Key Points

  • Incorporating schema markup on your website is essential for search engine optimization (SEO), but the process is highly technical and one minor error can completely derail your SEO efforts.
  • In conjunction with a wide variety of schema tools, there’s also a standardized list of steps to follow: choose your preferred schema format and type, generate the schema, and then add it to your site’s HTML.
  • Don’t forget to validate your schema after making any changes and regularly monitor your site for new optimization opportunities.

Welcome, young grasshopper, to Schema Markup 101: where you’ll learn about a critical element of SEO and one of the many key drivers of organic search traffic to your website.

That’s right; in today’s lesson, we’re talking about a technical SEO strategy: structured data. In particular: how to incorporate schema markup on your website to improve your search engine rankings.

In many ways — okay, in some ways — mastering SEO is like mastering Kung Fu. It requires precision and consistent practice, and messing it up may nearly break your spirit. 

But don’t worry; we’re here to stop that from happening.

They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Who’s they, you ask? 

Not sure. But whoever they are, they’ve clearly never tried to write recipe schema manually.

That journey begins (although it never really ends) with six steps: choosing the format and schema type, writing the schema code, adding the schema markup to your site, testing or validating it (with a structured data testing tool), and continuously monitoring it as part of your search engine optimization strategy.

Sounds easy enough, right?

… right?

Let’s explore how to take some of the complexity out of incorporating schema markup for SEO on your website.

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Schema Guide

The Complete Guide to Schema for Website Publishers and Content Creators

How to Add Schema Markup to Your Website

To know others is wisdom. To know yourself is enlightenment. To know how to add schema markup to your website is nearly impossible.

But still, it’s absolutely possible with the right steps in place and quite a bit of patience. Here’s a good place to begin:

1. Choose the Schema Format

The first step in this long journey is a simple one.

You need to choose your fighter (AKA the format in which you’ll write the structured data).

 

 

The three main schema formats are:
  • Microdata: This format is fairly straightforward. It goes in line with your site’s HTML and is ideal for smaller websites that require simple markups. 
  • RDFa: This schema format is ideal for complex web applications and semantic web projects, as it is capable of expressing complex relationships between metadata points.
  • JSON-LD: Preferred and implemented by most publishers, JSON-LD is the easiest format for incorporating schema markup on your website. While all three formats have their uses, JSON-LD is the general recommendation for most publishers. This format is Google’s favorite, and it’s always good to play by Google’s rules.

In most cases, you’ll probably want to choose JSON-LD.

Why? Because it’s the easiest format to work with.

One of the most important lessons you’ll learn in Kung Fu, SEO, and life: choose your battles wisely. In other words, work smarter, not harder.

2. Choose the Schema Type

Now comes the next lesson: identifying and selecting the type of structured data you need to create.

There are as many schema types as there are techniques in Kung Fu. Luckily, you’ll only need to remember the ones that apply to your specific content.

 

 

Here are several core schema types that Google supports:
  1. Article schema
  2. Book schema
  3. Breadcrumb
  4. Discussion forum
  5. Event schema markup
  6. Job posting
  7. Local business
  8. Movie and TV show
  9. Organization schema
  10. Product schema
  11. Q&A schema
  12. FAQ schema
  13. Recipe schema
  14. Review snippet
  15. Software app
  16. Video

If that list is overwhelming, don’t fret. This is where the key differences between martial arts and technical SEO come into play.

It may be true, that there are no shortcuts to greatness in Kung Fu, but that’s not the case for incorporating schema markup onto your website. Remember, work smarter.

A quick hack to help you determine which types of schema you should be including in your structured data: use Google’s Structured Data Markup Tool. 

Just plug your URL into the text box and let the system identify missed tagging opportunities. 

3. Create the Schema Markup

Now we face the toughest challenge: writing the schema markup.

It might seem daunting, but remember, the more you sweat in practice, the less you hurt in battle.

And luckily, there are plenty of tools to support you.

 

Using a Schema Markup Generator or Plugin

The simplest way to get past this hurdle is by using a schema markup generator tool or plugin to do the work for you — we even compiled a list of the best schema tools.

Some are standard markup generators while others are plugins designed for specialized website types like recipe review sites.

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Schema Resource Center

Explore the Complete Schema Resource Center

 

Manually Writing Schema Markup

Choosing the path of the warrior?

… well, alright then.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Begin with script type and context. Here’s what that should look like:

<script type="application/ld+json">

{

  "@context": "https://schema.org",

2. Identify the schema type. You should already have this covered in the previous step. But here’s what it will look like in the code:

  "@type": "Article",

3. Fill in the properties. Depending on the types of schema you decide to include, you can now add the relevant data. This will go something like this:

 "headline": "10 Steps for Writing Schema Markup for an Article",

  "datePublished": "2024-05-23",

  "dateModified": "2024-05-23",

  "author": {

    "@type": "Person",

    "name": "Your Name"

  }

4. Close your tag. Here’s how that looks:

</script>

Writing schema manually is not for the faint of heart.

It’s good to have a basic idea of how it’s done, but ultimately, generator tools will get the job done without all the blood, sweat, and tears.

4. Add the Schema Markup to Your Site’s HTML.

Now comes the moment you’ve been waiting for, incorporating the markup in your site’s HTML. 

This part is simple. 

Seriously. It is.

Just copy the markup code you generated (or, wrote manually, for the Kung Fu masters out there) and paste it into your HTML document. 

There are two options for where to put it:

  1. In the <head> section
  2. Just before the closing </body> tag

Here’s what this will look like in the <head> section:

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html lang="en">

<head>

    <meta charset="UTF-8">

    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

    <title>Example TV Show</title>

    <script type="application/ld+json">

    {

      "@context": "https://schema.org",

      "@type": "TVSeries",

      "name": "Example TV Show",

      "description": "A gripping drama series about the complexities of modern life.",

      "image": "https://example.com/photos/tvshow.jpg",

      "datePublished": "2020-01-01",

      "genre": ["Drama", "Thriller"],

      "keywords": "TV show, drama, thriller",

      "aggregateRating": {

        "@type": "AggregateRating",

        "ratingValue": "8.5",

        "ratingCount": "1350"

      },

      "review": [

        {

          "@type": "Review",

          "author": {

            "@type": "Person",

            "name": "Alice Johnson"

          },

          "datePublished": "2021-05-10",

          "reviewBody": "An engaging series with complex characters and unexpected twists.",

          "reviewRating": {

            "@type": "Rating",

            "ratingValue": "9"

          }

        },

        {

          "@type": "Review",

          "author": {

            "@type": "Person",

            "name": "Bob Smith"

          },

          "datePublished": "2021-06-15",

          "reviewBody": "A bit slow in the beginning but picks up pace and becomes really exciting.",

          "reviewRating": {

            "@type": "Rating",

            "ratingValue": "8"

          }

        }

      ],

      "creator": {

        "@type": "Person",

        "name": "Jane Doe"

      },

      "actor": [

        {

          "@type": "Person",

          "name": "John Actor",

          "characterName": "John Doe"

        },

        {

          "@type": "Person",

          "name": "Jane Actress",

          "characterName": "Jane Doe"

        }

      ],

      "director": {

        "@type": "Person",

        "name": "John Director"

      },

      "episode": [

        {

          "@type": "TVEpisode",

          "name": "Pilot",

          "datePublished": "2020-01-01",

          "episodeNumber": "1",

          "seasonNumber": "1",

          "description": "In the series premiere, we are introduced to the main characters and their complex relationships.",

          "image": "https://example.com/photos/episode1.jpg",

          "duration": "PT45M"

        },

        {

          "@type": "TVEpisode",

          "name": "Episode 2",

          "datePublished": "2020-01-08",

          "episodeNumber": "2",

          "seasonNumber": "1",

          "description": "Tensions rise as secrets start to unravel.",

          "image": "https://example.com/photos/episode2.jpg",

          "duration": "PT45M"

        }

      ],

      "numberOfSeasons": "1",

      "numberOfEpisodes": "10"

    }

    </script>

</head>

<body>

    <!-- Page content -->

</body>

</html>

 

And that’s it!

Congratulations. You’ve mastered patience and discipline and can now hit “save” on your newly marked-up site.

5. Validate Your Schema Markup

You’ve come a long way, grasshopper. But there is one final step to take before your journey is finally complete… ish.

Make sure to validate your structured data in the official schema markup validator tool.

6. Monitor Performance and Make Adjustments

And that’s it — for now. 

Just remember, a true master is an eternal student. 

An SEO expert never gives up the pursuit of perfection… they monitor their site’s performance with reporting tools, such as Google Search Console, and make adjustments to improve their search results as needed.

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