Schema Markup Generation

Instructions

Generate valid JSON-LD structured data markup for web content, with a focus on WordPress integration. Schema markup is the primary machine-readable trust signal for both search engines and AI answer engines.

Schema Type Selection

Select schema type(s) based on content type:

Content Type	Primary Schema	Optional Secondary
Blog post / article	Article or BlogPosting	Speakable, BreadcrumbList
FAQ page	FAQPage	Article
Tutorial / how-to	HowTo	Article, VideoObject
Product page	Product	Review, AggregateRating, Offer
Review content	Review	Product, ClaimReview
Organization page	Organization	LocalBusiness, ContactPoint
Person / author page	Person	sameAs links
Event listing	Event	Place, Offer
Recipe content	Recipe	HowTo, NutritionInformation
Video content	VideoObject	Article, HowTo
Fact-check content	ClaimReview	Article

JSON-LD Generation Rules

Structure

• Always use @context: "https://schema.org"
• Use @type for the primary schema type
• Nest related schemas rather than creating separate script blocks where possible
• Include @id for entities referenced elsewhere on the site

Required Properties by Schema Type

Article / BlogPosting:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "",
  "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "", "url": "" },
  "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "" } },
  "datePublished": "",
  "dateModified": "",
  "image": "",
  "description": ""
}

FAQPage:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "",
      "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "" }
    }
  ]
}

HowTo:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HowTo",
  "name": "",
  "description": "",
  "totalTime": "",
  "step": [
    { "@type": "HowToStep", "name": "", "text": "", "image": "" }
  ]
}

Speakable:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "speakable": {
    "@type": "Speakable",
    "cssSelector": [".article-summary", ".article-headline"]
  }
}

Product:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "",
  "description": "",
  "image": "",
  "brand": { "@type": "Brand", "name": "" },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
    "url": ""
  }
}

Validation Process

1. Syntax validation: Verify JSON-LD parses without errors
2. Schema.org compliance: Check all properties are valid for the declared type
3. Google Rich Results Test: Validate against https://search.google.com/test/rich-results
4. Required properties: Confirm all required fields for the target rich result are present
5. URL verification: Ensure all URLs in the markup resolve correctly
6. Image requirements: Confirm images meet minimum size requirements (1200×630 for Article)

WordPress Integration Patterns

PHP Output in Theme

function output_schema_markup() {
    $schema = [
        '@context' => 'https://schema.org',
        '@type'    => 'Article',
        'headline' => get_the_title(),
        'author'   => [
            '@type' => 'Person',
            'name'  => get_the_author(),
        ],
        'datePublished' => get_the_date('c'),
        'dateModified'  => get_the_modified_date('c'),
    ];
    echo '<script type="application/ld+json">' . wp_json_encode($schema, JSON_UNESCAPED_SLASHES) . '</script>';
}
add_action('wp_head', 'output_schema_markup');

Plugin-Based Injection

• Use wp_head action hook for page-level schema
• Store custom schema in post meta for per-post overrides
• Merge site-wide Organization schema with page-specific schema
• Avoid duplicate schema from multiple plugins (audit with browser DevTools)

Multi-Schema Pages

When a page qualifies for multiple schema types:

• Use a single block with an array
• Or use @graph to combine multiple entities
• Avoid conflicting properties between schema types
• Test combined markup in Google Rich Results Test

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    { "@type": "Article", "headline": "..." },
    { "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [...] },
    { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [...] }
  ]
}

Inputs Required

• Content URL or content text
• Content type (article, FAQ, tutorial, product, etc.)
• Author information (name, URL, credentials)
• Publisher/organization details
• Images with dimensions
• Dates (published, modified)
• Product details (if applicable): price, availability, brand

Output Format

## Schema Markup: [Page Title]

### Selected Schema Type(s)
- Primary: [Type] — Reason: [why this type fits]
- Secondary: [Type] — Reason: [additional coverage]

### Generated JSON-LD
[Complete, valid JSON-LD block ready for injection]

### Validation Checklist
- [ ] JSON syntax valid
- [ ] All required properties present
- [ ] URLs resolve correctly
- [ ] Images meet size requirements
- [ ] Google Rich Results Test: [pass/fail]

### WordPress Integration
- Hook: [wp_head / custom]
- Method: [theme function / plugin / post meta]
- Notes: [any integration considerations]

Anti-Patterns

• Missing required properties — Incomplete schema won't generate rich results and may trigger Search Console warnings
• Invisible content in schema — Schema must reflect visible page content; don't add FAQ schema for questions not on the page
• Duplicate schema from plugins — Multiple SEO plugins can inject conflicting schema; audit and consolidate
• Hardcoded dates — Always pull dates dynamically from CMS; stale dates hurt freshness signals
• Missing dateModified — AI systems weight freshness; always include and keep current
• Over-marking — Don't add schema types that don't match the content; Google penalizes misleading markup
• Forgetting Speakable — Voice assistants and AI systems use Speakable schema to identify citable sections
• Testing only in development — Always validate against Google Rich Results Test with the production URL