In the past, when creating websites using WordPress and not yet familiar with SEO (Search Engine Optimization), we often overlooked something very important yet ‘unfamiliar,’ which we frequently forgot, namely Schema Markup. In many WordPress SEO plugins scattered across the internet that we have tried numerous times, Schema Markup is rarely included in the Setup Wizard, which ultimately makes us think it might not be that important.
It was different when we started using Rank Math, one of the WordPress SEO plugins that can still be considered ‘newborn’, yet its users have reached over 3 million, which is certainly something extraordinary.
At first, we were hesitant to try Rank Math because we thought it was still new, but over time, we felt that the plugin we had been using before made it really difficult to improve our website’s ranking, for some reason. Eventually, we tried browsing and comparing various options, and well, the decision came. We decided to try Rank Math, and after about a week of using it, it seems we won’t switch to another SEO plugin unless something very critical happens.
The journey of using Rank Math began when we ran the Setup Wizard for the first time, and well, we were really impressed with its clean, simple, and easy-to-understand interface. But that’s not the point; during the Setup Wizard step, the plugin asked us to choose Schema markup, and of course, it made us think, What is this? Why are there so many options? Is this important? In the end, at that moment, we just chose whatever felt right to us, and the Rank Math installation was complete.
The next day, we started thinking back, could this Schema Markup be the reason our website used to struggle so much to rank on search engines? And finally, we asked on Google, ChatGPT, and other sources, and it turns out that Schema Markup is quite important.
Finally, based on sources we trust, we decided to edit our previous Schema Markup that we set up through the Rank Math Setup Wizard, which was not quite aligned with our content.
This is where our journey of starting to like Rank Math began. For those of you who also want to learn about Schema Markup and set up Schema Markup that better fits your content using the Rank Math plugin, if you are using WordPress, you can continue reading our following article.
Table of Contents
- What is Schema Markup?
- Schema Markup in Rank Math
- How to Set Up Schema Markup in Rank Math
- Free or Pro version?
- Results After About 2 Weeks of Using Rank Math
What is Schema Markup?
Schema Markup is like a secret language used to tell search engines, like Google, what your page is about, in a way that regular visitors can’t see.
If your web page is a theater stage, then schema markup is the secret script given to the director (Google) so they know:
- Who the actors are (author, publisher)
- What the plot is (article, recipe, product)
- Other important information (date, price, rating, etc.)
Why is Schema Markup Important?
Without Schema Markup, Google can only guess the content of your page. With Schema Markup, Google can clearly understand whether your page is a Blog article, News, Product, Recipe, or Event. And with this, Google can display it with rich results features (more attractive and interactive search results displays).
Schema Markup in Rank Math
In Rank Math, Schema Markup is called “Schema Type.” “Schema Type” in Rank Math is a type of structured data that helps Google and other search engines better understand the context of your web page. Essentially, Schema tells Google “what this page is about,” not just showing the text.
Here we will only discuss 3 types of Schemas that are probably the most used in Rank Math, namely Article, Blog Post, and News Article; for the rest, you can study them yourself. Here we provide a table to help you choose which Schema Markup is best for your content so that search engines like Google can better understand the content on your website.
| Schema Type | When to Use It | Example Content | Best For | SEO Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Article | General informative content that is not highly personal or time-sensitive | Educational posts, general guides, opinion pieces | General blogs, informational sites | Helps Google identify the content as a main article and show rich results |
| Blog Post (subtype of Article) | Personal or casual blog content with a personal tone or experience | Personal stories, casual tips, light tutorials | Personal blogs, lifestyle niches, hobby websites | Better suited for personal blogs with individual authorship |
| News Article | Current events, timely updates, or content categorized as news | Breaking news, daily updates, investigative reporting | News portals, media sites, dedicated news sections | May appear in Google News / Top Stories (if eligible) |
How to Set Up Schema Markup in Rank Math
A. Through the Wizard
When you first install Rank Math, you can actually set up Schema Markup generally for all your articles, so this setting will affect all Schema Markup in each of your articles. Schema Markup will appear if you choose the Advanced Setup option.
B. Through the Titles & Meta menu
1. If you missed the Schema Markup settings during the Setup Wizard, don’t worry, you can still change the Schema Markup for all your articles via the “Titles & Meta” menu in the Rank Math SEO option in your WordPress admin sidebar. Then select the “Posts” menu.
2. Then scroll down, and there you can see the settings for your content’s Schema Markup. Please choose one. The blue color indicates the option you are currently using.
C. Through Schema Markup Settings on Each Post
This is the most powerful, and what we love about Rank Math. In every post or article we create, we can manually set the type of Schema Markup we use for each article, and when we change the Schema Markup through the Titles & Meta menu, it will not override our choice, and of course, this is really great. Here is the guide:
1. To set up Schema Markup on each post, please open your post through the admin page. Then click the Rank Math menu, select the Schema tab, and click the Edit button. See the screenshot below.
2. Then choose the Schema Type that matches the content of your post. This choice will not change even if you reset it for the article overall via Titles & Meta. Then don’t forget to click the “Save for this Post” button to save it, and you can publish or save your article draft.
Free or Pro version?
We are currently using the free version of Rank Math, and it is quite powerful. For those of you who want to use it as well, you can easily install Rank Math through the Plugins > Add Plugin menu on your WordPress dashboard, type “Rank Math,” then install and activate the plugin.
Of course, the pro version is much more powerful, perfect for those of you with business websites, professional sites, or even if you are an agency, because there are powerful features available in the pro version, including keyword tracking, a powerful schema generator, automated SEO sitemaps, and many more features. To get the Rank Math Pro version, you can visit this link.
Results After About 2 Weeks of Using Rank Math
After using Rank Math for approximately 2 weeks, we are quite satisfied with the results. Your results and ours may differ, depending on the setup, configuration, and many other variables.
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