Subscription & Paywall Schema Generator — Be Honest About Gated Content

Use isAccessibleForFree and WebPageElement selectors to show exactly which sections require a subscription. Protect premium content while staying eligible for Google news features.

Try the Paywall Generator

Why paywall markup gets ignored

Pain points we solve

• Teaser copy mentions a paywall, but the schema never sets `isAccessibleForFree`, so Google assumes the page is fully open and may penalize the experience.
• Developers wrap premium sections with dynamic IDs or hashed CSS classes, so selectors break during every redesign.
• Metered models (e.g., 3 free articles) aren’t documented anywhere, confusing both readers and reviewers.
• Editorial teams worry paywall schema will hurt rankings, so they skip it altogether instead of treating it as transparency.

How SwiftSchema simplifies gated content disclosure

Solution

Our generator ensures every Article or NewsArticle entry explicitly states whether it is accessible for free and which DOM nodes represent the premium portion.

Guided prompts help you capture gating strategy (hard paywall, metered, registration wall) and align it with your UX so structured data never contradicts the on-page experience.

Documentation fields remind you to coordinate with subscription engineering teams, making sure selectors persist even if you refactor components or switch paywall vendors.

How it works

How it works

1. Select Subscription & Paywall in the generator.
2. Identify the page entity (Article/NewsArticle/WebPage) and set `isAccessibleForFree` to true or false based on the default experience.
3. Add a `hasPart` WebPageElement for each gated section, including `isAccessibleForFree: false` plus a CSS selector that points to the paywalled container.
4. Document teaser vs. gated copy inside the CMS so editors know what remains visible.
5. Export JSON‑LD, attach it to the article template, and test via Rich Results or URL Inspection anytime the paywall script changes.

Generate Paywall JSON‑LD

Disclose gated sections. Validate. Ship.

What is Subscription & Paywall structured data?

Subscription and paywall markup communicates to Google which parts of a page require payment or sign-in. It relies on two pieces: the page-level

flag (typically on an Article) and a nested WebPageElement that marks the container with . By pointing to the actual DOM nodes that hide behind the paywall, you reassure Google that your implementation complies with their policies for flexible sampling, First Click Free alternatives, or subscriber-only experiences.

Eligibility & status

Paywall markup is a limited enhancement, but Google expects publishers with gated content to use it. Eligibility requires that your markup accurately describes the user experience; if you claim an article is free but block it with a paywall, you could receive manual actions. The page should already have valid Article/NewsArticle schema, clear authorship, and consistent metadata. Selectors must resolve in the rendered DOM for anonymous users (even if the content hides behind a lightbox). Keep paywall scripts accessible so Googlebot can interpret the structure without executing login-only APIs.

Why paywall markup matters

• Trust & compliance: Google’s news surfaces rely on clear disclosure to avoid surprising readers.
• Policy protection: Transparent markup helps avoid manual actions tied to cloaking or misleading sampling implementations.
• Team coordination: Schema acts as living documentation linking editorial, growth, and engineering. Everyone can confirm what is free vs. paid.
• Analytics clarity: With consistent
  isAccessibleForFree
  flags you can segment paywalled traffic vs. open articles using structured data in analytics proxies or data layers.
• Flexible sampling readiness: If you operate metered models or limited previews, schema clarifies what’s available to non-subscribers.

Essential properties to include

• @type
  : Typically
  NewsArticle
  or
  Article
  on the main entity.
• isAccessibleForFree
  :
  false
  for fully gated pages,
  true
  for free content. For metered models, set
  true
  but describe the limit in copy.
• hasPart
  : Use
  WebPageElement
  with
  isAccessibleForFree: false
  and
  cssSelector
  (or
  xpath
  ) pointing to the paywalled container.
• cssSelector
  : Provide stable classes or IDs (e.g.,
  .paywall-body
  ,
  #subscriber-content
  ) that persist through builds.
• datePublished
  ,
  dateModified
  ,
  headline
  ,
  image
  ,
  author
  ,
  publisher
  : ensure Article schema is complete so paywall data layers on top.
• Optional:
  isPartOf
  (for sections),
  inLanguage
  ,
  about
  ,
  keywords
  ,
  audience
  , and
  offers
  (for subscription packages).

Preparing paywall information before generating schema

1. Catalog UX variants: Document hard paywall, meter, registration wall, and premium tier templates. Each might need unique selectors.
2. Coordinate with engineering: Confirm paywall scripts add consistent wrapper elements or data attributes that you can target without brittle hashed class names.
3. Define teaser content: Work with editorial to decide which paragraphs stay free and ensure they match the DOM region outside
   hasPart
   .
4. Outline subscription packages: Gather plan names, price points, and URLs. Consider adding Offer data when referencing subscription products in CTA modules.
5. Establish review cadence: Paywall behavior often changes with experiments. Set a weekly QA check or integrate schema validation into deployment pipelines.
6. Document access policies: Note whether search crawlers receive “first click free” access, a metered amount, or paywall immediately. This affects
   isAccessibleForFree
   .
7. Assign data owners: Typically growth product managers or audience teams own gating logic; ensure they sign off on schema updates.

Implementation workflow inside SwiftSchema

1. Choose the appropriate Article/NewsArticle template within the generator and fill standard metadata (headline, description, authorship, images, canonical URL).
2. Set
   isAccessibleForFree
   to reflect default access. Explain metered behavior in the description if relevant.
3. Add
   hasPart
   entries for each gated block (main story, charts, appendix). Provide
   cssSelector
   , optional
   xpath
   , and
   isAccessibleForFree: false
   .
4. If you have multiple gating experiences (e.g., newsletter subscriber vs. paid subscriber), document them using additional
   WebPageElement
   entries with descriptive
   name
   fields.
5. Include subscription
   offers
   or CTA modules in the schema if they are part of the page experience (e.g.,
   Offer
   referencing price and signup URL).
6. Export JSON‑LD, deploy through your CMS or tag manager, and run the Rich Results Test with the paywall overlay active so the tool sees the same DOM.

Troubleshooting & QA

• Broken selectors: Whenever front-end engineers rename classes, update the selectors in schema. Use data attributes (e.g.,
  data-paywall
  ) to minimize breakage.
• Mismatch between schema and reality: If you flag a page as free but show a paywall, Google may treat it as cloaking. Align the boolean with actual UX.
• Metered confusion: For metered articles, keep
  isAccessibleForFree: true
  but describe the meter in visible copy and metadata.
• Paywall popovers: If a modal covers the entire page, ensure the paywalled content still exists in the DOM and is referenced by selectors. Otherwise, add a placeholder explaining the gating.
• Multiple paywalls: Some sites gate both text and multimedia. Add separate
  hasPart
  entries for each container so Google knows all restricted elements.

Maintenance and governance

• Tie schema updates to your experimentation system: whenever a paywall test launches, confirm selectors and booleans still reflect the control experience.
• Conduct monthly validations across key templates (hard paywall, meter, audio, video) to ensure CSS selectors still resolve.
• Keep a shared doc listing selectors per template plus the owners who approve changes.
• When migrating paywall vendors or frameworks, include structured data verification in the migration checklist before flipping traffic.
• Track
  lastReviewed
  dates so newsroom leadership can confirm compliance for audits.

Common errors & quick fixes

• Omitting
  hasPart
  : Setting
  isAccessibleForFree: false
  without pointing to the gated section leaves crawlers guessing. Always add the WebPageElement.
• Targeting invisible wrappers: Selectors should reference the container that actually hides content, not a parent layout div.
• Multiple conflicting booleans: Avoid one snippet saying free and another saying paid. Keep a single, authoritative schema block.
• Forgetting https: Serve JSON‑LD over HTTPS and ensure paywall scripts load securely to avoid mixed-content warnings.
• No governance: If nobody owns paywall schema, assign it today. Lack of ownership is the fastest route to inaccurate disclosures.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Advanced Schema Strategies",
  "isAccessibleForFree": false,
  "hasPart": {
    "@type": "WebPageElement",
    "isAccessibleForFree": false,
    "cssSelector": ".paywall"
  },
  "datePublished": "2025-09-01",
  "inLanguage": "en",
  "url": "https://example.com/articles/advanced-schema-strategies"
}