# HowTo schema: what happened to it and what to do instead

HowTo schema no longer earns a rich result. You can still write and mark up how-to pages that perform. Keep the steps, change the schema, and make them readable to assistants.

Updated 2026-09-14 · Source: https://porteur.ai/guides/howto-schema

## What changed and why it matters

Google removed HowTo rich results in September 2023. Your HowTo markup is now harmless, but it does not show in results.

For a small site, this means no more step-by-step HowTo cards. You still want your how-to pages to earn clicks and citations. Treat them as articles with steps, not as a special result type.

## What to keep on a how-to page

- A clear task in the title that matches the query. For example, “Export invoices to CSV in YourProduct”.
- A numbered list of steps in the body, not screenshots of steps as images only.
- Headings that mirror the steps. H2 for each step, H3 for sub-steps.
- Inline confirmations and failure cases, for example “If you see ‘No data’, check X”.
- One short summary at the top: what the user gets and the prerequisites.
- Alt text that names what is on screen, not “image-1234”.
- A last section that states the result, and links to the next task.

A fixed page looks like this: a short intro, then Step 1 to Step N as H2, each with two or three sentences and one image or code block if needed.

## What to drop or change since 2023

- Do not rely on HowTo schema for visibility. Keep it only if your CMS already outputs it and it is easy to maintain.
- Do not hide steps behind accordions that are closed by default. Assistants and users should see the steps on load.
- Do not replace text steps with a video only. Use text first, then add a video.
- Do not chase sitelinks search boxes with WebSite SearchAction. As of November 2024 they show nothing.
- Do not add self-serving review markup to your own business pages. Review rich results exclude that.

## How to mark up a how-to page now

Mark up the page as an Article, not HowTo. Schema helps machines understand the page, and makes you eligible for rich results that still exist.

- Use JSON-LD. Google also reads Microdata and RDFa, but JSON-LD is recommended.
- Place JSON-LD in the head or body. Google renders pages and can read injected scripts. Most answering AI crawlers do not run scripts, so prefer server-rendered JSON-LD where you can.
- Use a single @graph to hold multiple types if needed, for example Article and BreadcrumbList.
- Use absolute URLs where URLs are required.
- Keep dates in ISO 8601, for example 2026-12-14.

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "Article",
      "@id": "https://yourproduct.com/guides/export-invoices-csv#article",
      "headline": "Export invoices to CSV in YourProduct",
      "image": [
        "https://yourproduct.com/images/export-invoices-16x9.jpg",
        "https://yourproduct.com/images/export-invoices-4x3.jpg",
        "https://yourproduct.com/images/export-invoices-1x1.jpg"
      ],
      "datePublished": "2026-12-21",
      "dateModified": "2026-12-22",
      "author": {
        "@type": "Person",
        "name": "Alex Kim",
        "url": "https://yourproduct.com/about"
      },
      "mainEntityOfPage": {
        "@type": "WebPage",
        "@id": "https://yourproduct.com/guides/export-invoices-csv"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Guides", "item": "https://yourproduct.com/guides"},
        {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Export invoices to CSV"}
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

Article properties that help: headline, image with several high-resolution formats in 16:9, 4:3 and 1:1, datePublished, dateModified, author as Person or Organization with name and url. Google truncates long headlines. AMP is not required for Top Stories as of 2021.

Keep your Organization schema on site-wide templates. Name, url, logo at least 112 by 112 pixels, and sameAs help the knowledge panel. Since 2024 you can place merchant shipping and return fields on Organization if you sell.

## Should you remove HowTo schema?

You can leave it in place. It does not harm. It does not earn a rich result. If you maintain it by hand, remove it to save time and cut mistakes.

If your CMS or plugin still outputs valid HowTo automatically, keep it. Assistants that read raw schema.org may still parse it as hints. Prioritise Article and content quality over fixing HowTo warnings you cannot see in Search Console any more.

> Rule: do not ship schema your page does not show to users. Hidden or misleading markup is a policy violation.

## Write for assistants and AI overviews

Assistants extract steps and entities from the visible text. They do not need a HowTo card. They need a clear sequence and named actions.

- Put the task in the H1. Match the phrasing people search for, for example “Export invoices to CSV”.
- Open with one or two sentences that define the goal and prerequisites.
- Use Step 1, Step 2 as literal text in H2. Assistants key on ordinal cues.
- Use active verbs. “Click Export” beats “The export can be clicked”.
- Add a short “Why this fails” subsection after a tricky step.
- End with a one-line outcome and a link to the next task, for example “Import invoices to Excel”.
- If you add JSON-LD, prefer server-rendered scripts. Many AI crawlers do not execute JavaScript.

## Testing: validator vs Rich Results Test vs Search Console

You test two things: syntax against schema.org, and eligibility for Google rich results. Use both tools, they answer different questions.

| Tool | What it checks | Where | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Schema Markup Validator | Schema.org syntax and graph validity | validator.schema.org | Ignores Google’s rich result rules. Use it to spot typos and wrong nesting. |
| Rich Results Test | Eligibility for Google rich results and missing fields | search.google.com/test/rich-results | Lists supported types for your page and required or recommended fields. |
| Search Console | Site-wide enhancement reports and errors | search.google.com/search-console | Shows a report per rich result type found on your site. Needs site verification. |

- Structured Data Testing Tool was retired in 2020. Do not rely on old guides that point to it.
- Common Rich Results Test errors: a missing required field, a relative URL where an absolute one is needed, a non ISO 8601 date, a price as text with a currency sign, a rating out of range, markup for content not visible on the page, and two types nested in a way that breaks the graph.
- Both tools read the rendered page. The Rich Results Test finds markup added by scripts after load. Search Console then reports issues it finds while crawling your site.

## Other schema that still help a how-to section

Pick the type that matches the page’s purpose. A how-to page can still carry other types alongside Article in one @graph.

- FAQPage: questions with acceptedAnswer work on page. As of August 2023, Google shows FAQ rich results only for well-known government and health sites. Your product site will not get a FAQ rich result, but assistants read the markup.
- BreadcrumbList: replaces the URL line in results. Use absolute URLs on all but the last ListItem.
- Organization: name, url, logo, sameAs, and contactPoint help your brand in Search. Since 2024 you can include shipping and return policy fields on Organization if you sell.
- Product or SoftwareApplication: use these on pages that sell or describe your product. They can earn product or app rich results. Do not add them to article pages that do not match the type.
- Review snippet: allowed only on supported itemReviewed types such as Product and SoftwareApplication. Do not mark up LocalBusiness or Organization reviews of yourself. These do not show as rich results.

## A worked example: reframe a HowTo as an article

Start: you have /guides/howto-export-invoices with old HowTo JSON-LD. It no longer earns anything. You want it to pull clicks and be citable by assistants.

1. **Rewrite the title and H1** “Export invoices to CSV in YourProduct” instead of “How to export invoices” to match the product and task.
2. **Add a two-line summary** State the goal and prerequisites, for example “You need admin access. Exports include paid invoices only.”
3. **Structure steps as H2** Use “Step 1: Open Billing”, “Step 2: Choose dates”, and so on. Use one image per step if it clarifies.
4. **Add a failure case** After Step 2, add “If you see ‘No data’, check your date range includes at least one paid invoice.”
5. **Mark up as Article and BreadcrumbList** Use JSON-LD as shown above. Do not include Product or FAQ unless the page truly matches those types.
6. **Remove hand-written HowTo markup** If you were maintaining it manually, drop it. Keep it only if your CMS keeps it valid automatically.
7. **Test and ship** Run the page through Schema Markup Validator and Rich Results Test. Fix absolute URLs and dates first.

After: the page shows in results with your breadcrumb, a clean title, and a meta description that mirrors the summary. Assistants can list your steps cleanly because they are in text with clear ordinals.

## Measure what changed

You will not see a HowTo appearance in Search Console. It was removed alongside the result. Track clicks and impressions to the page, not a schema bucket.

- In the Performance report, filter by Page for /guides/export-invoices-csv and compare last 28 days with the prior 28 days.
- Watch queries like “export invoices csv” and “yourproduct export invoices”. Improve the H1 and title if impressions rise without clicks.
- If you add Product or SoftwareApplication to the right pages, use their enhancement reports to fix required fields.

## Questions

### Should I remove HowTo schema from my site?

Leave it if your system outputs it and it stays valid. It does not help or harm. If you hand-edit it, remove it to save maintenance time and focus on Article and content quality.

### Does schema improve rankings?

Structured data is not a ranking factor in itself. It helps machines understand the page and can make the page eligible for rich results. Good content and links move rankings.

### Where should I put JSON-LD on a how-to page?

Put JSON-LD in the head or the body. Google renders pages and can read injected scripts. Many assistants do not run scripts, so prefer server-rendered JSON-LD when you can.

### Can I use FAQ schema on my how-to pages?

You can if the page includes a real FAQ section. As of August 2023, Google shows FAQ rich results only for well-known government and health sites. Assistants may still read the markup.

### What should I test after changing my schema?

Run the page through the Schema Markup Validator for syntax and graph issues, and the Rich Results Test for eligibility. Then watch Search Console for enhancement reports and page performance.

### Do I need Article schema on every guide and blog post?

Use Article on pages that are articles or guides. It is lightweight and helps with eligibility and clarity. Keep the graph tidy and avoid adding types that do not match the page.

## Read next

- [JSON-LD: how to write it, where to put it, how to test it](https://porteur.ai/guides/json-ld): See why Google recommends JSON-LD, where to place it, how to use one @graph, how to test with Google and schema.org, and what to fix.
- [The Rich Results Test: what it checks and what it does not](https://porteur.ai/guides/rich-results-test): Run Google’s Rich Results Test, read eligibility, warnings and errors, know its limits, and when to use schema.org’s validator and Search Console.
- [Article schema: headline, images, dates and author, done right](https://porteur.ai/guides/article-schema): Use Article, BlogPosting or NewsArticle schema the way Google expects. Get headlines, images, dates and the author right, and test it before release.
- [FAQ schema in 2026: valid, readable by assistants, no rich result](https://porteur.ai/guides/faq-schema): FAQ rich results are gone for most sites, but valid FAQ schema still helps assistants read your answers. Here is the shape, rules and tests.
- [Organization schema: the fields that feed your knowledge panel](https://porteur.ai/guides/organization-schema): Set up Organization schema to feed your logo, social profiles and knowledge panel. See the fields, a JSON-LD example, where to place it, and how to test.
- [Structured data](https://porteur.ai/glossary/structured-data): Structured data is schema markup that names your page type. See why it changes results, how to add JSON-LD, and how to validate it.

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