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:
-
Page Type - What kind of page? What's the primary content? What rich results are possible?
-
Current State - Any existing schema? Errors in implementation? Which rich results already appearing?
-
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
| Type | Use For | Required Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Organization | Company homepage/about | name, url |
| WebSite | Homepage/site identity | name, url |
| Article | Blog posts, news | headline, image, datePublished, author |
| Product | Product pages | name, image, offers |
| SoftwareApplication | SaaS/app pages | name, offers |
| FAQPage | FAQ content | mainEntity (Q&A array) |
| HowTo | Tutorials | name, step |
| BreadcrumbList | Any page with breadcrumbs | itemListElement |
| LocalBusiness | Local business pages | name, address |
| Event | Events, webinars | name, 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;
WebSitestill 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.
BreadcrumbList
Required: itemListElement (array with position, name, item)
Multiple Schema Types
You can combine multiple schema types on one page using @graph:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{ "@type": "Organization", ... },
{ "@type": "WebSite", ... },
{ "@type": "BreadcrumbList", ... }
]
}
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
// Full JSON-LD code block
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "...",
// Complete markup
}
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
- What type of page is this?
- What rich results are you hoping to achieve?
- What data is available to populate the schema?
- Is there existing schema on the page?
- What's your tech stack?
Related Skills
- 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