for your vacation rental website:

Earn links from reputable websites in the travel industry or local directories to boost the authority and credibility of your site.
Reach out to travel bloggers or influencers who may be interested in featuring your property on their sites.
Encourage satisfied guests to leave reviews or testimonials that link back to your website.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that while structured data is valuable now, staying updated with evolving search engine algorithms and user behavior trends is essential for long-term SEO success.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, adapting your strategies to meet new demands will be key to maintaining and improving your vacation rental SEO performance.

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