This factor reports whether RankGear finds a CourseInstance @type in a page’s raw HTML. It returns 1 when the string is present and 0 when it is not — a text match, not a validation that the surrounding JSON-LD graph is well-formed.
| Factor ID | RG-SCJ-063 |
|---|---|
| Family | Structured Data – JSON-LD |
| Measurement | Binary presence (0 / 1) |
| Measured zone | Raw rendered HTML |
What it measures
This factor reports whether RankGear finds an @type value of CourseInstance in the page’s raw source. CourseInstance describes a specific offering of a course — a scheduled run with its own dates, delivery mode, location, instructor, and availability — as distinct from the abstract Course it belongs to. The result is binary: the type is either present in the source or it is not.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear searches the raw HTML for the string "@type": "CourseInstance", allowing flexible whitespace around the tokens and optionally accepting a schema: prefix on the type. Matching is case-insensitive, so capitalization differences do not change the result.
What RankGear looks for
"@type": "CourseInstance"
"@type":"schema:CourseInstance" <!-- schema: prefix and tight spacing also match -->| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | A CourseInstance @type string was found in the raw HTML. |
| 0 | No CourseInstance @type string was found. |
How to optimize it
Use CourseInstance only for a specific course offering, and give it an accurate schedule, delivery mode, location, instructor, and availability. Keep those properties consistent with what the page actually shows visitors. Treat this factor as an observation that the markup exists, not as a target to chase — adding the string without a real, well-formed offering behind it does not describe your content correctly and does not, on its own, move rankings.
Important considerations
- The detector pattern-matches source text rather than validating a full JSON-LD graph.
- A matching string sitting outside valid JSON-LD — in a comment, a code sample, or malformed markup — can still produce a 1.
- Capitalization differences do not affect detection.
- Validate the complete structured data independently; a 1 confirms the string is present, not that the schema is correct.
- Correlation is not causation. This is a prioritization signal that relates to position within a measured result set; it does not by itself make a page rank.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.