This factor records whether the page’s body HTML contains the legacy Schema.org ItemList type URI. It returns a simple present/absent signal (1 or 0) — it confirms the type string is there, not that the list markup is complete or valid.
| Factor ID | RG-SCH-011 |
|---|---|
| Family | Schema.org |
| Measurement | Binary presence (0 / 1) |
| Measured zone | Body HTML without scripts |
What it measures
It detects the legacy Schema.org ItemList type URI on the page. ItemList describes an ordered or unordered collection of items — a ranked list, a set of related resources, a carousel of entries. This factor tells you only whether that type declaration is present, not how many items the list holds or whether their positions are set.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear performs a case-insensitive search of the body HTML (scripts excluded) for the string http://schema.org/ItemList. If the string is found, the factor is 1; if not, it is 0. Because the match is on the plain http:// type URI, it targets the older microdata/RDFa style of declaration.
What RankGear looks for
<ul itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ItemList">
<li itemprop="itemListElement">First item</li>
<li itemprop="itemListElement">Second item</li>
</ul>| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | The http://schema.org/ItemList type URI appears in the body HTML. |
| 0 | The legacy ItemList type URI was not found. |
How to optimize it
Use ItemList only where the page genuinely presents a real ordered or unordered collection, and describe its members accurately. Treat this factor as an observation of what markup exists, not a target to chase — adding the type string to a page that has no true list adds nothing a search engine can trust. If you already publish list content with modern HTTPS or bare JSON-LD types, this legacy check may read 0 even though your structured data is valid; that is expected.
Important considerations
- The match is on the
http://URI, so modern HTTPS declarations and bare JSON-LD@typevalues can be missed. - List items and their positions are not checked — only the presence of the type string.
- The markup should reflect the items a visitor actually sees on the page.
- Presence is not full validation: a detected type URI is not proof the ItemList is correctly or completely formed.
- This is a correlational prioritization signal within a measured result set, not a guarantee that adding ItemList markup will change a page’s ranking.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.