HowTo Schema Generator

Hand-coding HowTo JSON-LD invites syntax errors

One missing comma can make a whole block of structured data unreadable. This form removes that risk for HowTo markup: you describe your guide in plain fields, and the generator assembles syntactically valid JSON with a HowTo object, an optional MonetaryAmount for cost, and one HowToStep per step, each with a position, a name and its text. The script runs locally, so your draft stays on your machine.

Step by step

1. Type the guide's name in the title box, worded like the page heading.
2. Add a brief summary in the description box.
3. For a known duration, write it in ISO 8601 form in the time box (PT45M, PT2H). For a typical spend, put a bare number such as 50 in the cost box and set the currency code if it is not USD.
4. Complete the first step, then press "+ Add Step" to open another pair of boxes for each step on the page.
5. Press "Generate Schema". The result appears below the buttons as a script block, and "Copy JSON-LD" puts it on your clipboard.

What to watch for

Nothing on the form is checked before output. A blank title or description is quietly omitted, and a duration like "half an hour" goes through untouched even though parsers expect the PT format. The currency box takes any three letters, uppercases them and falls back to USD when cleared. If a step has instructions but no name, the generator labels it "Step" plus its number. Blank steps are dropped and the rest are renumbered in sequence, so an empty box between two filled ones leaves no hole. The form cannot remove a box, but unused ones do no harm. The form also leaves out images, supplies, tools and section groupings; add those by hand if you need them.

Questions people ask

Will HowTo markup get me a rich result in Google?

No. Google retired HowTo rich results in 2023. The markup is still valid schema.org vocabulary, so other parsers can read it, but do not add it expecting a visual change in Google results.

What should I put in the total time box?

An ISO 8601 duration. It starts with PT, then hours with H and minutes with M: PT20M, PT1H, PT1H30M. Leave the box empty if the time varies a lot; the property is then omitted.

Where does the code go on my page?

Paste the block into the HTML of the same page as the guide, in the head or the body. The steps in the markup should match the steps a visitor reads, which is the standing rule for any structured data. Then test the live page.

Further reading: How-To and Tutorial Content: Structuring Steps for Search and AI and HowTo Schema: Why Google Retired It and What to Do Now.

The same tool is also published on the static mirror at seoprocheck.github.io, and the rest of the set is on the free tools page.