ACF | Automatic Structured Data with Schema.org

Overview

Automatically output Schema.org structured data for ACF fields as JSON-LD in the page head.

Description

ACF 6.8 introduces JSON-LD structured data output for ACF fields. This feature maps ACF field values to Schema.org properties, enabling search engines and AI systems to better understand your content structure.

JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is Google’s recommended format for structured data. By mapping your ACF fields to Schema.org properties, you can:

Improve SEO with rich snippets in search results
Enable AI and LLM systems to understand your content (ChatGPT, Claude, Google AI Overviews)
Support Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
Provide machine-readable data for content aggregators

ACF supports 867 Schema.org types and 1,509 properties out of the box.

See the ACF 6.8 release post for an overview.

Experimental Feature

This feature is marked as experimental in the ACF admin UI. The field of generative engine optimization (GEO) is evolving rapidly, and best practices for how AI systems interpret and surface structured data are still emerging. We encourage you to experiment with this feature and share your feedback.

Requirements

ACF 6.8 or later
WordPress 6.0 or later

Setup

Enable the Schema Feature

Add this filter to your theme’s functions.php or a custom plugin:

add_filter( 'acf/settings/enable_schema', '__return_true' );

1. Enable JSON-LD for a Post Type

Edit your ACF custom post type and navigate to the Schema tab:

Enable “Automatically add JSON-LD data for fields on this post type”
Optionally select a Schema.org Type (e.g., Recipe, Product, Event)

The Schema.org type is auto-detected from your field mappings, but you can explicitly set it here.

2. Map Fields to Schema.org Properties

Edit each field and configure the Schema.org Property setting:

Open the field settings
Find “Schema.org Property” under general settings
Select the appropriate property (e.g., name, description, price)
Optionally configure the Output Format

Properties are filtered to show only those compatible with the field type.

Schema.org Types

ACF supports all Schema.org types. Common types include:

Type	Use Case
`Article`	Blog posts, news articles
`BlogPosting`	Blog entries
`Product`	E-commerce products
`Recipe`	Cooking recipes
`Event`	Events with dates/locations
`Person`	People, authors, team members
`Organization`	Companies, brands
`LocalBusiness`	Local business listings
`HowTo`	Step-by-step guides
`FAQPage`	FAQ content

Field Type Compatibility

Each ACF field type maps to specific Schema.org data types:

ACF Field Type	Schema.org Types
`text`, `textarea`, `wysiwyg`	Text, URL, Name
`number`, `range`	Number, Integer, Float
`email`	Text (email format)
`url`	URL
`date_picker`	Date
`date_time_picker`	DateTime
`time_picker`	Time
`true_false`	Boolean
`image`	ImageObject, URL
`select`, `radio`, `button_group`	Text, Enumeration
`user`	Person
`taxonomy`	Text, Thing

Output Format

The JSON-LD is output in the <head> section of singular posts/pages:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Recipe",
  "name": "Chocolate Chip Cookies",
  "description": "Classic homemade chocolate chip cookies",
  "prepTime": "PT15M",
  "cookTime": "PT12M",
  "recipeYield": "24 cookies",
  "recipeIngredient": [
    "2 cups flour",
    "1 cup sugar",
    "1 cup chocolate chips"
  ]
}
</script>

Filters

ACF provides extensive filters for customizing JSON-LD output.

Output Control

Filter	Description
acf/schema/debug	Enable debug HTML comments
acf/schema/disable_output	Disable JSON-LD output for specific data
acf/schema/enabled_post_types	Filter post types with JSON-LD enabled
acf/schema/render_script	Action before script tag is rendered

Data Customization

Filter	Description
acf/schema/data	Modify final JSON-LD data before output
acf/schema/auto_add_image	Control automatic featured image inclusion
acf/schema/auto_add_author	Control automatic author inclusion

Post-Specific

Filter	Description
acf/schema/post_field_objects	Filter field objects for a post
acf/schema/post_field_objects/post_type={post_type}	Post type specific field objects

Block-Specific

Filter	Description
acf/schema/block_jsonld_enabled	Enable/disable JSON-LD for specific blocks
acf/schema/block_field_objects	Filter field objects for a block
acf/schema/block_field_objects/block_name={block_name}	Block-specific field objects

Value Formatting

Filter	Description
acf/schema/format_value/pre	Pre-format field value
acf/schema/format_value/pre/type={field_type}	Pre-format by field type
acf/schema/format_value/pre/name={field_name}	Pre-format by field name
acf/schema/format_value	Post-format field value
acf/schema/format_value/type={field_type}	Post-format by field type
acf/schema/format_value/name={field_name}	Post-format by field name

Schema Configuration

Filter	Description
acf/schema/schema_types	Filter available Schema.org types
acf/schema/schema_priority_types	Filter priority types in dropdowns
acf/schema/schema_properties	Filter available Schema.org properties
acf/schema/output_format_choices	Filter output format choices

ACF Blocks Support

JSON-LD output is also available for ACF Blocks. Enable via block.json:

{
  "name": "acf/recipe-card",
  "title": "Recipe Card",
  "acf": {
    "autoJsonLd": true,
    "schemaType": "Recipe"
  }
}

Or via programmatic registration:

acf_register_block_type( array(
    'name'       => 'recipe-card',
    'title'      => 'Recipe Card',
    'acf'        => array(
        'autoJsonLd'  => true,
        'schemaType'  => 'Recipe',
    ),
));

Automatic Enrichment

ACF automatically enriches the JSON-LD output with core WordPress data:

Author: Person schema with name and archive URL
Featured Image: ImageObject with dimensions and URL
Post Metadata: datePublished, dateModified, url, name

This data is merged with your field mappings automatically.

Repeater Fields

Repeater sub-fields can map to Schema properties, creating arrays:

Field mapping: Repeater with Text sub-field mapped to recipeIngredient

Output:

{
  "recipeIngredient": [
    "2 cups flour",
    "1 cup sugar",
    "3 eggs"
  ]
}

Notes

JSON-LD is only output on singular post/page views (not in block editor preview)
Empty field values are automatically excluded
Nested objects (like author or publisher) automatically get appropriate @type values
The feature is marked as Experimental in the admin UI

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Guides: ACF PRO 6.8 Beta 2 – Schema.org JSON-LD Testing Guide
Features: Schema.org Property Mapping
Features: Structured Data for ACF Blocks
Filters: acf/schema/output_format_choices
Features: Abilities API Integration

Advanced Custom Fields

Automatic Structured Data with Schema.org

Overview

Description

Experimental Feature

Requirements

Setup

Enable the Schema Feature

1. Enable JSON-LD for a Post Type

2. Map Fields to Schema.org Properties

Schema.org Types

Field Type Compatibility

Output Format

Filters

Output Control

Data Customization

Post-Specific

Block-Specific

Value Formatting

Schema Configuration

ACF Blocks Support

Automatic Enrichment

Repeater Fields

Notes

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