Is HowTo schema still worth adding since Google removed the rich result?

Yes, for machine understanding rather than a search snippet. Google dropped the step-by-step visual card from web search in 2023, but the structured data still helps Google and other engines parse ordered instructions correctly, and AI answer engines use the same clean step structure when summarizing or quoting the page.

Does HowTo schema still appear anywhere in Google's results?

Google has said it may still use HowTo structured data on Google Assistant-connected surfaces and internal understanding, but it no longer renders the dedicated collapsible rich result in standard web search that was common through 2022.

Where should the HowTo JSON-LD script be placed?

In a single script tag with type application/ld+json in the head or body of the specific instructional page. It should describe only the guide on that page — bundling multiple unrelated how-to guides into one HowTo object isn't valid.

What's a common mistake with HowTo step text?

Writing marketing copy instead of an actual instruction inside the step's text field, or leaving steps out of order relative to the visible page. Since there's no visual reward anymore, the only reason to keep the markup accurate is so AI systems can trust and reuse it verbatim.

Free tool · No signup

HowTo Schema Generator

Turn a set of instructions into valid HowTo JSON-LD structured as numbered, machine-readable steps.

Task name *

Description

Image URL

Total time (minutes)

Supplies

Comma-separated.

Tools

Comma-separated.

Estimated cost

Cost currency

Steps

step 1

Step name

Step text

Step anchor URL

step 2

Step name

Step text

Step anchor URL

step 3

Step name

Step text

Step anchor URL

HowTo JSON-LD

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HowTo",
  "name": "How to fix a 301 redirect chain",
  "description": "Collapse multi-hop redirects into a single hop so crawlers reach the destination in one request.",
  "image": "https://example.com/img/redirect-chain.png",
  "totalTime": "PT25M",
  "estimatedCost": {
    "@type": "MonetaryAmount",
    "currency": "GBP",
    "value": 0
  },
  "supply": [
    {
      "@type": "HowToSupply",
      "name": "Crawl export"
    },
    {
      "@type": "HowToSupply",
      "name": "server access"
    }
  ],
  "tool": [
    {
      "@type": "HowToTool",
      "name": "Site crawler"
    },
    {
      "@type": "HowToTool",
      "name": "text editor"
    }
  ],
  "step": [
    {
      "@type": "HowToStep",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Crawl the site",
      "text": "Run a full crawl and export every URL with a 3xx status, keeping the redirect target column.",
      "url": "https://example.com/guides/redirect-chains#crawl"
    },
    {
      "@type": "HowToStep",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Map each chain to its final URL",
      "text": "Follow every hop until you reach a 200 response and record that URL as the destination.",
      "url": "https://example.com/guides/redirect-chains#map"
    },
    {
      "@type": "HowToStep",
      "position": 3,
      "name": "Rewrite the rules",
      "text": "Replace the intermediate rules so the first URL points straight at the destination, then re-crawl to confirm a single hop.",
      "url": "https://example.com/guides/redirect-chains#rewrite"
    }
  ]
}
</script>

Paste this block into the <head> or anywhere in the <body> of the page it describes, then confirm it parses with the JSON-LD schema validator.

In short

A HowTo schema generator produces JSON-LD describing name, step-by-step instructions as HowToStep objects, and optional tool and supply lists using HowToTool and HowToSupply. Google retired the dedicated HowTo rich result (the collapsible step-by-step card) in search results in 2023, so the markup no longer earns that visual treatment, but the structured data still helps search engines and AI answer engines like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT parse discrete, ordered steps rather than a wall of prose, which improves how reliably an instructional page gets quoted or summarized. Enter your steps below to generate it.

Worked example

What the output looks like

Input: HowTo: Bleed a Radiator, tools: radiator key, supplies: cloth, 3 steps, total time 10 minutes
Output: { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "HowTo", "name": "How to Bleed a Radiator", "totalTime": "PT10M", "tool": [ {"@type": "HowToTool", "name": "Radiator key"} ], "supply": [ {"@type": "HowToSupply", "name": "Cloth or small tray"} ], "step": [ {"@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Turn off the heating", "text": "Switch off the central heating and let the radiator cool completely."}, {"@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Open the bleed valve", "text": "Insert the radiator key into the valve at the top corner and turn a quarter turn counter-clockwise until air hisses out."}, {"@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Close the valve", "text": "Once water starts trickling out steadily, close the valve and wipe up any spillage."} ] }
How to read it: Each step carries both a short name and a longer text description — the name works as a label for a step index while text holds the full instruction. There's no visual rich result to check this against anymore, so validate structurally with a schema checker and confirm the step order and wording match what's rendered on the page.

How it works

Enter the task name and overall time

Provide the HowTo name — what the guide teaches someone to do — and totalTime in ISO 8601 duration format if the task has a meaningful time commitment, such as PT45M for 45 minutes.

List tools, supplies and each numbered step

Add HowToTool entries for reusable items and HowToSupply for consumables, then break the instructions into separate HowToStep entries rather than one long paragraph, matching the numbered list actually shown on the page.

Copy the JSON-LD and keep it matched to visible content

Paste the generated script tag into the guide's page. Since there's no rich-result visual anymore, focus on keeping every step's text identical to what's rendered on the page for AI engines to trust and quote.

What this tool does

Structures each instruction as a numbered HowToStep object
Adds supply and tool lists with HowToSupply and HowToTool
Includes totalTime and estimatedCost where relevant
Outputs schema.org-valid JSON-LD ready to paste into your guide page

Questions

Frequently asked

More free SEO tools

Learn the concept

Do it inside LemRank

How to Appear in Google AI Overviews

Track AI Overview and LLM visibility across every keyword

LemRank tracks rankings, backlinks, and AI-search visibility in one dashboard. 14-day free Pro trial. No credit card.