Schema markup is one of those SEO tactics that you’ve probably heard about, but especially if you’re not a super technical person, it’s a bit…clear as mud. I’ve been in the SEO and marketing space for many years, but I remember being pretty confused when I first learned about schema. I knew I wanted to use it, but I had to work hard to figure out how.
If you’re in the same boat, no worries! I’ll help you understand it better and show you how to add schema markup in WordPress to take advantage of its SEO benefits.
Basically, adding schema markup helps Google (and other search engines) understand your content better so that it can display extra information like star ratings, prices, or recipe details right in your search results.
When set up properly, schema markup helps your search results stand out from the crowd and attract more clicks from potential visitors.
In this guide, I’ll cover what schema markup is and why it matters for your website, and walk you through adding it to WordPress in a super simple way that doesn’t require any special skills or technical knowledge.
In this article:
What exactly is schema markup?
Schema markup is a form of structured data (special code) that helps search engines understand content on the web. It uses a shared dictionary (Schema.org) to enhance search results with rich snippets such as ratings, images, prices, and event details. Using schema markup on your site improves SEO by making your content more visible and relevant in search results.
Imagine if you had a box of different items, and you attached clear labels to each one saying “This is a book” or “This is a recipe” – that’s what schema markup does for search engines like Google.
Without these labels, search engines have to guess what your content is about. They might see numbers on your page but not understand that those numbers represent your product prices or star ratings. Schema markup removes the guesswork by explicitly telling search engines “These numbers are prices” or “These stars represent customer ratings.”
For your WordPress website, schema markup offers some straightforward benefits:
- It helps your content appear with special features in search results, like star ratings, prices, or recipe cook times. These eye-catching elements grab attention and make your listings stand out.
- It helps Google understand exactly what your business offers. If you run a local bakery, for example, schema markup can highlight your business hours, location, and popular menu items directly in search results.
- It gives visitors more information before they even click. When someone sees your recipe with a 4.8-star rating and 25-minute cooking time right in the search results, they’re more likely to choose your site over competitors.
- It puts you ahead of many competitors who aren’t using this feature. Despite its benefits, many website owners still haven’t implemented schema markup.
Let me give you a few visual examples.
See the rating, price, and more underneath this search result, plus the image next to it? That’s product schema:
See the rating and bake time below this search result? That’s recipe schema:
See this list of events? They’re in this special box in Google results because they’re listed on pages that use event schema:
The Big Benefits of Schema Markup in WordPress
You’ve probably already figured out the benefits of having this special kind of data, but here’s a little bit more context for you.
When set up correctly, schema markup makes your content eligible for rich snippets in search results. These enhanced listings can include various elements depending on your content type:
- Star ratings and review counts
- Recipe details like cooking time and calorie count
- Event dates and locations
- FAQ
- Article publication dates and author information
- Product prices, images, and availability
- Course information
- Job posting information
- And a lot more
Although Backlinko found that rich snippets don’t have any correlation with ranking higher in search, there are certain special areas in Google results that your content can be pulled into (like the events box example above), placing it higher in the results list.
Plus, schema markup can help increase your click-through rate. For example, are you more likely to click on a recipe with a great rating and a yummy-looking photo than one without either of those things? Most likely, your answer is yes. This goes for all sorts of different schema-added information.
The last benefit I’ll mention here is just that Google will get a better understanding of your site and your content. You’re explicitly telling search engines exactly who you are, what your content is, and how to display it in the best way. As a bonus, this can help with voice search results, too!
How to Add Schema Markup to WordPress
- Install AIOSEO
- Add Knowledge Graph Information (Person/Organization Schema)
- Add Page/Post Schema
- Add Advanced Schema
- Test Your Schema
Ready to add schema to your WordPress site? There’s one plugin in particular that I love for this because it handles all your schema AND has a whole list of other amazing WordPress SEO features.
Check out All in One SEO!
All in One SEO is the most powerful and user-friendly WordPress SEO plugin and toolkit. It makes creating an SEO-friendly site simple and straightforward with its smart features that help you optimize every page, post, product, and more.
This plugin helps with:
- Rich snippets and schema
- Local SEO
- WooCommerce SEO
- On-page SEO
- XML sitemaps
- Internal link building
- And much more
For this tutorial, I’ll use AIOSEO to add schema markup to WordPress. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Download and Install AIOSEO
First, install the All in One SEO plugin on your WordPress site. To begin, check out the license levels at AIOSEO.com and get your license at the Basic level or above to get the basic schema markup feature. Note that if you’re a local business, you’ll probably want the Plus level so that you get the local business schema feature. If you run events, you might want to grab the Pro level to access event schema. If you post jobs on your website, you can grab the Elite level for dynamic job listing schema.
After you register and have a license key ready, click Download AIOSEO to save the plugin file to your computer.
Now, you need to log in to WordPress and install that file. Open the WordPress dashboard and click the Plugins » Add New menu link. Then click the Upload Plugin button on that screen.
From there, you’ll choose the file you just downloaded from AIOSEO and click Install Now.
Click Activate Plugin on the next screen, and your AIOSEO plugin is active and ready to use! The plugin will now walk you through the Setup Wizard to get started.
If you have more questions about this process, check out All in One’s installation guide to AIOSEO Pro.
Step 2: Add Knowledge Graph Information
The first schema you can add to your WordPress site is the person or organization schema, depending on which one fits your site. Head to All in One SEO » Search Appearance and scroll down to the Knowledge Graph section. Fill it out as completely as you can.
Step 3: Add Page/Post Schema
To choose a schema type to add to one of your website posts or pages, scroll down to the AIOSEO Settings box beneath the editor and click on the Schema tab.
You’ll notice that posts automatically have Article schema set up and pages automatically have the Web Page schema. To add more schema, click the blue Generate Schema button:
Now, you’ll see the list of available schema types that you can choose from in AIOSEO:
Each option has different fields to fill out. Whichever one you’re choosing for your post or page, make sure to fill out as many of the fields as you can to complete your schema!
Step 4: Add Advanced Schema
There are a few more options within the AIOSEO plugin to add schema. What’s available to you will depend on your license level. For example, at the Pro level, you’ll have access to Event schema. I won’t go over each of the additional modules — just make sure to explore your plan and make sure you’re using all the features available to you.
Now, you’ll also have the option to add your own custom schema. Google supports a lot of different schema types. If there’s one you need to use that’s not currently available in AIOSEO, you can add your own schema code in the Custom Schema tab:
To find and create the code you need for your custom schema, check out Google’s guide to structured data markup. Choose the schema type you need and scroll down the page to find a copy of the code you’ll need to fill out with your own properties. Once you’ve filled in your own data, you can copy and paste it into AIOSEO.
Step 5: Test Your Schema
Want to make sure the schema markup on your page is working correctly? Google has a tool for that! Open the Rich Results Test page and input the URL where you added schema markup:
When you hit submit, Google will test to make sure you don’t have any errors in your schema code. If you’re using one of the provided schema types in AIOSEO, you can skip this step. If you’ve added your own schema code, though, you’ll definitely want to test it.
The Most Important Schema Types for WordPress Sites
Different types of WordPress sites benefit from different schema types. Here’s what I recommend focusing on:
For Business Websites
- Organization schema: Helps establish your brand identity in search results, building trust and recognition.
- LocalBusiness schema: Essential for businesses with physical locations, improving visibility in local search results.
- Author schema: Author schema on your business website can help you establish expertise, experience, authority, and trust (EEAT).
For Blogs and Publishers
- Article schema: Provides publication dates and author information, establishing content timeliness and credibility.
- BlogPosting schema: Specifically designed for blog content, helping search engines understand your publications.
- BreadcrumbList schema: Helps users and search engines understand your site’s structure and content relationships.
For E-commerce Sites
- Product schema: Displays prices, availability, and reviews in search results, dramatically improving listing visibility.
- Review schema: Highlights customer feedback, building trust with potential buyers before they visit.
- AggregateRating schema: Shows overall product ratings, providing social proof directly in search results.
Schema markup is a crucial component of any modern SEO strategy. While it’s more important for some sites than others, I suggest setting up whatever schema you can for your site.
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That’s it!
I hope you found this schema article helpful as you learn more about using it on your website. If you did like this article, you might also want to check out:
The Biggest WordPress SEO Mistakes + How to Avoid Them
How to Increase SEO Rankings Quickly
How to Master SEO Search Intent to Improve Your Rankings
How to Do an SEO Audit on WordPress in 12 Quick Steps
And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube for more helpful Google Analytics and marketing tutorials.
FAQ
What is the easiest way to add schema to WordPress?
The easiest way to add schema to WordPress is by using a dedicated plugin like All in One SEO or Schema Pro. These plugins provide user-friendly interfaces that allow you to implement schema markup without having to write code or understand the technical details of structured data.
Does WordPress come with schema markup?
WordPress core doesn’t include built-in schema markup functionality. While some WordPress themes may include basic schema markup, you’ll typically need to add schema markup through plugins or custom code to get comprehensive structured data implementation.
Can I add schema markup to WordPress without a plugin?
Yes, you can add schema markup to WordPress without a plugin by manually adding the JSON-LD code to your theme files or by using Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper to generate the code. However, this approach requires more technical knowledge and ongoing maintenance.
How long does it take for schema markup to show in search results?
After implementing schema markup, it typically takes anywhere from a few days to several weeks for rich snippets to appear in search results. Google must crawl and index your pages with the new markup before displaying rich results. Even with valid schema, Google doesn’t guarantee rich snippets will be displayed.
Can I use multiple schema types on the same page?
Yes, you can use multiple schema types on the same page as long as they don’t conflict with each other and accurately represent the content. For example, you might use both BreadcrumbList schema and Article schema on a blog post. However, using multiple conflicting types (like Article and Product) on the same content is not recommended.