Schema, RDFa or microformats? Which is best for long-term success in a competitive market vertical?

[AnthonyYoung]

I've read statements compelling one to think about Schema as a "sports car" and RDFa (and microformats) as a diesel truck... both having merit depending on what you want to do. Although Schema was just announced and seems to have broad support - is it compatible with RDFa 1.1 syntax? I've utilized microformats on a few site with great success but embarking on a very large project and feel structured markeup would give an edge over the competition. Would love to have a discussion with folks on this subject. Thanks!

[AdoptionHelp]

If I were to bet on which will ultimately be the dominant format, I would confidently go with Schema.org. Its the system the SE's themselves are pushing.

[AnthonyYoung]

That's my sense about Schema - have you had any personal experience with implementation?

[LuxWork]

I have added schema for my product sites that doesnt have reviews but is editorial focused. I implemented, itemprop="description", itemprop="name", itemprop="offers", itemprop="breadcrumb"

The text links definitely look better when listed on the serp page. Also I am ranking decent for a few products, and below the product listing is the category (brand) page that the product is organized within, then the main site page.

Like this on the search results:

1. -Product Page
2. - - Category Page
3. - - - Home Page

[AnthonyYoung]

Would love to have other folks weigh in on this discussion...

[Dr-Pete]

It's kind of tough right now, because the SEs are touting Schema.org and they're claiming it's the future, but it seems like support of it today is still lackluster. Even a Bing rep hinted that at MozCon - for now, the best advice is probably to use Schemas plus one of the older formats. Whether RDFa or microformats probably depends on your niche. The best advice I can give is find a rich SERP in the niche you're looking for and see what those sites are using. If you can see it in a SERP, you know for a fact Google is honoring it in some cases.

[AnthonyYoung]

Thx Doc Pete! Will check it out.

[StevenvanVessum]

Hey guys,

I'm actually looking for the same answer: should I choose to use RDFa or Microformats?

I've searched if any of my competitors are getting rich results in the SERPs but their not so it's kinda hard to figure out what to use.

Supporting Schema.org is an obvious one because, as Peter states, the SE's are pushing it. Even though they're not using it extensively yet there's a good chance they will make much more use of it in the future.

Anyway, also I would greatly appreciate some more input.

Thanks in advance!