# Schema Human Guide ## What This Is For Provides expert guidance for guidance for structured data and schema markup. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for search and SEO workflows: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return. Use this as a human-readable version of the Schema agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions. ## When To Use This - Use this when you need a repeatable process for schema. - Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt. - Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact. ## When Not To Use This - Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer. - Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant. - Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review. ## What You Need Before Starting - The goal or business outcome you want. - The audience, customer segment, or market context. - Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance. - Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements. - A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like. ## Step-By-Step Workflow 1. State the job clearly: "Use the Schema guide to help me with..." 2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints. 3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output. 4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below. 5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed. ## Skill-Specific Guidance - **Page Type** - What kind of page? What's the primary content? What rich results are possible? - **Current State** - Any existing schema? Errors in implementation? Which rich results already appearing? - **Goals** - Which rich results are you targeting? What's the business value? - Schema must accurately represent page content - Don't markup content that doesn't exist - Keep updated when content changes - Google recommends JSON-LD format - Easier to implement and maintain - Place in `` or end of `` - Only use markup Google supports - Review eligibility requirements - **Google Rich Results Test**: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results ## Decision Points And Nuance The original skill emphasizes: Initial Assessment, Core Principles, Accuracy First, Use JSON-LD, Follow Google's Guidelines, Validate Everything, Common Schema Types, Quick Reference, Organization (Company Page), Article/BlogPosting. Use these questions to steer the work: - What is the intended audience or buyer? - What source material must be preserved? - What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion? - What examples represent the desired quality bar? - What should the assistant avoid? ## Common Mistakes - Schema must accurately represent page content - Don't markup content that doesn't exist - | Type | Use For | Required Properties | - Required: headline, image, datePublished, author - Required: name, image, offers (price + availability) - Required: mainEntity (array of Question/Answer pairs) - Required: itemListElement (array with position, name, item) - **Missing required properties** - Check Google's documentation for required fields ## Copy-And-Paste Prompt ```text Use the Schema human guide. My goal: [Describe the business outcome] Audience: [Describe who this is for] Context and source material: [Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy] Constraints: [Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items] Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result. ``` ## Final Checklist - [ ] The output matches the original goal. - [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer. - [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved. - [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit. - [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person. ## Source This guide was generated from the coreyhaines31/marketingskills skill entry for `schema`. ## Source Skill Notes These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic. # 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 `` or end of `` ### 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