schema-markup-guide

name	schema-markup-guide
description	Generates schema markup recommendations with JSON-LD code for articles, products, FAQs, and local businesses. Use when adding structured data to your website.
allowed-tools	Read Write Glob
metadata	{"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"}

Schema Markup Guide

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Generate JSON-LD schema markup code for specific page types
• Identify which schema types are most valuable for your site
• Create FAQ, Product, Article, LocalBusiness, or other structured data
• Improve SERP appearance with rich snippets, star ratings, and enhanced listings

DO NOT use this skill for general SEO audits, meta tag optimization, or content writing. This is specifically for structured data markup implementation.

---

Core Principle

SCHEMA MARKUP HELPS SEARCH ENGINES UNDERSTAND YOUR CONTENT AND DISPLAY IT MORE ATTRACTIVELY IN SEARCH RESULTS — IMPLEMENT THE TYPES THAT MATCH YOUR CONTENT AND CAN TRIGGER RICH RESULTS.

---

Phase 1: Brief

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Website URL	"What is your website?"	No default — must be provided
Page types	"What types of pages do you have? (blog, product, FAQ, services, local)"	Blog posts and service pages
Business type	"Are you a local business, online business, or both?"	Online business
CMS/platform	"What platform is your site built on?"	WordPress
Current schema	"Do you have any schema markup already?"	None

GATE: Confirm before generating markup.

---

Phase 2: Schema Audit and Recommendations

Priority Schema Types

Based on the site, recommend which schema types to implement:

## Recommended Schema Types

| Schema Type | Pages to Apply | Rich Result Potential |
|-------------|---------------|---------------------|
| Article | Blog posts | Article rich result |
| FAQ | FAQ pages, blog posts with Q&A | FAQ dropdown in SERP |
| HowTo | Tutorial/guide posts | Step-by-step rich result |
| Product | Product/sales pages | Price, rating, availability |
| LocalBusiness | Homepage, contact page | Local panel, map |
| Organization | Homepage | Knowledge panel |
| BreadcrumbList | All pages | Breadcrumb navigation in SERP |
| WebSite | Homepage | Sitelinks search box |

Implementation Priority

1. Organization or LocalBusiness (homepage) — establishes entity
2. Article (blog posts) — improves content presentation
3. FAQ (anywhere with Q&A content) — triggers FAQ rich result
4. BreadcrumbList (all pages) — improves SERP navigation
5. Product (if applicable) — enables product rich results

GATE: Approve the schema priorities before generating code.

---

Phase 3: Generate Schema Code

JSON-LD Templates

Article Schema:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "[Article Title]",
  "description": "[Meta description]",
  "image": "[Featured image URL]",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "[Author Name]",
    "url": "[Author URL]"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "[Business Name]",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url" 
    
  
   
   

</script>

FAQ Schema:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "[Question 1]",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "[Answer 1]"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "[Question 2]",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "[Answer 2]"
      }
    }
  

</script>

LocalBusiness Schema:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "[Business Name]",
  "description": "[Business description]",
  "url": "[Website URL]",
  "telephone": "[Phone]",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "[Street]",
    "addressLocality": "[City]",
    "addressRegion": "[State]",
    "postalCode": "[ZIP]",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "openingHoursSpecification": 
    
       
       
       
       
    
  

</script>

Generate additional schema types as needed for the user's specific pages.

---

Phase 4: Polish

1. Implementation Guide

• Where to place JSON-LD code (in <head> section)
• WordPress plugin options (Yoast, Rank Math, or manual insertion)
• How to add to individual pages vs. templates

2. Validation Steps

• Test each markup in Google's Rich Results Test tool
• Check for errors in Google Search Console under Enhancements
• Validate JSON syntax before deploying

3. Monitoring

• Track rich result impressions in Google Search Console
• Monitor for schema errors after site updates
• Review new schema types Google supports annually

---

Anti-Patterns

• Marking up content that doesn't exist on the page — schema must match visible page content. Invisible schema is deceptive and violates guidelines.
• Using deprecated schema types — check schema.org for current types. Some older types no longer trigger rich results.
• FAQ schema on every page — only use FAQ schema where genuine questions and answers exist. Overuse can lead to Google ignoring it.
• Missing required properties — each schema type has required fields. Incomplete markup will not trigger rich results.
• Duplicate schema on the same page — two Article schemas on one page confuses crawlers. One schema type per page type.

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Recovery

• Not sure what schema types apply: Run the page through Google's Rich Results Test to see what's currently detected, then add what's missing.
• Schema errors in Search Console: Review the specific error message, fix the code, and revalidate using the URL Inspection tool.
• No rich results appearing after implementation: Rich results are not guaranteed. Ensure markup is valid, content is high-quality, and wait 2-4 weeks for indexing.
• Non-technical user: Recommend a WordPress plugin (Rank Math or Yoast) that handles schema automatically for most page types.