We followed some bad schema advice — don’t do the same

Schema advice

There’s little reason for any of you out there to know this, but DashboardSymbols.com has been a sinking ship for the last year and a half. Attempts to rescue the site and its revenue led most recently to following some bad schema advice.

For the record, “Schema markup, also known as structured data, is the language search engines use to read and understand the content on your pages. By language, we mean a semantic vocabulary (code) that helps search engines characterize and categorize the content of web pages.”

FAQs. This was the schema we were advised to use by two SEO groups. And understandably so, as the site is all about what a driver might ask in a search. We began implementing it across some 700 pages and posts, only to watch visits drop another 15%. A little exploration led to the discovery that to use the FAQ schema requires a and actual FAQ section on the page.

This is not how the pages read. If anything, the schema for this site should be “what the hell is this”? We will likely have to invent it, or something very much like it.

In any case, we have now gone back through the 300+ pages and posts that had already had the schema added, and have taken it out. Next up, we’ll have to go back though with a new strategy.

Please be more careful than we were in following advice. I hate saying this because of latest connotations, but please do your own research…

We also ran into this: “Schema only works if you hand write the code. Many tests have been done on this. The schema a plug-in will generate is crap. If you hyper optimize your own and manually add schema then you’ll see the benefits.”

We’ve been using a plug-in, albeit a well regarded one. But as we said, we may need to create our own.

And if we finally manage to recover some traffic, we’ll report it here.

Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new acronym.

At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble — a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.

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The material on these pages is provided for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

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