Whether it’s streaming services, subscription boxes, software applications, or digital media, companies are leveraging the subscription model to ensure a steady and predictable revenue stream.
This model not only enhances customer retention and loyalty but also allows businesses to deliver continuous value and engage with their customers regularly.
If your website is a SaaS website, I have a separate post looking specifically at Schema for SaaS orgs.
For websites offering subscription models like Spotify, Oddbox, and Gusto, several Schema.org types can be applicable to enhance the structured data and improve search engine understanding.
Schema helps search engines by providing structured data that enhances their understanding of the content on a webpage, which can lead to better search visibility and richer search results.
Search engines that support Schema.org include Google, Bing, and Yandex.
The core Schema types every subscription model business website should be running, in my opinion, are:
- Organization
- WebSite
- Product
- Service
- Review
- FAQPage
- HowTo
Subscription Model Business Schema Examples
All examples of these Schema types utilize Spotify as an implementation example:
Organization Schema
Used to provide general information about the company.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Spotify",
"url": "https://www.spotify.com",
"logo": "https://www.spotify.com/logo.png",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/Spotify",
"https://www.twitter.com/Spotify",
"https://www.instagram.com/Spotify"
]
}
WebSite
Used to describe the website itself.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "WebSite",
"url": "https://www.spotify.com",
"potentialAction": {
"@type": "SearchAction",
"target": "https://www.spotify.com/search?q={search_term_string}",
"query-input": "required name=search_term_string"
}
}
Product
Describes the subscription product or service.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Spotify Premium",
"image": "https://www.spotify.com/premium.jpg",
"description": "Ad-free music streaming service",
"brand": {
"@type": "Brand",
"name": "Spotify"
},
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"url": "https://www.spotify.com/premium",
"priceCurrency": "USD",
"price": "9.99",
"priceValidUntil": "2024-12-31",
"availability": "https://schema.org/InStock"
}
}
Service
Describes the service offered, especially useful for more abstract services.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Service",
"serviceType": "Music Streaming Service",
"provider": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Spotify",
"url": "https://www.spotify.com"
}
}
Review
Can be used to include reviews for the subscription service.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Review",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Jane Doe"
},
"reviewRating": {
"@type": "Rating",
"ratingValue": "5",
"bestRating": "5"
},
"reviewBody": "Spotify Premium offers an excellent music streaming experience with no ads.",
"itemReviewed": {
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Spotify Premium"
}
}
FAQPage
Structured data for frequently asked questions related to the subscription service.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What is Spotify Premium?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Spotify Premium is a paid subscription that allows you to listen to music without ads, download music, and enjoy higher quality audio."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How much does Spotify Premium cost?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Spotify Premium costs $9.99 per month."
}
}]
}
HowTo
Useful for explaining how to subscribe or use the service.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "HowTo",
"name": "How to Subscribe to Spotify Premium",
"step": [{
"@type": "HowToStep",
"text": "Visit the Spotify Premium page."
},
{
"@type": "HowToStep",
"text": "Click on the 'Get Premium' button."
},
{
"@type": "HowToStep",
"text": "Follow the instructions to complete your subscription."
}]
}
What is a Subscription Model Business?
A subscription model type business is a business structure where customers pay a recurring fee at regular intervals (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.) to access a product or service. This model provides businesses with a predictable and steady revenue stream and can enhance customer retention and loyalty.
Key measures of success for a subscription model-type business typically include recurring revenue, customer LTV, churn rate, and CAC.
Having worked with a number of businesses that operate this model also tend to operate a continuous value delivery program. Customers expect ongoing benefits, whether it’s a service, product, or content – and this is critical to retention as well as improving the product for further consumer acquisition.