"HowTo" schema

HowTo schema marks up step-by-step instructional content, e.g., tutorials and step-by-step guides. Each step is structured with an order, text, optional images, and optional time/cost metadata.

(For cooking-related content, use Recipe instead, which is more specific.)

Note: Google has officially removed HowTo from its results and no longer returns step-by-step Rich Results as it used to. The markup itself, however, is still a valid schema.

HowTo schema is no longer a Google rich-result strategy, but it still:

• Helps LLMs and AIs parse instructional content cleanly
• Is supported by Bing and other search engines
• Provides clearer machine-readable structure for third-party tools

Key properties

• name – the title of the how-to
• description – overview
• image – primary image
• totalTime – ISO 8601 duration (e.g. PT30M = 30 minutes)
• estimatedCost – MonetaryAmount
• tool – tools required (HowToTool)
• supply – materials required (HowToSupply)
• step – array of HowToStep objects, each with name, text, optionally image and url

Example (JSON-LD)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HowTo",
  "name": "How to Reset Your Router",
  "description": "Step-by-step guide to a factory reset.",
  "totalTime": "PT5M",
  "tool": [
    { "@type": "HowToTool", "name": "Paperclip" }
  ],
  "step": [
    {
      "@type": "HowToStep",
      "name": "Locate the reset button",
      "text": "Find the small recessed button on the back of the router."
    },
    {
      "@type": "HowToStep",
      "name": "Hold for 10 seconds",
      "text": "Insert the paperclip and hold the button for at least 10 seconds."
    },
    {
      "@type": "HowToStep",
      "name": "Wait for reboot",
      "text": "Release the button and wait two minutes for the router to restart."
    }
  ]
}

Should you still implement "HowTo"?

HowTo markup no longer delivers measurable Google SERP benefits. If you're already producing instructional content with a clear step structure, though, adding the markup is a modest-effort activity and is still beneficial for other search engines and LLMs.

Schema

Disclaimer: All information contained herein is for informational purposes only. It is not advice or instructional.