Searching for the best WordPress schema markup plugins to add structured data to WordPress?
Schema markup, also called structured data, helps you provide additional context to search engines like Google (or other platforms like social media networks).
Search engines can use that added context to help add rich snippets (aka rich results) to your site’s search page listings, such as eye-catching review stars for a review blog or recipe time/nutrition data for a food blog.
This extra information can help boost your organic click-through rate (CTR) and maximize the traffic you receive from your rankings.
To help you properly add structured data to WordPress, we’ve curated our picks for the six best schema markup WordPress plugins, AKA WordPress rich snippets plugins or WordPress structured data plugins.
This list includes both free and premium options, as well as plugins for simple use cases or advanced custom implementations.
Basically, you should be able to find a helpful plugin on this list regardless of your specific use case or budget.
Let’s dig in!
But First – Most SEO Plugins Offer Basic Schema Markup Functionality
Before digging into the plugins, it’s worth pointing out that you might not need a dedicated WordPress schema markup plugin, depending on the type of schema markup that you want to add.
If you just want to add general sitewide schema markup, most quality SEO plugins already include this functionality, including all of the big names such as Yoast SEO, Rank Math, All In One SEO, The SEO Framework, SEOPress, and more.
Some SEO plugins even help you set up schema markup for individual content, such as adding review schema markup to a review post. For example, Rank Math’s premium version includes a built-in schema generator.
So – before you install a dedicated WordPress schema markup plugin, I recommend checking to see if your SEO plugin can already handle your use case.
Beyond that, you also might want a more specific plugin if you’re focused on only one type of schema markup. For example, if you want recipe schema markup for a food blog, you might prefer a WordPress recipe plugin (all of which support the recipe schema markup).
Six Best WordPress Schema Markup Plugins for Structured Data
Here are our picks for the six best WordPress schema markup plugins, in no particular order.
1. Schema Pro
Schema Pro is a premium schema markup WordPress plugin from Brainstorm Force, the same team behind the massively popular Astra theme and a number of other plugins.
It supports basic sitewide schema markup as well as 17+ specific schema markup types including review, recipe, how-to, and more.
To add the schema markup, Schema Pro uses Google-preferred JSON-LD markup, which lets you add structured data without needing to add a content box to your site.
One of the best things about this plugin is that it works automatically. You can use conditional rules to set up your schema markup and map schema fields to different WordPress fields (including custom fields).
For example, you could automatically apply the review schema markup but only to posts in the review category. What’s more, you could automatically map the review rating to a custom field if you want to take things even further.
Then, Schema Pro will automatically add schema markup according to your rules. This makes it really great for automating even completely custom applications.
Here are some other notable features:
- Built-in schema markup testing tool to validate schema right away.
- Dedicated schema blocks if you do want to add frontend content, including FAQ and how-to blocks.
- Built-in support for most SEO plugins to automatically avoid duplicating schema markup.
Pros:
- It lets you automate any type of schema markup.
- You can map schema markup data to any data in WordPress, including custom fields.
- Comes from a very established developer.
Cons:
- It’s a little more complicated to set up (but the learning curve is worth it).
Price: From $67. Or, get it as part of the Astra theme Growth bundle.
There is a basic free version at WordPress.org, but I don’t recommend it because it requires you to add a frontend context box.
2. Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP
Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP is the most popular WordPress schema markup plugin at the free WordPress.org directory.
It supports 35+ different schema types, including all of the most popular options. To apply these schema markup types to your site, you first need to enable them. You can do this on a post type level. For example, you could enable the “Recipe” schema but only for posts.
Then, you’ll get a new meta box in the editor for content that meets your rules. The plugin will try to automatically “fetch” the data, but you can click a button to open the full editor and modify all the data according to your needs:
If you’re writing reviews, it also includes a special review box feature that lets you add a frontend review box in addition to the behind-the-scenes schema markup data.
The plugin also includes a number of dedicated blocks that you can use to add frontend content with the proper markup, including FAQ, How To, Event, and more.
Pros:
- You can enable different schema types on a per-post type basis.
- The plugin will try to automatically fetch as much schema data as possible.
- It includes a bunch of blocks and a dedicated review summary box.
Cons:
- You can’t automatically map schema markup to custom fields.
Price: Free version. Premium version from $99.
Get Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP
3. WPSSO
WPSSO, short for WordPress Social and Search Optimization, calls itself the “complete structured data plugin”.
As the name suggests, it provides all of the structured data markup that you need for both search engines and social media sites.
For example, in addition to helping you get rich results in Google, it can also help you get Pinterest Rich Pins, Twitter Cards, and so on.
In total, it supports 500 different schema types and it also has built-in integrations for a ton of different plugins. In fact, you could even use it to replace your SEO plugins (though it also automatically integrates with most popular SEO plugins if you’re using one).
To apply these at an individual level, you’ll get a detailed new meta box on each post:
Overall, it can be a great option if you want to go beyond just rich results in Google with your structured data. However, its comprehensive approach does make it a little more complicated than other schema plugins, at least in my opinion.
Pros:
- It supports a huge array of schema types, which is helpful if you need a less popular schema type (e.g. SportsActivityLocation).
- It has a ton of different features – it’s definitely one of the most comprehensive options for all types of structured data.
- The premium version offers lifetime updates at no extra cost.
Cons:
- All the settings can feel a little overwhelming (though it uses a modular approach so that you can hide features you aren’t using).
- While the plugin is pretty affordable if you have a single site, its multi-site licenses can be expensive if you have a lot of sites.
Price: Free version and lots of free extensions. Premium version from $59 with lifetime updates.
4. Schema
Not to be confused with Schema Pro, Schema is another freemium WordPress schema plugin that makes it easy to add a variety of different schema markup types to your site.
It offers a simple setup wizard to set up sitewide schema data such as organization information and social profiles.
For other schema types, it offers automated setup as much as possible and also lets you set up your own customizations using post meta.
There are also add-ons to allow site visitors to submit ratings and reviews, as well as FAQ and How-To blocks that you can use to add properly marked up frontend content.
Pros:
- It gives you a good amount of flexibility for customizing the schema output (though a lot of features require the premium version).
- It uses a “set it and forget it” approach. So once you set up the schema one time, they’ll be applied automatically.
Cons:
- The supported schema list in the free version is quite limited – you need the premium version for basic schema types such as reviews and recipes.
- It can be expensive if you want access to the premium extensions (on top of the core premium plugin).
Price: Free version. Premium version from $99. You also might want to purchase some premium extensions separately or you can get a bundle of the premium extensions and the premium plugin for $199.
5. WP Review
Don’t be fooled by the name! While WP Review does offer deep support for the review schema markup, it also offers support for all the other popular schema markup types, too, including recipes, books, products, and so on.
In total, it supports 19+ different schema markup types. However, it’s still focused on the rating element of these schema types.
For example, if you publish a recipe, WP Review could help you add the recipe schema markup but then also collect ratings from visitors to help you also get the star rich snippets in Google.
Visitors can leave these ratings via the comment system or a dedicated review option.
Overall, if you like the rating aspect, this might be a good schema markup tool for your site. Otherwise, there are better options for WordPress structured data.
Pros:
- Lets visitors leave reviews on any schema type to help you get star rich snippets.
- Despite the name, it supports 19+ different schema types.
Cons:
- There’s no way to automate the schema markup – you need to manually add it to each post.
- The plugin works by adding a frontend content box, which some people might not like. You can’t just add the backend data using JSON-LD.
Price: From $67.
There is a limited free version of the plugin, but the free version only supports the review schema.
6. Spectra
Spectra, formerly Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg, is a WordPress block plugin that extends the native WordPress editor with new blocks, templates, and features.
That is, it’s not a dedicated schema markup plugin.
However, it does come with three schema-enabled blocks that can be really handy for certain use cases:
- FAQ
- How To
- Review
All three blocks let you enable schema markup with the click of a button, which is great if you want this type of targeted functionality.
Pros:
- Easily enable schema markup for FAQs, how-to, and reviews.
- The blocks let you add frontend content for your readers in addition to the schema markup.
- The schema blocks are 100% free.
Cons:
- It’s not a full-service schema markup plugin, so it might not fit your specific needs.
Price: 100% free for the schema blocks.
Schema Markup WordPress FAQs
To finish out our collection of the best WordPress schema markup plugins, here are a few common questions you might have…
Schema markup is behind-the-scenes code that you add to your WordPress site to provide search engines with more context about your content. Search engines can use this information to enhance your site’s display in their search results pages.
Yes, schema markup and structured data are basically the same thing. In technical terms, schema markup is one type of structured data. That is, all schema markup is structured data, but not all structured data comes in the form of schema markup.
To help provide Google with the information that it needs to give your site rich snippets, you should use a dedicated schema markup plugin and add as much data as possible.
You cannot force Google to give your WordPress site rich snippets no matter which plugin you use. However, adding schema markup makes it more likely that Google will give you rich snippets.
You could add schema markup to WordPress without plugins by injecting the proper JSON-LD structured data in your WordPress site’s <head> section. However, it’s much easier to just use a dedicated schema markup plugin.
Which Is the Best WordPress Schema Markup Plugin?
The best WordPress schema markup plugin for your site will depend on your specific use case and your budget.
For the overall most flexible option, I recommend Schema Pro because it supports a range of schema types and lets you automate everything by mapping schema markup directly to data on your WordPress site, including support for custom fields.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a free schema markup plugin, I recommend the free version of Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP. It’s quite flexible, but the key difference is that it doesn’t let you automatically map schema markup to custom fields as Schema Pro allows. It does have lots of dedicated integrations, though (especially with the premium version).
WPSSO is also another great option if you want a ton of features and customization options, but I personally find it a little more complicated to use because it has so many features.
Or, if you just want some schema-enabled blocks that you can use here and there, the free Spectra plugin makes a great option for FAQs, how-tos, and review boxes.
For a tutorial on implementing one specific type of schema, you might also be interested in our guide on how to add FAQ schema to WordPress, which shows you how to use the FAQ block in the Spectra plugin.
Do you still have any questions about how to choose the best WordPress structured data plugin for your needs? Let us know in the comments!
Leave a Reply