Add JSON-LD Schema to WordPress Without Plugins

Add JSON-LD Schema to WordPress Without Plugins

Inject dynamic Schema.org JSON-LD structured data directly into your WordPress site without relying on heavy SEO plugins. This approach gives you full control over your structured data output and keeps your site lightweight.

Auto-Detect Page Type & Output Schema

/**
 * Output JSON-LD Schema Markup for WordPress
 * Add to your child theme's functions.php
 */
function wp_custom_json_ld_schema() {
    $schema = [];

    if ( is_front_page() ) {
        $schema = wp_get_website_schema();
    } elseif ( is_singular( 'post' ) ) {
        $schema = wp_get_article_schema();
    } elseif ( is_singular( 'page' ) ) {
        $schema = wp_get_webpage_schema();
    } elseif ( is_author() ) {
        $schema = wp_get_person_schema();
    } elseif ( is_category() || is_tag() ) {
        $schema = wp_get_collection_schema();
    }

    if ( ! empty( $schema ) ) {
        echo '<script type="application/ld+json">' . wp_json_encode( $schema, JSON_UNESCAPED_SLASHES | JSON_PRETTY_PRINT ) . '</script>' . "\n";
    }
}
add_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_custom_json_ld_schema' );

WebSite Schema (Homepage)

function wp_get_website_schema() {
    return [
        '@context'      => 'https://schema.org',
        '@type'         => 'WebSite',
        'name'          => get_bloginfo( 'name' ),
        'description'   => get_bloginfo( 'description' ),
        'url'           => home_url( '/' ),
        'publisher'     => [
            '@type' => 'Organization',
            'name'  => get_bloginfo( 'name' ),
            'logo'  => [
                '@type' => 'ImageObject',
                'url'   => get_site_icon_url( 512 ),
            ],
        ],
        'potentialAction' => [
            '@type'       => 'SearchAction',
            'target'      => home_url( '/?s={search_term_string}' ),
            'query-input' => 'required name=search_term_string',
        ],
    ];
}

Article Schema (Blog Posts)

function wp_get_article_schema() {
    global $post;

    $author      = get_the_author_meta( 'display_name', $post->post_author );
    $author_url  = get_author_posts_url( $post->post_author );
    $thumbnail   = get_the_post_thumbnail_url( $post->ID, 'full' );
    $categories  = wp_get_post_categories( $post->ID, [ 'fields' => 'names' ] );
    $tags        = wp_get_post_tags( $post->ID, [ 'fields' => 'names' ] );

    $schema = [
        '@context'         => 'https://schema.org',
        '@type'            => 'Article',
        'headline'         => get_the_title(),
        'description'      => wp_trim_words( get_the_excerpt(), 30 ),
        'url'              => get_permalink(),
        'datePublished'    => get_the_date( 'c' ),
        'dateModified'     => get_the_modified_date( 'c' ),
        'author'           => [
            '@type' => 'Person',
            'name'  => $author,
            'url'   => $author_url,
        ],
        'publisher'        => [
            '@type' => 'Organization',
            'name'  => get_bloginfo( 'name' ),
            'logo'  => [
                '@type' => 'ImageObject',
                'url'   => get_site_icon_url( 512 ),
            ],
        ],
        'mainEntityOfPage' => [
            '@type' => 'WebPage',
            '@id'   => get_permalink(),
        ],
    ];

    if ( $thumbnail ) {
        $schema['image'] = $thumbnail;
    }

    if ( ! empty( $categories ) ) {
        $schema['articleSection'] = implode( ', ', $categories );
    }

    if ( ! empty( $tags ) ) {
        $schema['keywords'] = implode( ', ', $tags );
    }

    // Add word count for article quality signal
    $schema['wordCount'] = str_word_count( wp_strip_all_tags( $post->post_content ) );

    return $schema;
}

WebPage Schema (Static Pages)

function wp_get_webpage_schema() {
    return [
        '@context'    => 'https://schema.org',
        '@type'       => 'WebPage',
        'name'        => get_the_title(),
        'description' => wp_trim_words( get_the_excerpt(), 30 ),
        'url'         => get_permalink(),
        'isPartOf'    => [
            '@type' => 'WebSite',
            'name'  => get_bloginfo( 'name' ),
            'url'   => home_url( '/' ),
        ],
        'datePublished' => get_the_date( 'c' ),
        'dateModified'  => get_the_modified_date( 'c' ),
    ];
}

Person Schema (Author Pages)

function wp_get_person_schema() {
    $author = get_queried_object();

    return [
        '@context'    => 'https://schema.org',
        '@type'       => 'Person',
        'name'        => $author->display_name,
        'description' => get_the_author_meta( 'description', $author->ID ),
        'url'         => get_author_posts_url( $author->ID ),
        'image'       => get_avatar_url( $author->ID, [ 'size' => 512 ] ),
        'sameAs'      => array_filter( [
            get_the_author_meta( 'twitter', $author->ID ),
            get_the_author_meta( 'linkedin', $author->ID ),
            get_the_author_meta( 'github', $author->ID ),
        ] ),
    ];
}

CollectionPage Schema (Categories/Tags)

function wp_get_collection_schema() {
    $term = get_queried_object();

    return [
        '@context'    => 'https://schema.org',
        '@type'       => 'CollectionPage',
        'name'        => $term->name,
        'description' => $term->description ?: 'Browse all posts in ' . $term->name,
        'url'         => get_term_link( $term ),
        'isPartOf'    => [
            '@type' => 'WebSite',
            'name'  => get_bloginfo( 'name' ),
            'url'   => home_url( '/' ),
        ],
    ];
}

Organization Schema (Site-Wide)

/**
 * Add Organization schema to every page
 */
function wp_organization_schema() {
    $schema = [
        '@context'    => 'https://schema.org',
        '@type'       => 'Organization',
        'name'        => get_bloginfo( 'name' ),
        'url'         => home_url( '/' ),
        'logo'        => get_site_icon_url( 512 ),
        'description' => get_bloginfo( 'description' ),
        'sameAs'      => [
            'https://www.facebook.com/yourpage',
            'https://twitter.com/yourhandle',
            'https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourcompany',
        ],
    ];

    echo '<script type="application/ld+json">' . wp_json_encode( $schema, JSON_UNESCAPED_SLASHES ) . '</script>' . "\n";
}
add_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_organization_schema' );

Testing & Validation

# Validate your schema after deployment
# Google Rich Results Test
https://search.google.com/test/rich-results

# Schema.org Validator
https://validator.schema.org/

# Check in Google Search Console
# Navigate to Enhancements > Rich Results

Best Practices

• Use wp_json_encode() instead of json_encode() for WordPress compatibility and security
• Add to child theme to survive theme updates
• Use conditional tags (is_singular(), is_front_page()) for page-specific schema
• Include dateModified — Google prioritizes fresh content signals
• Keep schema consistent with visible page content to avoid penalties
• Validate regularly using Google Rich Results Test after any changes

Features

• Zero Plugin Dependencies: Pure PHP, no plugin overhead
• Auto Page Detection: Outputs correct schema per page type
• Dynamic Content: Pulls live data from WordPress database
• Search Action: Enables Google Sitelinks Search Box
• Full Control: Customize every schema property
• Performance: No extra HTTP requests or JavaScript