In its ongoing attempt to present users with the most useful and informative search results, Google has announced its support of the new "Microdata" markup standard in HTML5, to display its improved listing type called "Rich Snippets". A rich snippet extends the standard search result snippet, and can appear on search results pages, or it could even show up on Place Pages in Google Maps.

HTML5 is in its final stage of development as the next major revision of HTML (HyperText Markup Language). HTML is the core markup language that currently powers the World Wide Web. Google has shown its forward thinking by developing uses for the new markup standard while it is still in the last steps of its development stage. Microdata addresses the inherent deficiencies of microformats, the web-based approach to semantic markup, but it avoids the complexity of systems like RDFa.

Google already has support for its rich snippets in microformat form and RDFa. With its new microdata support Google is moving closer to the semantic web which is meant to deliver information that is understandable by both people and computers. This new markup is designed for sites using these structured information types: events, reviews, people profiles, and business listings. Microdata may soon be as prevailant as meta data in content creation.