How to add an event schema in WordPress (step by step)

If you’re running an online event, you’ll probably want to promote it online, and this is where schema markup can be helpful to make your event more visible in search engine results.

Event schema helps Google and other search engines better understand the details of your event, allowing them to feature your events in event listings, rich snippets, and Google Knowledge Panels to reach a larger audience.

In this article, we will show you how to add an event schema in WordPress to improve your ranking.

Why add an event schema in WordPress?

Event schema markup is a special type of HTML code that is added to your WordPress website. It structures your event data so that it is better understood by search engines and displayed more clearly in search results.

Schema markup does not appear on the frontend of your website. Instead, your event details such as date and time, location, and ticket information are added to your website’s source code so that search engines can list your event in relevant searches.

This improves your SEO and increases the chance that people will find your event, allowing you to more specifically target an audience that is interested in what your event has to offer.

Once you add schema markup, your event listing can appear in event listings, rich snippets, and Google Knowledge Panels that appear above regular search results. These elements make your events more visible and potentially increase the click-through rate to your event page.

With that said, let’s look at how to add an event schema in WordPress. Here are the steps we’ll cover:

How to add an event schema in WordPress

The easiest way to add event schema markup in WordPress is to use All in One SEO (AIOSEO). It is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market and supports a growing number of schema types to help search engines better understand your content.

First, you need to install and activate the AIOSEO plugin on your website. If you need help, just follow our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: You will need the AIOSEO Pro version as it includes the schema generator and other SEO features like sitemaps and redirect manager. There is also a free version of AIOSEO that you can try.

After activation, the plugin automatically starts its setup wizard.

Just click the Get Started button and then follow our guide to properly set up All-in-One SEO for WordPress.

Adding an event schema to a WordPress post or page

After you finish configuring All in One SEO, you need to open the post or page where you want to add the event schema.

According to Google’s event schema requirements, this should be a web page promoting a single event. This is because Google requires each event to have a unique URL.

Once you are in the WordPress content editor, you can find the “AIOSEO Settings” section by scrolling to the bottom of the page.

Click on the “Scheme” tab. Here you can see all the schemas that are already activated, for example the “Article” schema type.

Now you can add the event schema to the post. Just click the Generate Schema button.

AIOSEO’s schema catalog allows you to choose from a variety of different schema types. Simply look for the “Event” option and then click the “+ Add Schema” button.

A form will then open where you can enter the details of your event.

Filling out the event schema form

First you need to give your event a name.

By default, AIOSEO uses the post title by adding the smart tag “Post Title”. You can enter a different title by deleting the smart tag “Post Title” and entering a new one.

Next, you can add an event description, which is what typically appears on search engine results pages (SERPs). The post excerpt is used by default, but it’s best to delete this smart tag and enter a more helpful description.

Next, you can select the type of event you are hosting from a drop-down menu.

Then you have to select an event status.

First, select the status “Planned”. If necessary, you can change this later if the event is cancelled, postponed or relocated.

Next, you need to specify the presence mode.

There are both online and offline versions, as well as events that can be attended in both ways.

Next, you can select the date of the event.

When you click on the Event Date field, a pop-up calendar will appear.

Here you can click on the start date and then the end date of the event and then click the OK button. For one-day events, just click on the same date twice.

Now you can fill in the location details for the event. If your event is online, just leave this section blank.

You can start by entering the name of the venue and a URL to its website.

You should then fill in the address fields to make it easier for participants to navigate to the event.

Next, you’ll be taken to the “Offer” section, where you can enter the price for the event. For free events, simply enter 0.

If tickets go on sale, you can enter the date the sale starts and the URL of the page where the tickets can be purchased.

In the last two sections you can enter information about the organizer and artist.

In the Organizer section, you can specify whether the organizer is a person or an organization. You can also enter the organizer’s name and a link to their website.

If the event is a performance, you can enter similar details about the artist.

You can also upload an image for your event or choose one from the WordPress media library. The maximum image size is 112×112 pixels.

After completing the event schema form, click the Add Schema button below to add it to your post or page.

Tip: If you host future events that contain similar information to the one you entered, you can save time by clicking the Save Schema as Template button.

How to test your event schema in WordPress

You can test your schema via AIOSEO Settings » Scheme Section at the bottom of the WordPress content editor.

First, click the Validate Schema button.

This will display your schema markup code in a pop-up window.

You can test the schema by clicking the “Test with Google” button.

This will open Google’s Rich Results Testing tool in a new tab.

Just click the “Test Code” button to continue.

Google analyzes your page for different types of schema markup. This means you may see multiple schema types, such as articles, breadcrumbs, FAQs, and more.

You can now click on the Events section to view the test details of your event schema.

You should see any event information you have added to this page or post.

You may also see a list of critical or non-critical issues.

If the information is incorrect, incomplete, or incorrectly formatted, you must correct these problems.

Simply return to the tab where you were editing the post or page and then click the pencil icon next to the event schema.

Now you can edit the information in the event schema form and fix these problems. After you update the schema, you may want to test the schema again.

Bonus: Add schema markup for local SEO

If your event is taking place at your company’s physical location, you can improve your rankings by optimizing your site for local SEO.

First, navigate to the All-in-One SEO » Local SEO page and then click the “Activate Local SEO” button.

Once this module is activated, you can add important information about your business on the Locations tab.

This helps Google and other search engines better understand your business information and display it on local search results pages.

For detailed instructions, see our ultimate guide to local SEO in WordPress.

Expert tip: Prefer to leave SEO to the experts? Our team can optimize your website for search engines through technical SEO audits, keyword optimization, local SEO optimization, and more. Check out our WPBeginner WordPress SEO services today!

Expert guides on using schema markup in WordPress

Now that you know how to add an event schema, you may want to learn how to add other types of schema markup to your WordPress site:

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to add an event schema in WordPress. You may also be interested in our guide on how to create a simple event calendar in WordPress or our expert pick of the best WordPress SEO plugins and tools.