schema

When the user wants to add, fix, or optimize schema markup and structured data on their site. Also use when the user mentions "schema markup," "structured data," "JSON-LD," "rich snippets," "schema.org," "FAQ schema," "product schema," "review schema," "breadcrumb schema," "Google rich results," "knowledge panel," "star ratings in search," or "add structured data." Use this whenever someone wants their pages to show enhanced results in Google. For broader SEO issues, see seo-audit. For AI search optimization, see ai-seo.

SEO 1 references 9 evals schema

Schema Markup

You are an expert in structured data and schema markup. Your goal is to implement schema.org markup that helps search engines understand content and enables rich results in search.

Initial Assessment

Check for product marketing context first: If .agents/product-marketing.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing.md, or the legacy product-marketing-context.md filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Before implementing schema, understand:

  1. Page Type - What kind of page? What's the primary content? What rich results are possible?
  1. Current State - Any existing schema? Errors in implementation? Which rich results already appearing?
  1. Goals - Which rich results are you targeting? What's the business value?

Core Principles

1. Accuracy First

  • Schema must accurately represent page content
  • Don't markup content that doesn't exist
  • Keep updated when content changes

2. Use JSON-LD

  • Google recommends JSON-LD format
  • Easier to implement and maintain
  • Place in <head> or end of <body>

3. Follow Google's Guidelines

  • Only use markup Google supports
  • Avoid spam tactics
  • Review eligibility requirements

4. Validate Everything

  • Test before deploying
  • Monitor Search Console
  • Fix errors promptly

Common Schema Types

TypeUse ForRequired Properties
OrganizationCompany homepage/aboutname, url
WebSiteHomepage/site identityname, url
ArticleBlog posts, newsheadline, image, datePublished, author
ProductProduct pagesname, image, offers
SoftwareApplicationSaaS/app pagesname, offers
FAQPageFAQ contentmainEntity (Q&A array)
HowToTutorialsname, step
BreadcrumbListAny page with breadcrumbsitemListElement
LocalBusinessLocal business pagesname, address
EventEvents, webinarsname, startDate, location

For complete JSON-LD examples: See references/schema-examples.md

Check Google Feature Support First

Schema.org vocabulary validity does not establish Google feature eligibility. Before implementing markup for a requested search appearance, check Google's current supported structured data gallery.

  • FAQPage: Google stopped showing FAQ rich results on May 7, 2026, and removed the feature's documentation in June. The earlier government/health-site exception is no longer a route to FAQ rich results. See Google's documentation updates.
  • HowTo: Google retired HowTo rich results in September 2023. See the retirement announcement.
  • WebSite / SearchAction: Google retired the sitelinks search box in November 2024; WebSite still supports site names. See the search box announcement.

These types can still describe matching visible content in Schema.org. Explain that distinction, ask which consumer needs the markup, and do not recommend implementation to obtain a retired Google appearance. Do not treat missing retired-feature reports or Rich Results Test detection as a broken implementation, or remove unrelated supported markup.


Quick Reference

Organization (Company Page)

Required: name, url Recommended: logo, sameAs (social profiles), contactPoint

Article/BlogPosting

Required: headline, image, datePublished, author Recommended: dateModified, publisher, description

Product

Required: name, image, offers (price + availability) Recommended: sku, brand, aggregateRating, review

FAQPage

Required: mainEntity (array of Question/Answer pairs) Optional semantic markup for visible FAQs; not a way to obtain Google FAQ rich results. Check the feature-support guidance above before offering code.

Required: itemListElement (array with position, name, item)


Multiple Schema Types

You can combine multiple schema types on one page using @graph:

B0


Validation and Testing

Tools

  • Google Rich Results Test: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results — test Google's currently supported features, not every Schema.org type
  • Schema.org Validator: https://validator.schema.org/
  • Search Console: available enhancement reports for supported features; retired types need not have a report

Common Errors

Missing required properties - Check Google's documentation for required fields

Invalid values - Dates must be ISO 8601, URLs fully qualified, enumerations exact

Mismatch with page content - Schema doesn't match visible content


Implementation

Static Sites

  • Add JSON-LD directly in HTML template
  • Use includes/partials for reusable schema

Dynamic Sites (React, Next.js)

  • Component that renders schema
  • Server-side rendered for SEO
  • Serialize data to JSON-LD

CMS / WordPress

  • Plugins (Yoast, Rank Math, Schema Pro)
  • Theme modifications
  • Custom fields to structured data

Output Format

Schema Implementation

B1

Testing Checklist

  • [ ] Requested Google appearance is currently supported, or a separate semantic consumer is identified
  • [ ] Validates in Schema.org Validator; supported Google features also pass Rich Results Test
  • [ ] Required-field errors resolved; recommended-field warnings reviewed
  • [ ] Matches page content
  • [ ] All required properties included

Task-Specific Questions

  1. What type of page is this?
  2. What rich results are you hoping to achieve?
  3. What data is available to populate the schema?
  4. Is there existing schema on the page?
  5. What's your tech stack?

  • seo-audit: For overall SEO including schema review
  • ai-seo: For AI search optimization (schema helps AI understand content)
  • programmatic-seo: For templated schema at scale
  • site-architecture: For breadcrumb structure and navigation schema planning

Evaluations

Test cases to benchmark AI output quality for this skill.

  1. 1 1

    Add schema markup to our SaaS product's homepage. We're a project management tool called TaskFlow. We need Organization schema and any other relevant types.

  2. 2 2

    We have a FAQ page with 20 questions about our product. How do I add FAQ schema to get the rich results in Google?

  3. 3 3

    add schema to our blog posts. we publish articles about marketing tips.

  4. 4 4

    We're an e-commerce site selling physical products. What schema markup do we need for our product pages?

  5. 5 5

    We added schema markup to our site but it's not showing rich results in Google. Can you help debug?

  6. 6 6

    Our organic search traffic dropped after a site redesign. Can you do a technical SEO audit?

  7. 7 7

    Our Next.js product page embeds JSON-LD with dangerouslySetInnerHTML and JSON.stringify(schema). Product names come from a CMS and can contain HTML, quotes, ampersands and Unicode. How do we keep product text intact without allowing it to terminate the JSON-LD script element?

  8. 8 8

    It's October 2026. Our product FAQ has 20 questions. Add FAQ schema so Google shows expandable questions in our search result, and tell us how to validate that feature.

  9. 9 9

    Our tutorial uses valid HowTo JSON-LD but the Rich Results Test does not detect it. Should we fix the syntax until Google shows tutorial steps? Also, our homepage lost its sitelinks search box; should we delete all WebSite markup?


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