HowTo schema is a Schema.org type for step-by-step instructional content. It includes properties for name (the goal), step (HowToStep array with name and text), totalTime, supply, tool and image. HowTo schema unlocks rich results in Google including step carousels and is heavily extracted by AI engines answering 'how to' queries.
How-to queries are among the most common in AI search. ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews actively pattern-match user 'how to X' queries to HowTo-marked content. A well-structured HowTo block dramatically improves citation odds on these queries.
name (clear goal statement), description, totalTime (ISO 8601 duration), step array. Each HowToStep has name (step heading), text (step instruction), optionally image and url. Add supply (HowToSupply) and tool (HowToTool) where applicable.
Validate with Google's Rich Results Test. Note that as of late 2023 Google removed HowTo rich results from desktop search, but the structured data still serves AI extraction and remains in mobile.
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