SEO SKILL

schema

Add, fix or validate JSON-LD structured data: ten common types with their required properties, an @graph pattern, and the two validators to run before deploying.

by Corey Hainescoreyhaines31/marketingskillsMIT licencev2.0.0upstream 2026-09-05read by us 11 September 2026

A short skill that does one thing well. It asks what kind of page you have and which rich result you want, then writes the JSON-LD, complete, and tells you to validate it in Google’s Rich Results Test and the schema.org validator.

The principles are the right ones: accuracy first, JSON-LD only, Google-supported types only, validate everything. It will not mark up content that is not on the page.

The 765 words are a reference table and a workflow; the complete examples live in `references/schema-examples.md`.

When to use it

The phrases that trigger it

From the skill’s own description: say any of these and an agent that has it installed will load it.

  • schema markup
  • structured data
  • JSON-LD
  • rich snippets
  • FAQ schema
  • product schema
  • breadcrumb schema
  • star ratings in search

What’s inside

The playbook, section by section

  • Ten types with required properties

    Organization, WebSite, Article, Product, SoftwareApplication, FAQPage, HowTo, BreadcrumbList, LocalBusiness, Event.

  • Combining types with @graph

    One script block carrying Organization, WebSite and BreadcrumbList together.

  • Implementation by stack

    Static templates, React or Next.js components rendered server-side, and CMS plugins.

  • A testing checklist

    Validates, no errors or warnings, matches page content, all required properties present.

Reference files: schema-examples.md

See it in action

One real run, cropped

We installed the skill folder, gave it the request below, and kept what it returned. Nothing was edited; the excerpt is the first 919 of 15,135 characters. The full output is in our repository as research/skills/runs/schema.md.

You ask

Fetch https://addition-labs.com/resources/guides/seo-audit and write the JSON-LD this page should carry. It is a long-form guide with an author, a dated update line and a FAQ section near the end. Tell us which rich results it is actually eligible for and which it is not.

The skill delivers

Schema markup: /resources/guides/seo-audit

Page fetched 11 September 2026 (HTTP 200, 48,572 bytes, canonical self-referencing). Everything below is read from the served HTML, not assumed.

Initial assessment

Page type. Long-form guide. Visible H1 How to run an ecommerce SEO audit; <title> differs (Ecommerce SEO Audit: The One Part With a Published Pass Mark | Addition). Byline line reads By the Addition team · Updated 7 September 2026 · 12 min read. No named person is credited, and no first-published date is shown anywhere on the page. Five <details> Q/As sit under the H2 Questions people ask (#faq). Eight <img> elements in the body, all with alt text except the small icon; two of them are 1720x986 and 2519x1623 (the rest carry no width/height attributes). <html lang="en">.

Current state. The page already ships one application/ld+json block, an @graph of three nodes:

Cropped here. The rest continues in the same register.

What it could not do in this run

a verified first-publish date (page shows only the update line; the existing 2026-07-06 is carried over and flagged TODO), a named author (page credits "the Addition team", so Organization kept), confirmation that the JS-rendered header shows a breadcrumb trail (server HTML has none), and the tech stack beyond what the build artifacts imply (skill question 5).

Method behind it

Where we would differ, and why

Our audit guide has a structured-data section that shows what a Product and an Article block look like in Search Console’s enhancement reports once they are live. The skill writes the block; the guide shows you where to watch it land.

How to run an ecommerce SEO audit

Note 1
The skill lists FAQPage as a rich-result type with no caveat. Google limited FAQ rich results to government and health sites in August 2023 and, per its Search changelog, stopped showing them for all sites on 7 May 2026 and removed the documentation on 12 June 2026. On a store the block is entity clarity, not a visible result.
Note 2
HowTo rich results were retired by Google in September 2023; keep HowTo markup for AI extraction if you like, but do not expect a result.
Note 3
It lists headline, image, datePublished and author as required for Article. Google’s Article documentation has no required properties, only recommended ones. The markup is still worth writing; the word required is the skill’s, not Google’s.

SKILL.md

The upstream file, as we read it

Copyright Corey Haines, MIT licence, commit 5b2c000 of coreyhaines31/marketingskills. Reproduced here under that licence so you can read what the agent will read; the folder’s reference files are in the repository.

Open SKILL.md (766 words)
---
name: schema
description: When the user wants to add, fix, or optimize schema markup and structured data on their site. Also use when the user mentions "schema markup," "structured data," "JSON-LD," "rich snippets," "schema.org," "FAQ schema," "product schema," "review schema," "breadcrumb schema," "Google rich results," "knowledge panel," "star ratings in search," or "add structured data." Use this whenever someone wants their pages to show enhanced results in Google. For broader SEO issues, see seo-audit. For AI search optimization, see ai-seo.
metadata:
  version: 2.0.0
---

# 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:

1. **Page Type** - What kind of page? What's the primary content? What rich results are possible?

2. **Current State** - Any existing schema? Errors in implementation? Which rich results already appearing?

3. **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 (search box) | 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](references/schema-examples.md)

---

## 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)

### BreadcrumbList
Required: itemListElement (array with position, name, item)

---

## Multiple Schema Types

You can combine multiple schema types on one page using `@graph`:

```json
{
  "@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
- **Schema.org Validator**: https://validator.schema.org/
- **Search Console**: Enhancements reports

### 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
```json
// Full JSON-LD code block
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "...",
  // Complete markup
}
```

### Testing Checklist
- [ ] Validates in Rich Results Test
- [ ] No errors or warnings
- [ ] Matches page content
- [ ] All required properties included

---

## Task-Specific Questions

1. What type of page is this?
2. What rich results are you hoping to achieve?
3. What data is available to populate the schema?
4. Is there existing schema on the page?
5. 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

Questions

Questions people ask before installing

Will this get me star ratings in search?

Only if the page has genuine reviews and the Product or Review markup matches them. The skill refuses to mark up what is not on the page, which is the right refusal.

Does it work with Shopify?

Shopify themes already emit Product JSON-LD. Use the skill to check what the theme emits against Google’s required and recommended properties, then patch the theme, not add a second block.

Can I ask it to validate existing markup?

Yes. Paste the page’s JSON-LD and ask; it checks required properties, value formats (ISO 8601 dates, fully qualified URLs) and content mismatch.

Related skills

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