Google's Updated Job Posting Structured Data Guidance

Overview of Google's Job Posting Structured Data Guidance

Google has recently made updates to its job posting structured data guidance, aiming to improve the process of notifying Google of new webpages and changes to existing webpages. The guidance is designed to help publishers become eligible for enhanced visibility in Google Search results through interactive job listings. Additionally, it provides an overview of the process of adding, testing, and maintaining job posting structured data.

Of particular importance is the ability to notify Google of new job posting webpages and changes to existing pages, which benefits publishers by ensuring the most relevant and useful job postings are available in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Changes in the Guidance for Notifying Google

The updated guidance clarifies how publishers can notify Google of changes and new webpages. It emphasizes and encourages the use of sitemaps in addition to the Indexing API, which prompts Googlebot to crawl webpages sooner, ensuring faster indexing.

Previously, the guidance recommended using the Indexing API 'instead of sitemaps' for notifying Google of new webpages. However, the updated guidance now recommends using the Indexing API and submitting a sitemap, while clarifying that the Indexing API is faster.

Furthermore, the updated guidance removes all mentions of 'pinging' Google about changes to the sitemap with a GET request and emphasizes the use of the Indexing API for fast crawling.

The changes in the guidance aim to make it clearer that publishers should still use a sitemap for notifying Google of changes, while also recommending the use of the Indexing API for faster crawling.

Impact of the Changes on Publishers

The updated guidance has a significant impact on publishers, as it provides a clearer and more effective process for notifying Google of changes and new webpages. Publishers can now benefit from using both the Indexing API and sitemaps, ensuring faster crawling and indexing of their job posting webpages.

Additionally, the removal of the recommendation to use a GET request for getting the sitemap crawled simplifies the process for publishers, making it easier to follow the guidance and improve the visibility of their job postings in Google Search results.

Overall, the changes in the guidance enhance the experience for publishers, enabling them to effectively notify Google of changes and maintain relevant and useful job postings in the SERPs.