Schema Markup·4 min read

HowTo Schema After Google Dropped the Rich Result

For a few years, HowTo markup could turn a tutorial into a step-by-step rich result in Google. That feature is gone: Google limited it to desktop in 2023 and then stopped showing it. The markup itself is still valid Schema.org, and plenty of sites still ask whether to keep it or add it. This guide gives a straight answer, explains how the HowTo type is built, and shows when a different type serves the page better. The HowTo Schema Generator on this site writes clean markup without promising a Google feature.

Open the free HowTo Schema Generator All insights

What happened to HowTo rich results

The short history.

In August 2023 Google announced it would reduce HowTo rich results to desktop only, alongside cutting FAQ rich results back to government and health sites. HowTo results then stopped appearing altogether, and Google's HowTo documentation was retired. Search Console's HowTo report went with it.

Google has said that structured data it no longer uses does no harm. Pages with HowTo markup are not penalised, and there is no need to rip it out in a hurry. But adding HowTo markup today will not change how a page looks in Google, and any tool or guide that promises a HowTo rich result is out of date.

Is HowTo markup still worth adding?

Sometimes, for honest reasons.

Structured data is read by more than Google. Other search engines, AI assistants and in-house search tools read Schema.org markup, and a clean HowTo block gives them the steps, supplies and tools of a guide without guesswork. For a support site or a DIY blog whose pages already show clear numbered steps, that is a modest benefit for a few minutes of work.

It is not worth building pages around the markup, adding steps that are not on the page, or spending time on HowTo while more useful markup is missing. If a page has no Article, Organization or Breadcrumb markup yet, do those first.

How the HowTo type is built

Supplies, tools and steps.

A HowTo has a name, a description and usually an image of the finished result. totalTime is an ISO 8601 duration such as PT30M, and estimatedCost is a MonetaryAmount with a value and a currency code. yield can describe what you end up with, such as 1 repaired faucet.

supply lists what gets used up or becomes part of the result, each a HowToSupply: a replacement cartridge, paint, screws. tool lists what you need but keep, each a HowToTool: a wrench, a screwdriver. The split matters, because a reader planning a job needs to know what to buy versus what to borrow.

step holds the instructions. Each HowToStep has the instruction as text, and can carry a short name, an image and a URL pointing to an anchor for that step on the page. Longer guides group steps into HowToSection items, each with a name such as Preparation or Assembly.

Writing the markup with the generator

From a published guide to a block.

Start with the title, description, page URL and an image, then the total time in minutes and the estimated cost. List supplies and tools one per row. Add each step with its instruction; section names, short names, images and anchors are optional. If the guide is already written, paste its numbered steps into the paste box and the tool splits them into rows, removing numbers and labels such as Step 3:.

Load example fills the form with a short faucet repair guide so you can see the full structure. If your site already outputs HowTo markup from a plugin, paste it into Import existing JSON-LD to load and tidy it.

The output comes as JSON-LD or microdata. The Google test link is hidden, since Google's Rich Results Test no longer reports on HowTo; use Validate at validator.schema.org to check the structure instead.

A worked example

Fixing a leaky kitchen faucet.

The example guide is titled How to Fix a Leaky Kitchen Faucet, takes 30 minutes and costs about 15 dollars. It lists two supplies, a replacement cartridge and plumber's grease, and three tools, an adjustable wrench, a flathead screwdriver and an Allen key.

The output reads, in short: {"@type": "HowTo", "name": "How to Fix a Leaky Kitchen Faucet", "totalTime": "PT30M", "estimatedCost": {"@type": "MonetaryAmount", "currency": "USD", "value": "15"}, "supply": [two HowToSupply items], "tool": [three HowToTool items], "step": [four HowToStep items with position, name and text]}. Give the last two steps the section name Reassembly and they move into a HowToSection of their own.

When another type fits better

Recipe, VideoObject and ItemList.

Cooking guides should use Recipe, not HowTo. Google still shows recipe rich results, and Recipe has fields HowTo lacks: ingredients, prep and cook time, yield and nutrition. The Recipe Schema Generator covers them.

If the tutorial is mainly a video, VideoObject markup with key moments can still earn a video result that jumps to each step. A numbered roundup, such as ten ways to cut energy bills, is a list rather than a procedure, and fits ItemList. A written guide with an author and date should carry Article markup whatever else it has.

Repair, setup or craft guide: HowTo, plus Article.
Cooking a dish: Recipe.
Video tutorial: VideoObject with Clip key moments.
Ranked list of options: ItemList.