SEO Schema Skill

Purpose

Detect existing schema markup on pages, validate its accuracy and completeness, identify missing schema opportunities, and generate correct JSON-LD markup. This skill ensures structured data meets Google's current requirements for rich results eligibility while avoiding deprecated or restricted types.

Schema Detection Protocol

Step 1: Extract All Structured Data

Step 2: Parse and Catalog

For each detected block:

1. Parse JSON-LD (validate JSON syntax)
2. Identify @type (or array of types)
3. Catalog all properties and their values
4. Check for nesting (e.g., Author inside Article)
5. Record location in DOM (which page, position)

Step 3: Compare Against Requirements

• Map detected schema types against page type requirements
• Identify missing required properties
• Flag deprecated or restricted types
• Compare against Google's Rich Results eligibility

Active Schema Types (Eligible for Rich Results)

High Priority (Should Be On Every Applicable Site)

Medium Priority (Use When Applicable)

Lower Priority (Situational)

Restricted Schema Types

These types have limited eligibility. Using them incorrectly will not generate rich results and may trigger manual actions.

Deprecated Schema Types

These types have been fully deprecated by Google and should be removed from implementations.

Migration Guidance

JSON-LD Templates

Organization (Homepage)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Company Name",
  "alternateName": "Brand Name",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "logo": {
    "@type": "ImageObject",
    "url": "https://example.com/logo.png",
    "width": 600,
    "height": 60
  },
  "description": "Brief company description (1-2 sentences)",
  "foundingDate": "2020",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://twitter.com/company",
    "https://linkedin.com/company/name",
    "https://github.com/company"
  ],
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "ContactPoint",
    "contactType": "customer service",
    "email": "support@example.com",
    "availableLanguage": ["English"]
  }
}

LocalBusiness

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Business Name",
  "image": "https://example.com/photo.jpg",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "telephone": "+1-555-555-5555",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "City",
    "addressRegion": "ST",
    "postalCode": "12345",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": 40.7128,
    "longitude": -74.0060
  },
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
      "opens": "09:00",
      "closes": "17:00"
    }
  ],
  "priceRange": "$$"
}

Article / BlogPosting

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BlogPosting",
  "headline": "Article Title (max 110 characters)",
  "description": "Brief article summary (max 155 characters)",
  "image": {
    "@type": "ImageObject",
    "url": "https://example.com/article-image.jpg",
    "width": 1200,
    "height": 630
  },
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Author Name",
    "url": "https://example.com/about/author"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Publisher Name",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://example.com/logo.png",
      "width": 600,
      "height": 60
    }
  },
  "datePublished": "2025-01-15T08:00:00+00:00",
  "dateModified": "2025-06-01T10:30:00+00:00",
  "mainEntityOfPage": {
    "@type": "WebPage",
    "@id": "https://example.com/blog/article-slug"
  },
  "wordCount": 2500,
  "keywords": ["keyword1", "keyword2", "keyword3"]
}

SoftwareApplication

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
  "name": "Application Name",
  "description": "Brief application description",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "applicationCategory": "BusinessApplication",
  "operatingSystem": "Web",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "49.00",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "priceValidUntil": "2026-12-31",
    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock"
  },
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.8",
    "ratingCount": "150",
    "bestRating": "5",
    "worstRating": "1"
  },
  "screenshot": "https://example.com/screenshot.png"
}

WebSite with SearchAction (Sitelinks Search Box)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebSite",
  "name": "Site Name",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "potentialAction": {
    "@type": "SearchAction",
    "target": {
      "@type": "EntryPoint",
      "urlTemplate": "https://example.com/search?q={search_term_string}"
    },
    "query-input": "required name=search_term_string"
  }
}

BreadcrumbList

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Home",
      "item": "https://example.com"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Blog",
      "item": "https://example.com/blog"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 3,
      "name": "Article Title",
      "item": "https://example.com/blog/article-slug"
    }
  ]
}

FAQPage (Note: Rich results limited to gov/health sites)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is the first question?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "The answer to the first question."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is the second question?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "The answer to the second question."
      }
    }
  ]
}

Validation Checklist

Syntax Validation

Content Validation

Google Rich Results Eligibility

Cross-Page Consistency

Schema Generation Rules

When generating new schema markup:

1. Always use JSON-LD format (Google's preferred format)
2. Place in <head> section of the HTML (or just before </body>)
3. One block per type unless multiple entities of the same type exist on the page
4. Match visible content exactly; do not add information not present on the page
5. Use absolute URLs for all URL properties
6. Include both required and recommended properties wherever data is available
7. Test with Google's Rich Results Test before deploying
8. Check the deprecated/restricted lists before implementing any type
9. Use ISO 8601 for dates with timezone offset
10. Keep schema up to date when page content changes

Output Format

# Schema Markup Audit: [URL]
**Analyzed:** [YYYY-MM-DD]

## Detected Schema
| # | Type | Format | Valid | Properties Count |
|---|------|--------|-------|-----------------|
| 1 | [type] | JSON-LD | Yes/No | [N] |
| 2 | [type] | JSON-LD | Yes/No | [N] |

## Validation Results
### Block 1: [Type]
- Syntax: [PASS/FAIL]
- Required Properties: [X/Y present]
- Recommended Properties: [X/Y present]
- Rich Results Eligible: [Yes/No/Restricted]
- Issues: [list any issues]

## Missing Schema Opportunities
| Recommended Type | Reason | Priority |
|-----------------|--------|----------|
| [type] | [why this page should have it] | [High/Medium/Low] |

## Generated Schema (if requested)
[JSON-LD blocks ready to implement]

## Deprecated/Restricted Warnings
[Any detected uses of deprecated or restricted types]

Usage

# Detect and validate schema on a page
/seo-schema https://example.com/blog/article

# Generate schema for a page type
/seo-schema generate --type BlogPosting --url https://example.com/blog/article

# Audit schema across entire site (used as subagent of seo-audit)
/seo-schema audit --sitemap https://example.com/sitemap.xml

Notes

• JSON-LD is the only format recommended for new implementations; microdata and RDFa should be migrated
• FAQPage schema still has value for AI citation extraction even though rich results are restricted
• Google's Rich Results Test is the authoritative validation tool
• Schema.org types evolve; always check current documentation when implementing
• Multiple JSON-LD blocks on a single page are valid and common (e.g., Organization + BreadcrumbList + Article)
• Schema should be maintained alongside content; outdated schema (wrong dates, prices) can trigger manual actions