What is HowTo schema for?

HowTo structured data marks up step-by-step instructions. It helps search engines understand the sequence and can surface enhanced step listings on supported surfaces.

What format does totalTime use?

totalTime uses ISO 8601 duration format. PT30M means 30 minutes and PT1H15M means one hour and fifteen minutes. Leave it blank to omit it.

Can each step have an image?

Yes. Append an image URL after a pipe on the same line as the step text, and it becomes the image property of that HowToStep. Images are optional per step.

Does Google still show HowTo rich results?

Google has reduced HowTo rich result visibility over time, but the markup still helps machines parse your instructions and remains valid schema.org. Other engines and assistants can use it.

How many steps should I include?

Include every meaningful step in order — there is no fixed limit. Each non-empty line becomes one HowToStep with a position derived from its order.

JSON-LD HowTo Schema Builder

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HowTo structured data for tutorials

The schema.org HowTo type describes a task that a reader completes through a sequence of steps. Marking up tutorials, recipes-as-instructions, and setup guides with HowTo JSON-LD gives search engines an ordered, machine-readable version of your instructions. This builder turns a simple line-per-step list into a fully nested HowTo schema.

How it works

The output object has @type of HowTo with the task name and an optional totalTime in ISO 8601 duration format. Each line you enter becomes a HowToStep object inside the step array, with text set to the step content and a position index reflecting its order. If a line contains a pipe (|), the text before it becomes the step text and the part after becomes that step’s image. Empty lines are skipped so the step list stays clean and correctly numbered.

Tips and example

Write totalTime as a duration: 45 minutes is PT45M. To attach an image, format a line as Tighten the bolt | https://example.com/bolt.jpg. A generated block looks like this:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HowTo",
  "name": "Set up a Node project",
  "totalTime": "PT10M",
  "step": [
    {
      "@type": "HowToStep",
      "position": 1,
      "text": "Run npm init to create package.json"
    },
    {
      "@type": "HowToStep",
      "position": 2,
      "text": "Install dependencies with npm install",
      "image": "https://example.com/install.png"
    }
  ]
}

Keep the on-page instructions identical to the marked-up steps — structured data must reflect visible content, or it risks being treated as spam.