Initial commit — SEO Guidelines & SmartCrawl reference

SmartCrawl plugin reference (11 docs): - Overview, configuration, titles & meta, schema, sitemaps, social/OG, redirects, breadcrumbs, content analysis, hooks/filters, known issues SEO strategy playbook (6 docs): - Keyword research, per-page-type selection, on-page optimization, local SEO, technical SEO, content strategy Reusable templates (3): - Site audit checklist, keyword research worksheet, page optimization checklist Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-04-17 13:32:17 -05:00
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+# Schema / Structured Data
+
+SmartCrawl provides both pre-built schema types and a custom schema builder. Schema markup generates rich results in search (star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, event dates, breadcrumbs, etc.) that significantly increase SERP visibility and click-through rates.
+
+## Pre-Built Schema Types
+
+SmartCrawl includes the following ready-to-use types:
+
+| Schema Type | Rich Result | Best For |
+|-------------|-------------|----------|
+| **Article** | Article metadata | Blog posts, news articles |
+| **Web Page** | Page metadata | Static pages |
+| **FAQ** | Expandable Q&A in SERPs | FAQ pages, service pages with Q&A sections |
+| **HowTo** | Step-by-step instructions in SERPs | Tutorial content, guides |
+| **Product** | Price, availability, rating | WooCommerce products |
+| **Local Business** | Knowledge panel, maps | Business homepages, location pages |
+| **Recipe** | Rich recipe card | Food/recipe content |
+| **Job Posting** | Job listing in Google Jobs | Career/hiring pages |
+| **Movie** | Movie info panel | Entertainment/review sites |
+| **Course** | Course listing | Educational offerings |
+| **Book** | Book info panel | Book reviews, author sites |
+| **Software Application** | App info | Software product pages |
+| **Event** | Date, time, location in SERPs | Event listing pages |
+| **Rating / Review** | Star ratings | Review pages (use only with genuine reviews) |
+| **Video** | Video thumbnail in SERPs | Pages with embedded video |
+| **Person** | Person knowledge panel | About pages, team pages |
+| **Organization** | Org knowledge panel | Company about pages |
+
+## Custom Schema Type Builder
+
+SmartCrawl includes a **free** custom schema builder for creating schema types not in the pre-built list. Features:
+
+- Define unlimited custom schema types
+- Three property structures: **Simple**, **Nested**, or **Collection**
+- Associate custom schemas with specific posts, pages, or taxonomies
+- Full JSON-LD output
+
+## Priority Schema Types to Implement
+
+### Tier 1 — Every site should have these
+
+1. **Organization** — Set globally in SmartCrawl's Schema settings
+   - Business name, logo URL, contact info
+   - Social media profile URLs (`sameAs`)
+   - Founding date, description
+
+2. **LocalBusiness** (for businesses with a physical location or service area)
+   - 60+ subtypes available (e.g., `MotorcycleDealer`, `EducationalOrganization`, `ProfessionalService`)
+   - Full NAP: name, street address, city, state, ZIP, country
+   - Telephone, email
+   - Opening hours specification
+   - Geo coordinates (latitude, longitude)
+   - Area served
+   - Price range
+
+3. **BreadcrumbList** — Automatic when Breadcrumbs module is enabled
+
+### Tier 2 — Add where applicable
+
+4. **FAQ** — Any page with Q&A content
+   - Can generate expandable FAQ directly in search results
+   - Each question/answer pair is a separate `Question` entity
+   - High-visibility rich result
+
+5. **Event** — For event-based businesses
+   - Start date, end date, location
+   - Offers (price, availability, URL)
+   - Performer/organizer
+   - Shows date/time/location directly in SERPs
+
+6. **Course** — For educational offerings
+   - Course name, description, provider
+   - Duration, schedule
+   - Price, enrollment URL
+
+7. **Article / BlogPosting** — For blog content (usually default)
+
+### Tier 3 — Situational
+
+8. **Product** — WooCommerce (auto-handled)
+9. **Video** — Pages with embedded video content
+10. **HowTo** — Instructional/tutorial content
+11. **Person** — Individual portfolio/about pages
+
+## LocalBusiness Schema Setup
+
+This is the most important schema for local businesses. Set it up in SmartCrawl > Schema > Types.
+
+### Required Properties
+
+```json
+{
+  "@context": "https://schema.org",
+  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
+  "name": "Alaska Safe Riders",
+  "address": {
+    "@type": "PostalAddress",
+    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
+    "addressLocality": "Anchorage",
+    "addressRegion": "AK",
+    "postalCode": "99501",
+    "addressCountry": "US"
+  },
+  "telephone": "+1-907-555-0123",
+  "url": "https://alaskasaferiders.org"
+}
+```
+
+### Recommended Additional Properties
+
+```json
+{
+  "openingHoursSpecification": [
+    {
+      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
+      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
+      "opens": "09:00",
+      "closes": "17:00"
+    }
+  ],
+  "geo": {
+    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
+    "latitude": 61.2181,
+    "longitude": -149.9003
+  },
+  "areaServed": {
+    "@type": "State",
+    "name": "Alaska"
+  },
+  "priceRange": "$$",
+  "image": "https://example.com/logo.png",
+  "sameAs": [
+    "https://www.facebook.com/yourbusiness",
+    "https://www.instagram.com/yourbusiness"
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+### LocalBusiness Subtypes
+
+SmartCrawl supports 60+ subtypes. Choose the most specific one that applies:
+
+| Category | Examples |
+|----------|----------|
+| Automotive | `AutoDealer`, `AutoRepair`, `MotorcycleDealer`, `MotorcycleRepair` |
+| Education | `EducationalOrganization`, `School`, `DrivingSchool` |
+| Professional | `ProfessionalService`, `Consultant`, `LegalService` |
+| Health | `MedicalBusiness`, `Dentist`, `Physician` |
+| Food | `Restaurant`, `Bakery`, `BarOrPub`, `CafeOrCoffeeShop` |
+| Entertainment | `EntertainmentBusiness`, `MovieTheater`, `NightClub` |
+| Home | `HomeAndConstructionBusiness`, `Electrician`, `Plumber` |
+| Store | `Store`, `ClothingStore`, `HardwareStore`, `SportingGoodsStore` |
+
+## WooCommerce Product Schema
+
+When enabled, SmartCrawl:
+
+- **Replaces** WooCommerce's default schema (avoids duplicates)
+- Auto-fetches product reviews and aggregate ratings
+- Supports both simple and variable products
+- Includes MPN, SKU, `priceValidUntil`
+- Adds `offers` with price, currency, availability
+
+Enable via: **SmartCrawl > Schema > WooCommerce Product Open Graph**
+
+## Person Schema
+
+As of v3.15.0, Person Schema can be limited to specific pages when Organization Schema is enabled globally. Useful for:
+
+- Team member pages
+- Author bio pages
+- Individual portfolio sites (e.g., Chelsea Paige Mann)
+
+## Validation
+
+**Always validate schema after deployment:**
+
+1. [Google Rich Results Test](https://search.google.com/test/rich-results) — checks if your schema qualifies for rich results
+2. [Schema.org Validator](https://validator.schema.org/) — validates JSON-LD syntax
+3. Google Search Console > Enhancements — monitors schema errors across your site over time
+
+## Common Schema Mistakes
+
+| Mistake | Fix |
+|---------|-----|
+| Duplicate schema from multiple plugins | Deactivate other SEO plugins' schema output |
+| Using Review schema without genuine reviews | Only add if you have real, verifiable reviews |
+| Missing required properties | Check Google's [structured data documentation](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/structured-data/) for requirements per type |
+| Wrong LocalBusiness subtype | Use the most specific applicable type |
+| Schema on pages it doesn't apply to | Only add schema types relevant to the page content |