Structured Data for Schema.org

by Phil

Description

Structured Data for Schema.org helps you add valid Schema.org markup to your WordPress content. This improves how search engines understand your content and may qualify for Google Rich Snippets (depending on schema type and page structure).

Supported Schema Types

HowTo — Step-by-step tutorials (Google Rich Result eligible, 1 per page recommended)
FAQPage — Questions & Answers (Google Rich Result eligible, 1 per page limit enforced)
ItemList — Ordered/unordered lists (Google Rich Result eligible)
CreativeWork — General content (SEO only, no Rich Result)

Important: Google Rich Results

Not all schema types guarantee Rich Snippets. Google has specific requirements:

HowTo: Best results with ONE main tutorial per page
FAQPage: Only ONE FAQPage schema per page is eligible for Rich Results (plugin enforces this)
ItemList: Works well for top-10 lists, product collections
CreativeWork: Helps SEO but does not trigger Rich Results

This plugin generates valid Schema.org markup. Rich Result eligibility depends on your content structure and Google’s algorithms.

Usage

HowTo Schema

[schema type="HowTo" name="How to Draw a Rune" time="5M"]
Step 1: Clear your mind
Step 2: Focus on your question
Step 3: Click the daisy
[/schema]

FAQPage Schema

Use | to separate questions and answers (one Q&A per line):

[schema type="FAQPage" name="Rune FAQ"]
What are runes? | Ancient Germanic alphabet symbols
How do I use them? | Focus on a question and draw randomly
When should I draw? | When you need guidance
[/schema]

For schema-only output (no visible HTML), add hidden="1":

[schema type="FAQPage" name="FAQ" hidden="1"]
Question 1 | Answer 1
Question 2 | Answer 2
[/schema]

ItemList Schema

[schema type="ItemList" name="Top 3 Runes"]
Fehu - Wealth and abundance
Uruz - Strength and vitality
Thurisaz - Protection and power
[/schema]

For unordered list (bullets), add items-tag="ul":

[schema type="ItemList" name="My List" items-tag="ul"]
Item 1
Item 2
Item 3
[/schema]

CreativeWork Schema

[schema type="CreativeWork" name="My Guide" description="A comprehensive rune guide"]
Your content here...
[/schema]

Attributes

type — Schema type: HowTo, FAQPage, ItemList, CreativeWork (default: HowTo)
name — Title of the schema (required for all types)
description — Brief description (HowTo, CreativeWork)
time — Duration (HowTo only, auto-converts to ISO 8601: “5M”, “1H30M”, “PT30M”)
image — Featured image URL (HowTo only)
hidden — Hide HTML output, keep schema only (values: 1, true)
position — Starting position for ItemList numbering (ItemList only)
url — URL for list items (ItemList only, applies to all items)
items-tag — HTML tag for ItemList: “ol” (default) or “ul”

Developer Notes

Classes

SDFSO_Schema (includes/class-sdfso-schema.php) — Core schema generation logic (static methods)
SDFSO_Shortcode (includes/class-sdfso-shortcode.php) — Shortcode registration and rendering

Supported Schema Types

| Type        | Rich Result  | Limit Per Page | Required Fields         |
|-------------|--------------|----------------|-------------------------|
| HowTo       | Yes          | 1 recommended  | name, step[]            |
| FAQPage     | Yes          | 1 enforced     | mainEntity[]            |
| ItemList    | Yes          | ∞              | name, itemListElement[] |
| CreativeWork| No           | ∞              | name                    |

License

This plugin is licensed under GPLv2 or later.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.

Installation

Using the WordPress Plugin Installer

Go to WordPress Dashboard Plugins Add New.
Search for “Schema Structured Data”.
Click “Install” then “Activate”.
Add [schema] shortcodes to your posts or pages.

Manual Installation

Download the plugin zip file.
Unzip and upload to /wp-content/plugins/structured-data-for-schema-org.
Activate via Dashboard Plugins.
You’re ready! Add [schema] shortcodes to your content.

Screenshots

Shortcode in Editor — Add [schema] to any post or page
Frontend Output — Clean HTML with proper Q&A formatting for FAQPage
JSON-LD in Source — Valid Schema.org markup in footer
Google Rich Results — Validation passed
Schema Validator — Validation passed

Faq

Will I get a Google Rich Snippet?

Schema markup may qualify for Rich Snippets, but Google has specific requirements:

HowTo: Use ONE per page for best results
FAQPage: Only ONE per page is eligible (plugin enforces this limit)
ItemList: Works well for ranked lists
CreativeWork: SEO benefit only, no Rich Result

Valid schema improves how Google understands your content, but Rich Results depend on content quality, page structure, and Google’s algorithms.

Can I use multiple shortcodes on one page?

Yes, but with limitations:

HowTo: Multiple allowed, but Google may only show one as Rich Result
FAQPage: Only the FIRST one is processed (Google limit enforced by plugin)
ItemList: Multiple allowed
CreativeWork: Multiple allowed

How do I verify the schema is working?

Publish your page
Visit Google Rich Results Test
Enter your page URL
Check for detected schema types

For syntax validation, use Schema Validator.

Why does FAQPage only work once per page?

Google explicitly states that only one FAQPage schema per page is eligible for Rich Results. This plugin enforces that limit to prevent invalid markup and improve your chances of getting a Rich Result.

What is the Q|A format for FAQPage?

Each line should contain a question and answer separated by a pipe character (|):

Question 1 | Answer 1
Question 2 | Answer 2
Question 3 | Answer 3

The plugin automatically parses this format and generates proper FAQ schema markup.

Can I hide the HTML output but keep the schema?

Yes! Add hidden="1" to any shortcode:

[schema type="FAQPage" name="FAQ" hidden="1"]
Question | Answer
[/schema]

This outputs the JSON-LD schema without visible HTML on the page.

Reviews

Changelog

1.0.0

🎉 Initial release
✅ Multi-schema support: HowTo, FAQPage, ItemList, CreativeWork
✅ FAQPage limited to 1 per page (Google compliance)
✅ Q|A format for FAQ content (simple, no nested shortcodes)
✅ ItemList supports ol/ul via items-tag attribute
✅ hidden attribute for schema-only output
✅ WordPress Coding Standards compliant