Rich Snippets add “extra information” to snippets and make you stand out in search results.
You can do this with reviews, recipes, videos, events, user reviews, and other supported data. The easiest way to add rich snippets to WordPress is by installing a rich snippets plugin, using it to markup pages/posts (basically just filling out fields), then testing those URLs in Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool. This will increase your clickthrough rates (CTR) and SEO traffic.
If you’re looking to add FAQ rich snippets to WordPress, I have a tutorial on that.
What is the best WordPress rich snippets plugin? I use WP Review Pro (they also have a free version) which is the plugin I will feature in this tutorial. I used to use All In One Schema, but’s way too minimal. I also used WP Rich Snippets but the developer abandoned that plugin. WP Review is maintained by MyThemeShop, looks fantastic, loads fast, and is highly customizable.
Adding Rich Snippets To WordPress
1. Choose A Rich Snippets Plugin
Option 1: WP Review (I Use The Pro Version) – the plugin I use myself and recommend. Other rich snippet plugins are either too minimal (All In One Schema lacks customization options) or they’re unreliable (WP Rich Snippets hasn’t been updated for 2 years and isn’t compatible for PHP 7). I love WP Review and the pro version comes with 16 pre-styled designs, plus support.
Why I Use WP Review
- Looks awesome (here’s a page I use it on)
- The plugin is maintained! Unlike many others.
- Supports reviews, recipes, and most data types.
- Multiple ratings systems (stars, points, percentage).
- No compatibly issues with other plugins or new PHP versions.
- Lightweight (loads fast) and doesn’t affect my GTmetrix report.
- Supports user reviews + unlimited domain usage with pro version.
- Pro version comes with 16 pre-styled designs which look amazing.
Supported data types:
- Article
- Book
- Game
- Movie
- Music
- Painting
- Place
- Product
- Recipe
- Restaurant
- Software Application
- Store
- TvSeries
- Website
How it looks…
Option 2: All In One Schema Rich Snippets – free plugin that “does the job” but has minimal settings and customization options (by little I mean there are only 6 settings to customize how your rich snippets look). This doesn’t cut if for me. Here’s a full review of All In One Schema.org or see these screenshots on the WordPress plugin page.
Why I Don’t Use All In One Schema
- Looks boring
- Doesn’t support user reviews
- Limited customization options (literally only has 6 settings for customization)
- Only 1 type of rating (stars) with 1 point intervals (you can’t something a 4.5)
Supported data types:
- Reviews
- Events
- People
- Products
- Recipes
- Software Application
- Videos
- Articles
How it looks…
Option 3: WP Rich Snippets – I wanted to love this rich snippets plugin. I even used it for 2 years when it wasn’t updated once. But there came a point where I needed to upgrade from PHP 5.6 to PHP 7, and WP Rich Snippets wasn’t compatible (it broke my site). The developer lists “plugin updates” and “plugin support” on his website, but there is none. I would love to dive into cool features of WP Rich Snippets, but it would be a waste of time. Stay away from it.
Why I Don’t Use WP Rich Snippets
- No support
- No plugin updates (for 2 years!)
- Not compatible with PHP 7 or higher
- Doesn’t support event rich snippets type
- Most add-ons need to be purchased separately
- Each add-ons is an additional plugin that runs on your site
Supported data types:
- Articles
- Recipes
- Reviews
- Products
- Organizations
- Restaurants
- Software Application
How it looks…
2. Configure Your Plugin Settings
This will obviously be different depending on which rich snippets plugin you choose.
These are the settings for WP Review:
Styling
Below are the main settings where you can choose between their 16 pre-styled designs (for WP Review Pro) as well as colors, review box width, and whether you want Google Fonts.
Defaults
Choose the review type (star, point, percent, circle, thumbs up), whether you want the markup before or after the content, and what type of review you’re writing. You can use shortcodes to display markup somewhere in the middle of your content, if you don’t want it before or after.
Embed
Choose if you want to allow users to embed your reviews on their website.
3. Markup Your Content
Edit any page/post you want to add rich snippets to (it must be a review or other data type). Scroll down until you see the “review” sections. Here’s what they look like for WP Review.
Review – review type, item, and author fields are mandatory for Google to show schema.
Review Item – tell people what specific features you like and don’t like about the item, giving each one a score. You can customize the colors of the stars here (and their background color).
Review Links – add your affiliate link and the text you want to use as the link. The plugin will automatically set the link as nofollow so search engines don’t crawl it (which is what you want).
Review Description – your review description can include both text, links, images, and videos.
User Review – choose whether you want visitors to be able to leave a review about the item.
Here’s the end result:
4. Test In Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool
Run the post’s URL through Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to make sure your rich snippets are working. Just look for the green “all good” text and if you see errors, expand the box to see items that need to be fixed. Your rich snippets won’t appear immediately in Google’s search results (it can take a few days to update) but this tool will tell you if something’s wrong.
Common Solutions
- Add the data Google tells you to in their Structured Data Testing Tool
- Make sure the data is representative of the content on the page
- Try adding markup to a few more pages which is suggested by Google
- Upgrade to the latest version of WordPress, MySQL, and PHP (contact your host)
- Visit this Google forum which lists common problems and other FAQs
- Visit the structured data section of your Google Search Console
- Visit Google’s structured data policies and webmaster guidelines
- If you still have problems, it might be because you have a low domain authority
Once Google recrawls your site, your rich snippet should appear…
If You Decide All In One Schema (Free And Easy, But Minimal)
Install and activate the plugin…
In the settings, the configuration tab can be left as-is unless you want to change the text…
The customization tab has basic styling options…
Edit a page or post you want to add rich snippets to. Scroll down and select a rich snippet…
Based on the rich snippet you choose, you will be asked to fill out certain fields…
Publish the page and test the URL in Google’s Structured Data Tool (step 4). You will need to wait for Google to crawl your website (usually 1-4 days) for these to appear in search results.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best rich snippets plugin?
WP Review, Schema, and the WP Schema plugins all go a great job. It really depends on what data types you want to markup content for; then make a decision based on that. Avoid the WP Rich Snippets plugin which was abandoned by the developer of this plugin.
How did I get these emojis in FAQs?
I use the Structured Content plugin and added emojis to the questions. You can do this with nearly any post and any emoji.
What types of posts can be marked up?
Reviews, recipes, FAQs, and events are some of more popular data types. Check Google's Structured Data Types for a full list.
How do you test rich snippets?
Use Google's Structured Data Testing Tool to check for errors. Google Search Console will also tell you about your rich snippets (they have a specific section for FAQs and reviews).
How do I get in Google's featured snippets?
There are 3 types of featured snippets: paragraphs, lists, tables (paragraphs are the most common). First, find a question keyword where the top results don't do a good job of answering the question. Next, make sure you answer the question in a clear, concise way in your content. Adding an HTML table of contents and breaking subheadings into logical sections also helps. Finally, make each item in your HTML table of contents actionable.
Questions, Errors, Success?
If you’re still having trouble with errors, you can drop me a line below but I recommend you contact the plugin developer since they are suppose to provide support for their customers – WP Rich Snippets DOES provide support for the 1st year no matter which plan you chose.
I really hope you found this helpful! Adding rich snippets to WordPress is incredibly beneficial and can give you a huge advantage with your SEO. So if you’re stuck, please don’t quit and either reach out to me or contact the WP Rich Snippets support team for help.
See Also:
How I Optimized My WordPress Site To Load In .2s (100% GTmetrix/Pingdom Scores)
Cheers,
Tom
Hi Tom,
Great post. WP Rich Snippets was a good plugin, but sad to see developer abandon it.
I’m also surprised at lack of good plugins related Rich Snippets in WordPress plugin directory!
Me too, I used to love this plugin. A lot of SEO plugins have them built-in now like Rank Math and SEOPress – but of course it requires the paid version.
I have one question. Can you please let us know which plugin you are using to pull yoast seo title and description on your site?
Can you ellaborate? Yoast is the only plugin I use for SEO titles and meta descriptions, but I also use the Structured Content plugin for FAQ snippets, as well as WP Review for the review stars.
how can i use rich snippets code manually in wodpress post?
Google Tag Manager is probably your best bet.
brilliant Sir I choice your 1st opinion
Thanks for wp Rich spinets Tutorial !! Thats Amazing
Nice Article! Thanks, But I have a little question,
Can you us me how to add schema in AMP pages?
Have you tried using an AMP plugin? It does it for you https://wordpress.org/plugins/accelerated-mobile-pages/
Yesterday after reading this post I installed all in one schema plugin and created rich snippet on a post. That card is showing on the blog post below the content, so I removed plugin because I am not sure showing that card on the post is good or not. Please advise.
I checked on the search console structured data testing tool and found without this plugin also showing structured data without any errors. I am using Yoast free. Is it necessary or better to use the rich snippet plugin?
Ahhh, yes I literally just today updated my posts to recommend WP Review by MyThemeShop, but if you want to stick with All In One Schema, you do need to show that information on the post (whether it be before the content, after, or even in the middle – it must be somewhere in the content to get those review stars).
Yes you need a rich snippets plugin to show the data in Google’s search results. Google has a list of “required properties” that need to be shown on the page: here are for reviews https://developers.google.com/search/docs/data-types/review
Thanks. I have installed just now.
Hi Tom, I have a couple of sites where the rich snippets (item reviews by All in One Rich Snippets ) were removed. Any solutions on how to recover them?
Hm, was there an update? Do you see any errors in Google’s Structured Data Testing, any other changes that have been made? I recently switched from WP Rich Snippets to WP Review (by MyThemeShop) and am very happy.
could you tell me that how to hide summary bod from all in one rich snippets plugin?
Hi.
I tried to embed JSON-LD snippet code into a WP widget but I don’t see any data on my website.
I’ve tested the snippet on the Google Structured Data testing tool and it works fine.
In order to make the data contained in the snippet appearing on my website, may I have to add something into header.php file?
Thx in adv. for yr support.
It doesn’t appear that WP Rich Snippets handles Local Business snippets either. Did I miss it? Any recommendations for Local Business mark-up plugins?
Have you checked out Yoast’s local SEO plugin?
And also, thanks for this Wonderful Post!
Hi,
I have installed the free All in One Rich Snippets,
I am having some problem while using the plugin.
I want the width of the plugin to be 100% and the content should be centered.
Will you please provide me the necessary CSS changes and guide me where to implement them?
Thanks!
I don’t have the CSS for that, sorry! I use WP Rich Snippets. Maybe contact the developer to see if they have it? Or have a developer do it for you.
Brilliant bro, you have made my work simple
That’s what I do :)
Really very good aeticke on wp rich snippet. I am trying to find exactly same that you wrote. Thanks Alot.
Tom,
Thanks for the great low down on rich snippets. It’s definitely something I have to implement however I tried to go to the link you provided for WP Rich Snippets but I can’t connect. Is the link correct?
Hey Emmanuel,
I see the same thing – not sure what is wrong on their end – first time I’ve gone to their website and it’s been down like that. Try again soon and thank you!
Can I do all this manually with google markup tool? And where should I place the script?
Hello, I just recently found your guide and I love it. I really want to add a video rich snippet on my homepage, which I used the schema one since I’m only needing one.
It’s been a few days and still hasn’t shown. I have used Yoast since day 1 and I haven’t had any luck with google showing the snippet from Yoast that I made a while ago. Do you think I’m going to also run into this issue for the rich snippet?
I’m on the Cherry Framework, SiteGround, Yoast, and the schema all in one plugin.
Thanks in advance for all of your help.
Google ultimately decides what your snippet is and it can be based on the keyword. As long as your Yoast SEO title is filled out that’s all you can do.
Rich snippets are completely different… use Google’s structured data testing tool to check for errors. Sometimes you need to enough content (and ideally a few other pages/posts with rich snippets) before Google “awards” you with showing these in search results.
I know there was also a plugin for Genesis Framework I needed to install before mine worked https://wordpress.org/plugins/schema-removal/ there might be something similar for Cherry Framework but not 100% sure…
Ok thank you. So maybe try more than 1 page with rich snippets. Is it ok if they’re all the same or should they be different? Also, schema shows a weird thing on the bottom of my home page.
Really Nice Article, also i need to know Wp Rich Snippet support for homepage or only for post?
Thank you
I think you can do it for homepage as long as the rich snippets are present…but most sites have a blogroll or homepage with no rich snippets. As long as the markup is there though, it should work.
Thank you for such invaluable information. Your blog has been my go-to guide. No bluff. Pure knowledge. Thanks again.
I have two questions:
1. For all the guides that you published in this blog, did you publish them as pages or post? Would this make any difference from SEO point of view?
2. Do you still create a customize Meta Description via Yoast if you already create one using WP Rich Snippet?
Hey Wan,
1. Most all my guides on posts – I like to give people the option to comment, leave feedback, etc. The only page tutorial is my WordPress SEO Guide which was kind of an experiment – but I think I’ll keep doing posts.
2. Yes I always write a custom meta description. WP Rich Snippets only generates the review stars – the meta description is different :)
WP Rich Snippets isn’t playing well with Thrive Architect for me, are you using these two together with success?
I am not using Thrive Architect, I generally avoid using page builders since they slow down load times and Yoast doesn’t detect words in there. Not sure why it’s not compatible – I would reach out to the plugin developer.
Thanks for a awesome guide. It really help me in my website.
This is quite comprehensive, I was trying to add this from since a long and finally, I was able to it following the steps mentioned in this post.
Awesome, glad it worked!
really didnt get what i was looking for , but it was great insight here into website SEO
Hey thanks man you just dolved my all problem regarding this topic. Anyways keep posting thanks
Perfect, glad to hear that :)
Thank you, this is a great tutorial and it help me a lot
very good… kiss kiss
Also i need to know WP Rich Snippet plugin is compatible with woocommerce?
Yes, they have an add-on for WooCommerce https://wprichsnippets.com/addons/woocommerce/
thank you very very nice
fantastic in depth article we have learnt a lot about rich snippets and will be using them in all our sites moving forward.
Awesome :)
I am thankful to you for sharing this awesome article with this helpful knowledge.
do you know any add automatic snippets plugin for woocommerce products?
I don’t think any plugins are automatic as you have to fill in the information manually.
Thank you so much for this awesome guide on the Rich snippet. I will always like to go with paid one which provides best customization and setting options.
Yep, that’s what I use. Adds a nice touch to the blog design especially with the customize add-on where you can change colors.
wow .. really this google rich snippets article is lot more helpful to me.. Thanks for sharing…
Thanks , i was finding from many months how to use and impliment this on my site , today i found, thanks a lot. very valuable information .
Anytime, glad I could help! Yes a lot of tutorials are outdated and also talk about Google Authorship which has been discontinued for awhile.
I am using both Genesis Metro Theme & WP Rich Snippets Premium plugin which I already have installed for some months now. Is it really necessary to use the “Schema Removal” plugin at this late stage of the website development?
I actually had to use it to get the rich snippets appearing in search results (I contacted the developer and he said since I use Genesis this is why it wasn’t working). But if it’s working for you I’m not sure how necessary it is.
Hi Tom, I use my modded review wizard plugin to generate rich snippets on my site (review posts). Whenever I check my site on google search (site:websiteurl), the rich snippets are already appearing but when I check the keywords that I am ranking, my website on google search still doesn’t show it. Do you have an idea about this?
It did the same thing when I added them, check Google’s Structured Data Testing tool and if you just added them, give it a little time and keep writing more review posts.
Jesus. This was really exhausive!
Thanks Tom.
After much poking around the internet, I decided to settle for All in One … bla bla … as per your recommendation.
True, the design looks bland, totally bland actually that I had to set a css display rule NOT to show it on each individual article. However, it still shows up on the SERPs (That’s where it’s needed the most).
Quick Q Tom, as per your “Charity”, do you know of any means (plugins, php hooks, Js Scripts, anything!) that I can use to notify commentators on my site when a reply to their comment (and their comment alone) is posted?
Prior to upgrading to PHP 7.x I used a plugin (Comment Reply Notification) and it worked just fine. After upgrading, however, the plugin was broken and I was getting a few SQL errors on my server log.
Thanks once again.
I dig the G framework by the way. :)
Hey Kay,
I have actually been testing out this one and it works well from what I’ve seen:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/postmatic/
Glad to hear about Genesis and All In One Schema. Hope it’s working well – their good options! Sorry for the late reply :/
thank you for this very helpful guide.
Anytime :)
Really Nice Article, as of now I just begin my website so All in one Schema is the best choice for me.
Thanks again for your wonderful post.
Of course, glad it helped you make a decision… All In One Schema is good especially considering it’s free.
Hello
Item 3. WP Rich Snippets Plugin
It was pretty good really good
Hello, great article and website overall. You won a new subscriber!
I have few questions regarding my new project and SEO.
1. It will be a Genesis WooCommerce (one of the third party themes from your Genesis eCommerce article). I know that genesis itself has schema and etc, does it need this plugin or other like that?
2. I have heard good things about Rich Snippets WordPress Plugin from wpbuddy over codecanyon. It’s lot less expensive than the WP Rich Snippets. Do you know if its good vs the one you recommend?
3. Besides the genesis themes great code, rich sippets and yoast seo (i read your article about that too), do you have any other advices for a good SEO for new store?
Thank you again! I really appreciate the work you put into these articles.
1. Yes you still need a plugin for rich snippets, the built-in schema for Genesis does not do this for you.
2. I have actually never used it but probably should try it out. 3.78/5 star rating though which is decent. Here it is in case anyone else wants to try it out ($20) https://codecanyon.net/item/rich-snippets-wordpress-plugin/3464341
3. Since responding to this comment (sorry it took me so long) I have added several tutorials on WordPress SEO and speed optimization which you can find on my homepage, nav menus, and right sidebar. There should be some good stuff there. For stores particularly I think rich snippets/customer reviews/product filters/FAQs and other features you can basically see on Amazon are a good place to start. Also, using site search in Google Analytics to learn what people are searching in your searchbox can give you some ideas for content/products. I’m writing a Google Analytics tutorial soon and will include how to do this.
Sorry again for the late reply – let me know how things are going Lubo!
Hello
Anyone can tell which plugin is best for rich snippets?
Also i need to know WP Rich Snippet plugin is compatible with woocommerce?
Regards
If rich snippets are important for your SEO it may be worth the premium plugin (WP Rich Snippets). They are coming out with a WooCommerce add-on but it should still work as far as compatibility goes. If it’s not super important then the free All In One Schema should work just fine. Also, WP Rich Snippets doesn’t support event rich snippets.
Thank you very much for your reply.
I was confused because the pro version looks promising.
Best Regards
Thanks for wp Rich spinets Tutorial !! Thats Amazing i’ll use it for my Event Base blog…
Anytime, good luck and let me know if you have questions!
Hello.
If this plugin can be create video snippets why should i using Video SEO for WordPress yost?
Thanks..
After looking into it further, you don’t have to use Yoast’s Video SEO Plugin. The All In One Schema.org Plugin supports video Rich Snippets, WP Rich Snippets does not support videos or events (I contacted them and they said they’re working on it). But, Google does not show as many videos as they used to in their search results. From what I’ve read, websites can only get video rich snippets working if video is a large part of their website (eg. Youtube style).