Schema stack

    Course Pathway / Track Stack

    Learning tracks listing multiple courses and instances with FAQs and breadcrumb navigation.

    Included schema
    Item List
    Course
    Course Instance
    Frequently Asked Questions
    Breadcrumb
    Fit

    When to use this stack

    • Learning pathways or tracks made up of multiple courses
    • Education program pages that show upcoming course instances
    • Pages where FAQs clarify prerequisites, pacing, and delivery formats
    Composition

    What is included

    Data contract

    Properties across the bundle

    Nested properties keep their parent path, such as offers.priceCurrency. Only publish values that match visible page content.

    Required properties

    • courseMode
    • description
    • itemListElement[].@type=ListItem
    • itemListElement[].item.@id
    • itemListElement[].name
    • location.name
    • mainEntity[].@type=Question
    • mainEntity[].acceptedAnswer.text
    • name
    • startDate

    Recommended properties

    • courseCode
    • endDate
    • instructor.name
    • itemListElement[].item
    • itemListElement[].item.@type=Course
    • itemListElement[].item.description
    • itemListElement[].item.name
    • itemListElement[].position
    • mainEntity[].acceptedAnswer.text
    • mainEntity[].author.name
    • mainEntity[].name
    • provider.name
    • url
    Copy-ready example

    Combined JSON-LD

    Paste this as one script tag, then replace every example value with data from the live page.

    [
      {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "ItemList",
        "@id": "https://www.example.com/learning/tracks/backend-engineering#list",
        "name": "Backend Engineering Track",
        "itemListElement": [
          {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 1,
            "item": { "@id": "https://www.example.com/learning/courses/intro-sql#course" }
          },
          {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 2,
            "item": { "@id": "https://www.example.com/learning/courses/build-apis#course" }
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "Course",
        "@id": "https://www.example.com/learning/courses/intro-sql#course",
        "name": "Intro to SQL",
        "description": "Fundamentals of querying, joins, and performance basics.",
        "provider": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Example Learning" },
        "courseCode": "SQL-101",
        "url": "https://www.example.com/learning/courses/intro-sql"
      },
      {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "CourseInstance",
        "courseMode": "online",
        "startDate": "2025-03-10",
        "endDate": "2025-04-07",
        "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Online" },
        "instructor": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jamie Lee" },
        "url": "https://www.example.com/learning/courses/intro-sql#spring-cohort"
      },
      {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "Course",
        "@id": "https://www.example.com/learning/courses/build-apis#course",
        "name": "Building APIs",
        "description": "Design and build production-ready APIs with authentication and observability.",
        "provider": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Example Learning" },
        "courseCode": "API-201",
        "url": "https://www.example.com/learning/courses/build-apis"
      },
      {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "CourseInstance",
        "courseMode": "hybrid",
        "startDate": "2025-04-15",
        "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "New York Campus" },
        "instructor": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Riley Chen" },
        "url": "https://www.example.com/learning/courses/build-apis#may-cohort"
      },
      {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "FAQPage",
        "mainEntity": [
          {
            "@type": "Question",
            "name": "Do I need prior experience?",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
              "@type": "Answer",
              "text": "Complete Intro to SQL or have equivalent experience before starting Building APIs."
            }
          },
          {
            "@type": "Question",
            "name": "Is the track self-paced?",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
              "@type": "Answer",
              "text": "Courses are instructor-led with weekly live sessions. Replays are available for all cohorts."
            }
          },
          {
            "@type": "Question",
            "name": "Do you offer certificates?",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
              "@type": "Answer",
              "text": "Yes. Certificates are issued after completing all courses in the track and passing assessments."
            }
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
        "itemListElement": [
          { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.example.com" },
          { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Learning Tracks", "item": "https://www.example.com/learning/tracks" },
          { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Backend Engineering", "item": "https://www.example.com/learning/tracks/backend-engineering" }
        ]
      }
    ]
    Workflow

    Implement and verify

    1. 01

      Start with the live page

      Confirm titles, prices, availability, policies, and visible FAQ content before generating markup.

    2. 02

      Add one JSON-LD script

      Use the combined example as a template in the document head or before the closing body tag.

    3. 03

      Complete regional details

      Fill shipping destinations and timing for every region the page actually serves.

    4. 04

      Link the return policy

      Use a stable MerchantReturnPolicy URL and keep its terms synchronized with the page.

    5. 05

      Match visible answers

      Add only FAQs that users can read on the same page, with identical answers.

    6. 06

      Validate after changes

      Run Rich Results Test after implementation and whenever price, availability, or policy data changes.

    Quality check

    Common errors and fixes

    • Missing currency or availability

      Use ISO currency codes and complete schema.org availability URLs in Offer data.

    • Incomplete shipping details

      Include shippingDestination.addressCountry and deliveryTime.transitTime with units.

    • Return policy is not connected

      Reference MerchantReturnPolicy from the Offer and provide a stable public policy URL.

    • FAQ answers differ from the page

      Keep structured FAQ answers identical to visible answers.

    Questions

    Stack FAQs

    How many courses should I include?

    Include one Course per course visible in the track. If you show multiple course instances, include a CourseInstance for each visible cohort.

    Do I need CourseInstance for every course?

    Only if the page shows schedules/cohorts. Otherwise, you can omit CourseInstance and keep Course + ItemList + FAQ + Breadcrumb.

    Primary sources

    References