When you're making a Create card, whether that be a Recipe, HowTo, or List, you may have wondered about this check box under the Utilities section:
Schema, which is basically a computer language that communicates information about your content to search engines, is a word that you may hear tossed around quite a bit. It can be an intimidating topic. (For the basics of what Schema is, check out this blog post!)
As it pertains to how to use Schema with your Create cards, though, it's really not too complicated! Here are the main things that you need to know:
Most of the time, you DO want to be using Schema! (Leaving the box for "Use Schema (LD+JSON)" checked!)
There are a few situations where it's best to turn off Schema, and we'll discuss those in a bit more detail below.
Why You Almost Always Want to Use Schema
Because Schema tells search engines information about your content and makes your post eligible for Rich Results, it's beneficial for SEO to have this markup present in your posts.
Create makes it really easy for you to set yourself up with that markup, by giving you Recipe Schema, HowTo Schema, or ItemList Schema, depending on what kind of card you are making.
By way of Schema, Google uses the info that you put into your Create card to have something to display in those Rich Results (image, ratings, ingredients, etc.)
Since Schema does provide you with those benefits, more often than not, you do want to be using it. Schema is turned ON in your Create cards by default, so most of the time, you don't even have to give it a second thought.
When to Turn Schema Off
Situations in which you would want to disable Schema are generally few and far between. Still, it's important to understand what these instances are, so that you can be sure to follow best practices.
Here are the main situations that would usually mean you want to turn Schema OFF:
When you are using multiple Create cards on one page (This help article offers more info on this that you will want to know)
If the Create card you are using has nothing to do with the main content of your post. Schema tells Google information about your content. If the card outputting Schema is not relevant to your post’s content, Schema should be off.
If you are using a Create card for something other than its intended purpose, or if you're not adding in important pieces of requested info (like if you're using a HowTo card to display something that doesn't have stepped instructions or materials)