How to add HowTo structured data to step-by-step pages
When a page lists steps, HowTo structured data lets engines present them as a procedure and attribute it to you. Use an ordered list on the page, add HowTo JSON-LD with one step per item, and keep the markup text identical to the visible text.
By ratemysite.ai editorial team. Updated .
How do you fix it?
- Write the steps as an ordered list (<ol>) on the page, each step starting with a verb.
- Add a JSON-LD script with @type HowTo, a name, and a step array of HowToStep items with text.
- Use the same wording in the markup as in the visible list, and add images only when they exist on the page.
- Validate with the Schema Markup Validator or Rich Results Test.
- Re-run the audit and confirm the HowTo schema check passes.
What is HowTo markup?
HowTo is a Schema.org type that describes a procedure made of ordered steps, with optional tools, supplies and time. It gives a program a clean list of what to do, in order, instead of forcing it to infer steps from paragraphs. Assistants can then answer "how do I do X?" with your steps and cite your page. Take a tutorial with 6 numbered steps: the visible list helps readers, but without HowTo markup a program has to infer where each step starts and ends.
How do I write steps that machines and people can follow?
Start each step with an action verb and keep one action per step. Put the result or the warning at the end of the step, not in a separate paragraph. Number the steps in the HTML with an ordered list so the order is explicit even without markup. Keep the visible text and the JSON-LD in sync, because a mismatch can lead to the markup being ignored. Re-test the steps yourself every 6 to 12 months, since interfaces change.
How much does this check matter?
- This check is worth about 1.5% of the overall score.
- A finished report is reused for 24 hours before you can re-analyze it.
- Each page is fetched with a timeout of 10 seconds, and HTML larger than 2 MB is not audited.
What else do people ask?
- Does Google still show HowTo rich results?
- Google reduced HowTo rich results in 2023, but the markup remains valid Schema.org and other tools can still read the steps.
- How many steps should a HowTo have?
- Most useful guides have 3 to 8 steps. Fewer is probably a tip; more usually means you should split the guide.