Case Study: Does Schema Affect Visibility in SearchGPT’s Local Search Results?
Key Insights
- Based on this limited case study, schema markup does not currently influence ranking in SearchGPT‘s local search results.
- Local business schema had the highest usage (32%), but it showed limited impact on ranking, with fewer than 15% of websites with this schema
- A combination of schemas did not influence ranking. However, having at least one schema on a website was linked to 50% visibility in SearchGPT, but this result is still inconclusive.
Many SEO experts agree that AI is undeniably influencing the future of search. However, a common debate is brewing in the SEO world: Does schema markup play a role in improving visibility in AI-powered search results?
To test this theory, I decided to examine SearchGPT‘s local search results more closely and see if schema really influences visibility in its current state. I chose 100 websites across major cities in Canada, all ranking for the same query—”dentist + location.”
Why Dentists?
Simple! I needed a consistent keyword to apply across all major cities. There was no particular strategic reasoning behind choosing this industry—it was just a practical decision to maintain consistency throughout the study.
What Are SearchGPT’s Local Results?
- SearchGPT’s Featured Snippets: it’s a name I made up as a homage to Google’s Featured Snippet, but it may not be the official name for this section. It’s the first three links displayed above the map.
- SearchGPT’s Local Results: The local results in SearchGPT consist of a map and a list of local businesses. These results can display anywhere from 3 to 8 websites, depending on the query – similar to Google’s Local Pack. You can toggle between the map and list view to access the ranking websites.
Methodology
The process involved multiple steps:
- I started by performing the query search in SearchGPT for each location and listing the websites that appeared in the results. These websites were the focus of my study.
- For each of these 100 websites, I visited their home, contact, about, and service pages.
- I looked for specific types of schema markup on these pages. The schema types I focused on were Organization, LocalBusiness, Service, and Person.
- I then checked if the schema implementation was detailed or not:
- Detailed Schema: Fully implemented with comprehensive, accurate information.
- Non-Detailed Schema: Schema present but either not fully optimized or could’ve been automatically added via plugins or CMS systems.
Results: Schema Usage Across Websites
Graph showing the breakdown of schema usage across different types (Organization, Local Business, Service, and Person) in SearchGPT’s local search results.
Organization Schema
- 9% of websites used detailed organization schema.
- 15.5% of websites used detailed or non-detailed organization schema.
Schema Usage Breakdown:
- 1% of websites in featured snippets have an organization schema.
- 2% of websites in rank #1 have organization schema.
- 2% of websites in the top 3 have organization schema.
Insights
With only 15% of websites using organization schema, it seems that this schema does not affect rankings in SearchGPT, especially considering that both featured snippets and top 3 rankings have less than 5% of websites using this schema.
LocalBusiness Schema
- 32% of websites used detailed LocalBusiness schema.
- 33% of websites used detailed or non-detailed LocalBusiness schema.
Schema Usage Breakdown:
- 5% of websites in featured snippets have a LocalBusiness schema.
- 11% of websites in rank #1 have LocalBusiness schema.
- 11% of websites in the top 3 have LocalBusiness schema.
Insights
LocalBusiness schema has the highest usage, with 1/3 of websites using it. However, despite its popularity, fewer than 15% of websites with this schema appear in featured snippets or top 3 rankings.
Service Schema
- 8% of websites used detailed service schemas.
- 8.5% of websites used detailed or non-detailed service schemas.
Schema Usage Breakdown:
- 3% of websites in featured snippets have service schemas.
- 3% of websites in rank #1 have service schemas.
- 3% of websites in the top 3 have service schemas.
Insights
The percentage of websites using this schema is low, and it doesn’t appear to influence rankings in SearchGPT.
Person Schema
- 6% of websites used detailed person schema.
- 6% of websites used detailed or non-detailed person schema.
Schema Usage Breakdown:
- 2% of websites in featured snippets have person schema.
- 1% of websites in rank #1 have person schema.
- 1% of websites in the top 3 have person schema.
Insights
Only 6% of websites use this schema and a very small percentage appear in featured snippets and top 3 rankings.
Additional Insights: Schema Usage Across Websites
Based on the last section, it doesn’t seem like any of the schema types alone have a significant influence on ranking in SearchGPT’s local search results. However, what if a combination of different schemas could make a difference? Or perhaps it’s not about the specific schema type, but rather just having at least one schema?
Let’s explore these additional insights:
Bar graph showing the breakdown of schema usage across websites in SearchGPT’s local search results.
- 37% of websites used either detailed organization schema or detailed local business schema.
- 52% of websites had at least one schema (detailed or non-detailed). This shows that over half of the websites analyzed are utilizing some form of schema markup.
- Websites in Featured Snippets:
- 42.86% of websites in featured snippets had at least 1 schema.
- 9.52% of websites in featured snippets had at least 2 schemas.
- Websites in Rank #1:
- 50% of websites in rank #1 had at least 1 schema.
- 0% of websites in rank #1 had at least 2 schemas.
- Websites in Top 3:
- 45.24% of websites in the top 3 had at least 1 schema.
- 0% of websites in the top 3 had at least 2 schemas.
What Does This Mean?
Most of the stats indicate that a combination of schemas does not appear to affect ranking significantly in SearchGPT. The most promising statistic, however, is the fact that 50% of websites with at least one schema show up in SearchGPT. However, this 50% result does not provide conclusive evidence. On the contrary, we can say that it remains inconclusive and could simply mean that having at least one schema does not guarantee visibility in SearchGPT’s local search results.
Conclusion
None of the individual schema types (organization, local business, service, person) seem to have a strong influence on ranking. Additionally, while 50% of websites with at least one schema show up in SearchGPT, this statistic does not provide conclusive evidence that schema guarantees visibility in search results.
This shows strong evidence that schema does not currently affect ranking in SearchGPT based on this limited case study.