This factor is a yes/no check for the Microformats2 u-email property in a page’s body HTML. It returns 1 when RankGear finds the exact double-quoted string class="u-email" and 0 when it does not — it confirms the marker is present, not that any email address is valid.
| Factor ID | RG-SCF-020 |
|---|---|
| Family | Structured Data — MicroFormat |
| Measurement | Binary presence (0 / 1) |
| Measured zone | Body HTML without scripts |
What it measures
This factor detects the u-email Microformats2 URL property. In Microformats2, u-* class names mark up URL-style values, and u-email specifically identifies an email address bound to a person (h-card) or organization item. The check reports whether that property marker appears anywhere in the rendered body markup, giving a simple signal that the page publishes machine-readable contact information using this vocabulary.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear performs a case-insensitive exact search for the double-quoted string class="u-email" within the body HTML, excluding script contents. The match is literal: the attribute value must be exactly u-email inside double quotes. A hit returns 1; no hit returns 0.
What RankGear looks for
<a class="u-email" href="mailto:hello@example.com">hello@example.com</a>| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | The exact string class="u-email" was found in the body HTML. |
| 0 | The marker was not found (absent, differently quoted, or combined with other classes). |
How to optimize it
Use u-email on a valid email URL property within an appropriate person or organization item — typically an h-card — so the marker describes real contact data rather than sitting on an unrelated element. Because the detector matches the literal single-class string, keep class="u-email" as the sole class on that attribute. Treat the result as an observation of whether this specific markup is present, not a target to chase for its own sake: only add it where publishing a machine-readable email genuinely fits the page.
Important considerations
- Multi-class attributes do not match this detector — combining
u-emailwith other class names in the same attribute (for exampleclass="contact u-email") will not register. - Presence does not validate the email address; the check confirms the marker exists, not that the address is real or reachable.
- Publishing email data can increase scraping exposure, so weigh visibility against unwanted contact.
- Protect privacy while keeping contact information accurate — expose only what a person or organization intends to share.
- This is a correlation-based prioritization signal within a measured result set, not a cause of ranking; presence of the marker does not make a page rank or guarantee any position.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.