SEO-Guidelines-Smartcrawl/smartcrawl/schema-markup.md

# 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 |