Has JSON-LD HowToStep

Abstract illustration of a single highlighted how-to step lifted from a numbered step sequence, in RankGear indigo and coral.

Has JSON-LD HowToStep records whether RankGear finds an @type value of HowToStep in a page’s raw HTML — a 1/0 signal that the page declares an individual step inside HowTo structured data. It pattern-matches the source text, so a match confirms the string is present, not that the surrounding JSON-LD graph is valid.

Factor IDRG-SCJ-116
FamilyStructured Data — JSON-LD
MeasurementBinary presence (0 / 1)
Measured zoneRaw rendered HTML

What it measures

This factor reports whether RankGear finds an @type value of HowToStep in the page’s raw source. A HowToStep represents one discrete, actionable step within a larger HowTo structured-data block. The factor returns 1 when the step type is present in the markup and 0 when it is not.

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How RankGear measures it

RankGear searches the raw HTML for the string "@type": "HowToStep", allowing flexible whitespace around the colon and value and optionally permitting a schema: prefix on the type. Matching is case-insensitive, so differences in capitalization do not change the result.

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What RankGear looks for

"@type": "HowToStep"        (whitespace flexible; "schema:HowToStep" also matches; case-insensitive)

In context:
{
  "@type": "HowTo",
  "step": [
    { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 1, "url": "...#step1", "text": "..." }
  ]
}
ValueMeaning
1A HowToStep @type string was found in the raw HTML.
0No HowToStep @type string was found.
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How to optimize it

Use HowToStep only for a genuine, actionable step inside a valid HowTo block, and give each step accurate text, a correct position, a resolvable url, and supporting media where it helps. Every property should reflect content a user can verify on the page. Because this factor pattern-matches source text rather than validating the graph, treat a 1 as evidence the step markup is present — not as proof the structured data is correct. Confirm validity with an independent structured-data test rather than optimizing toward the string alone.

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Important considerations

  • The detector pattern-matches source text rather than validating a complete JSON-LD graph.
  • A matching string that sits outside valid JSON-LD can still produce a 1.
  • Capitalization differences do not affect detection.
  • Validate the complete structured data independently before relying on it.
  • Correlation is not causation: this factor relates to position within a measured result set and acts as a prioritization signal. Present HowToStep markup does not, on its own, make a page rank or guarantee a result.
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Related factors

Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.

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