Set up and check article structured data in WordPress with Yoast SEO

Help Google understand your WordPress article by checking its author, dates, image, and article settings in Yoast SEO.

• Outcome: Technical SEO
• Tools: WordPress, Yoast Seo, Google Rich Results Test, Web Browser
• Responsible: Anyone responsible for publishing or maintaining articles on a WordPress site that already uses Yoast SEO.
• Estimated time: 25 minutes

Scope

This SOP covers:

• Check one public WordPress Post and the Article item inside Yoast SEO’s connected structured-data graph
• Confirm Yoast’s Post defaults and the selected post’s Article or Blog Post type without adding a second generator
• Align the article headline, credited author, real dates, relevant image, and publisher identity with their WordPress sources
• Retest the public URL and map a wrong value to its source or a specific administrator handoff

This does not cover:

• Switching from another SEO or structured-data provider to Yoast SEO
• Pages, products, custom post types, news publishing, and hand-written schema or code
• Paid add-ons, multiple-author customization, or developer changes to the Yoast graph
• Guaranteeing that Google will display a special search result

Requirements

• Administrator or editor access to the selected post and Yoast SEO settings.
• Yoast SEO is active and is the site’s chosen SEO plugin for article structured data.
• The URL of one published WordPress Post that visitors can open without a login or password.
• The site type, actual publisher name, and real publisher image if used, from reliable business, profile, or About information. Ask the owner only if unclear or conflicting.
• The public site brand for Yoast's **Website name**, checked against the site header or About page. It may differ from the actual publisher's name.

Related SOPs

• SOP 066: Test a page's structured data with Google's Rich Results Test
• SOP 067: Set up and check article structured data in WordPress with Rank Math
• SOP 070: Check and correct structured data for a simple WooCommerce product
• SOP 069: Choose a structured data setup for WordPress articles and products
• SOP 049: Optimize a WordPress post or page for SEO
• SOP 044: Write and update SEO titles and meta descriptions with Yoast SEO

01. Check one public article first

Structured data is information in a format search engines can read. Yoast normally creates an Article inside a connected graph, so check the public Post before changing settings or adding anything.

1. Choose one published, public WordPress Post for an ordinary article or blog post. Use these checks to confirm it is a suitable example.

   1. Open the item from Posts and confirm it is published and public. Do not choose a Page or product. Keep its public URL open for the final test.

   2. Compare the visible headline, byline, dates, and main image with the Post title, Author, original publication record, and Featured Image.

      • Warning: If a byline or date conflicts with the Post record, ask the content owner which information is correct before changing it.
      • Resource: WordPress Post settings sidebar (Find the block editor settings, author controls where available, publishing details, and Featured Image.)

2. Open Google’s Rich Results Test, enter the public Post URL, and select Test URL. Look for the Article item and record its fields, errors, warnings, and item count. This is the starting result; do not add schema yet.

   • Warning: A passing test means Google can read supported markup on this URL; it does not promise a special Search result.
   • Resource: Google Article structured data guide (Check Google’s recommended Article fields, accuracy rules, and test guidance.)

3. Check that Yoast owns the Article and use these checks to recognize a duplicate source.

   • Resource: Yoast Schema implementation guide (Understand Yoast’s connected graph and what to do when a theme or other plugin also outputs schema.)

   1. In Plugins > Installed Plugins, confirm Yoast SEO is active and is the site’s chosen SEO plugin for this Post. Note any other active SEO or schema plugin.

   2. Yoast normally connects an Article with WebPage, WebSite, and author or publisher pieces in one graph. These related pieces are expected; their presence alone is not a duplicate Article.

      • Resource: Yoast Schema implementation guide (Understand Yoast’s connected graph and what to do when a theme or other plugin also outputs schema.)

   3. If the test shows a second independent Article or you cannot identify its source, ask the site administrator to choose one owner before editing. Do not disable an unknown theme or plugin or add custom Article data.

02. Check WordPress and Yoast source details

Yoast draws article information from the Post, the author’s WordPress profile, and site settings. Correct those sources so the connected graph describes the page accurately.

1. Correct only the Post source values that are wrong. Use the lettered checks below to compare the visible article title, credited author, dates, and main image with their WordPress sources.

   • Warning: Do not backdate an article or invent an author or update to satisfy a test.
   • Resource: WordPress Post settings sidebar (Locate standard Post fields, the Featured Image, and controls that may vary by site or editor.)

   1. Confirm the WordPress Post title matches the main headline readers see. If a theme displays a different H1, ask the site owner to correct the title or template so both describe the same article.

   2. Set the Post Author to the person actually credited. Check that person’s public WordPress display name matches the byline; ask the content owner to resolve a mismatch before changing an author identity.

   3. Check the original publish date against the editorial record. WordPress updates its modified time after a real update; do not fabricate or backdate. If a test date looks wrong, ask the content owner instead of assuming the editor has a separate modified-date field.

   4. Choose a Featured Image that represents this article. Google recommends a relevant article image, not a logo. If none fits, leave it unset; Yoast may use Site image as a fallback, so check the test output.

      • Resource: Google Article structured data guide (Review Google’s image guidance: use images that represent the article, not a logo.)

2. Open Yoast SEO > Settings > Site representation and compare the current identity with reliable site information. Keep accurate values; the checks below say when a correction is needed.

   • Resource: Yoast Site representation settings (Choose the site’s person or organization and provide its real name, user, and logo.)

   1. Compare the current person-or-organization choice with reliable business, profile, or About information. Keep it if it is accurate; change it only when those sources show it is wrong. For a person, select the correct WordPress user and check that their public display name is accurate.

   2. For an organization, compare its Organization name and logo with the actual publisher in reliable business/profile/About information. For a person, use the selected WordPress user's public name and image. If the explicit organization name is blank but the public test already shows the correct publisher name and image, leave the current fallback as it is. Correct only a confirmed mismatch, select Save changes, and reopen the page to check it; use a real publisher logo or personal image, never the article image.

      • Warning: Ask the owner only if reliable sources or the public output leave the actual publisher or image unclear.
      • Resource: Yoast Site representation settings (Choose the site’s person or organization and provide its real name, user, and logo.)

3. Open Yoast SEO > Settings > Site basics and check the public Website name and Site image fallback as separate values.

   1. Compare Website name with the public brand shown in the site header or About page. Keep an accurate value and correct it only when a reliable source shows it is wrong; do not make it match the publisher name if those identities differ.

   2. Check Site image: Yoast may use it when a Post has no image. Keep the true site-wide fallback. Do not replace it with an article-specific image; compare the test output with the Featured Image.

      • Warning: If a logo appears as the Article image or the fallback is wrong, ask the site owner before changing this site-wide value.
      • Resource: Yoast Site basics settings (Find Website name and learn that Site image is a fallback for posts or pages without an image.)

4. Open Yoast's Posts Schema settings and use the checks below before changing a site-wide default. If you change it, select Save changes, wait for the save confirmation, then reopen Posts and confirm the value stayed saved. If the current default is accurate, leave it unchanged; no save is needed.

   1. Go to Yoast SEO > Settings > Content types > Posts > Schema. The normal Article default is valid. Blog Post is also suitable when it better describes the site’s Posts; reserve News Article for news reporting.

      • Resource: Yoast content type and Article settings (Compare Article and Blog Post choices, the Posts default, and per-Post schema controls.)

   2. Keep a correct current default. Change it only if it describes the site's Posts as a whole; if Posts vary, leave the global setting and check this individual Post instead. When changed, use the Save changes control described above and read the setting back.

      • Warning: A changed default can affect many Posts unless a Post already has its own type.

5. Open the Post’s Yoast Schema controls and check the Article type using the lettered checks below.

   1. Find Schema in the Yoast SEO sidebar or meta box. If it is missing, check whether the Posts settings enable the Yoast sidebar or meta box and whether your role has access. Ask an editor or administrator if it remains unavailable.

      • Resource: Yoast content type and Article settings (Locate the per-Post Schema control and learn how the global default interacts with an individual Post.)

   2. Keep a suitable Article or Blog Post choice; change it only if another choice better describes this article. Yoast adds the Article to its connected graph, so do not create a standalone Article block.

   3. If Yoast is the only provider but a regular Post with an author still has no Article in the public test, ask an administrator to investigate the graph. Do not add custom schema.

      • Resource: Yoast Article graph details (See which Post sources feed the Article entity and how it links to WebPage, author, publisher, and image.)

03. Retest the saved article and fix mismatches

Run the same public URL again. Yoast’s graph normally contains several related pieces, so confirm the Article and its values rather than expecting the whole page to contain only one structured-data item.

1. If you changed the Post, save it with the main editor button shown on your site—Save or Update. Save any Yoast settings page with its own Save changes button. If everything was already correct, leave it unchanged.

2. Run the same public URL through Google’s Rich Results Test. Confirm it detects the Article and compare shown values with the saved sources. Fix critical errors; understand optional suggestions without treating them as proof the Article is invalid.

   • Warning: Yoast’s connected WebPage, WebSite, author, and publisher graph pieces may appear with the Article; their presence alone is not a duplicate. Google still decides whether a special result appears in Search.
   • Resource: Google Article structured data guide (Review supported Article properties, testing, and rich-result limits.)

3. Use each wrong test value to find the source, correct that source, save, and retest the same URL. The lettered checks below map common mismatches to their source or the right handoff.

   1. Compare the Post title with the visible H1. Correct the wrong source or ask the owner to fix a conflicting theme heading. If both match but Yoast’s Article headline differs, ask an administrator to inspect its title source; do not add another schema item.

   2. For an author mismatch, correct the Post Author only if it is not the credited writer. Confirm the public display name with the content owner before changing that profile.

   3. Compare the test with the original publication record and genuine saved update time. Correct the publish date only if the record proves it wrong. Do not change a modified date; hand off a wrong automatic value to an administrator.

   4. For an image mismatch, use the article’s real Featured Image if one exists. If none exists, check whether Yoast’s Site image fallback is producing it; ask the site owner before changing that site-wide value.

   5. For a publisher mismatch, correct the owner-confirmed person or organization under Site representation and the public site name under Site basics.

   6. If a second independent Article appears, or the source of a wrong value is unclear, stop and ask the site administrator to identify the plugin or theme generator. Do not disable an unknown source or hand-write another Article item.