Technical SEO
HowTo schema
HowTo schema uses the Schema.org HowTo type to describe a visible sequence of steps for completing a task.
What it means
The vocabulary can identify supplies, tools, duration and ordered steps, but Google deprecated How-to Rich results and removed related Search Console and Rich Results Test support. The markup should therefore serve a genuine semantic consumer, not an expected Google appearance.
Why it matters
Accurate step structure may remain useful outside Google's retired feature, yet maintaining unused markup adds ownership and drift costs. Teams should keep it only when the instructions are real, visible and synchronized with a known requirement.
Example
A repair guide exposes six visible ordered steps and retains HowTo JSON-LD for an internal content API that consumes it. Its SEO report explicitly records that Google no longer offers a How-to rich result.
Common mistakes
Do not promise a Google enhancement, mark recipes as HowTo when Recipe is appropriate or invent supplies absent from the instructions. Avoid retaining stale hidden steps after the visible guide changes.
How AYSA handles this
Signals reviewed
Visible steps, HowTo graph, known consumers, content revisions, deprecated feature assumptions
Problem AYSA can identify
AYSA can find stale step markup and implementations maintained only because they incorrectly expect a Google rich result.
Recommendation prepared
The proposal removes unsupported overhead or aligns the graph with a documented non-Google consumer.
Approval preview
The user reviews visible instructions, consuming systems and the deprecation note before approval.
Execution
AYSA can update or remove approved WordPress HowTo output while preserving visible instructional content.
Verification
AYSA validates step order, visible parity and confirms no template still advertises deprecated Google eligibility.
Limits
AYSA cannot restore a retired Google feature or justify markup without a real maintained consumer.
Sources and further reading
- Google Search Central — Changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results — Official platform announcement
- Schema.org — HowTo — Vocabulary definition
- Google Search Central — General structured data guidelines — Official platform documentation
Written by Marius Dosinescu. Reviewed by AYSA SEO Editorial Team · 2026-07-28 00:00:00.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
Does Google still show How-to rich results?
No. Google deprecated How-to rich results in 2023 and removed the associated reporting and Rich Results Test support.
SEO execution campaign
Less SEO work. More organic growth.
AYSA monitors your website, finds opportunities, prepares the work, asks for approval and executes accepted changes so you can grow without living in SEO tools.
