The Strategy (The “Why”)
Schema markup directly signals E-E-A-T to Google by providing structured, machine-readable proof of your content’s expertise and authority. For YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) medical sites, schema transforms vague claims of expertise into verifiable data that search engines can parse, validate, and factor into rankings.
How Schema Specifically Addresses E-E-A-T
Schema doesn’t just describe your content—it proves medical accuracy by explicitly declaring who wrote it, who reviewed it, and what qualifications they hold. Here’s how each schema property maps to E-E-A-T components:
- Experience:
authorschema with biographical details demonstrates real-world clinical experience - Expertise:
reviewedByschema withMedicalOrganizationorPhysiciantypes validates medical credentials - Authoritativeness:
sameAsproperties linking to professional profiles (LinkedIn, medical directories, hospital staff pages) establish third-party verification - Trustworthiness:
lastRevieweddates andMedicalAudienceproperties show ongoing content maintenance and appropriate targeting
Building Authoritativeness with sameAs and Person Schema
The sameAs property is your digital credential verification system. When you declare a Person schema for your medical reviewer and include sameAs URLs pointing to their hospital bio, state medical board listing, or verified LinkedIn profile, you’re creating what Google calls “entity reconciliation.”
This process allows Google to:
- Connect your reviewer to their Knowledge Panel (if they have one)
- Verify credentials across multiple authoritative sources (state licensing boards, hospital directories)
- Aggregate their expertise signals from other publications they’ve reviewed or authored
For addiction treatment centers specifically, linking your Medical Director’s sameAs to their:
- American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) profile
- State medical board verification page
- Published research on PubMed (via ORCID ID if available)
- Facility staff page with credentials
…creates a verifiable chain of authority that generic “reviewed by Dr. Smith” text cannot achieve.
Example of entity reconciliation in action: If Dr. Jennifer Martinez reviews your article on opioid withdrawal, and her Person schema includes sameAs links to her hospital profile and ASAM directory listing, Google can validate she’s a real, credentialed addiction medicine specialist—not a fabricated authority figure.
Core Implementation & Types (The “How-To”)
The Hierarchy: MedicalWebPage vs. HealthTopicContent
MedicalWebPage is the primary schema type for medical content pages, while HealthTopicContent is a more specific subtype for comprehensive health topic overviews. Most addiction treatment and behavioral health articles should use MedicalWebPage unless you’re creating definitive topic pages that cover all aspects of a condition.
| Property | MedicalWebPage | HealthTopicContent |
|---|---|---|
| Use Case | Individual treatment pages, blog posts, service pages about specific conditions | Comprehensive topic hubs, condition overview pages, “everything about X” guides |
| Specificity | Broad medical content category | Highly specific health topic designation |
| Required Properties | author, reviewedBy, lastReviewed | Same as MedicalWebPage + hasHealthAspect |
| Google Rich Results | Eligible for standard medical content features | Potential for enhanced health topic features |
| Best For | “How to Treat Alcohol Withdrawal”, “Is Rehab Covered by Insurance?” | “Alcohol Use Disorder: Complete Guide”, “Everything About Opioid Addiction” |
| Recommended For YMYL | ✅ Yes – Default choice for most medical pages | ⚠️ Use only for truly comprehensive topic pages |
Key Decision Point: If your page answers a specific question or covers one aspect of a condition, use MedicalWebPage. If it’s a 5,000+ word definitive resource covering symptoms, causes, treatment, prevention, and prognosis, consider HealthTopicContent.
The Code: Master JSON-LD Template
This template includes all critical E-E-A-T signals: content creator, medical reviewer, review date, and topic validation. Copy this structure and modify the bracketed values for your specific content.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "MedicalWebPage",
"@id": "https://example.com/treating-alcohol-withdrawal#webpage",
"url": "https://example.com/treating-alcohol-withdrawal",
"name": "How to Safely Treat Alcohol Withdrawal: Medical Protocol Guide",
"description": "Evidence-based guide to alcohol withdrawal treatment including medication protocols, symptom management, and safety monitoring by board-certified addiction medicine specialists.",
"datePublished": "2024-11-15",
"dateModified": "2024-12-01",
"lastReviewed": "2024-12-01",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"@id": "https://example.com/authors/sarah-williams#person",
"name": "Sarah Williams",
"jobTitle": "Senior Medical Writer",
"description": "Medical writer specializing in addiction treatment with 8 years experience in behavioral health content.",
"url": "https://example.com/authors/sarah-williams",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-williams-medical-writer",
"https://twitter.com/sarahwrites_med"
]
},
"reviewedBy": {
"@type": "Person",
"@id": "https://example.com/medical-team/dr-james-chen#person",
"name": "Dr. James Chen, MD, FASAM",
"jobTitle": "Medical Director, Addiction Medicine",
"description": "Board-certified in addiction medicine and psychiatry with 15 years treating substance use disorders.",
"url": "https://example.com/medical-team/dr-james-chen",
"sameAs": [
"https://facility-website.com/staff/james-chen-md",
"https://www.healthgrades.com/physician/dr-james-chen-xyz123",
"https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjameschen"
],
"hasCredential": {
"@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential",
"credentialCategory": "Medical Board Certification",
"recognizedBy": {
"@type": "MedicalOrganization",
"name": "American Board of Addiction Medicine"
}
},
"worksFor": {
"@type": "MedicalOrganization",
"name": "Example Addiction Treatment Center",
"url": "https://example.com"
}
},
"about": {
"@type": "MedicalCondition",
"@id": "https://example.com/conditions/alcohol-withdrawal#condition",
"name": "Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome",
"alternateName": ["AWS", "Alcohol Detoxification"],
"code": {
"@type": "MedicalCode",
"code": "F10.239",
"codingSystem": "ICD-10"
}
},
"audience": {
"@type": "MedicalAudience",
"audienceType": "Patient",
"healthCondition": {
"@type": "MedicalCondition",
"name": "Alcohol Use Disorder"
}
},
"mainEntity": {
"@type": "MedicalWebPage",
"headline": "How to Safely Treat Alcohol Withdrawal: Medical Protocol Guide"
}
}
Critical Schema Properties Explained
@id properties create unique identifiers that allow Google to distinguish between your content entity, author entity, and reviewer entity. Always use the hash fragment pattern (#webpage, #person, #condition) to differentiate entities on the same URL.
reviewedBy is your most powerful E-E-A-T signal. This property explicitly states who verified the medical accuracy of your content. The more detailed this schema (including sameAs, hasCredential, worksFor), the stronger your authority signal.
sameAs arrays should include 2-5 authoritative URLs that verify the person’s identity and credentials. For medical reviewers, prioritize:
- Facility staff bio pages
- State medical board verification pages
- Professional organization directories (ASAM, APA, etc.)
- Healthcare provider rating sites (Healthgrades, Vitals)
- Professional LinkedIn profiles
hasCredential property validates board certifications. While not strictly required, including this structured data about your reviewer’s credentials (ABAM, ABPN, etc.) provides additional E-E-A-T signals.
Adding Medical Reviewer to JSON-LD: Step-by-Step
To implement reviewedBy schema, you need the medical reviewer’s biographical information and authoritative profile URLs. Follow this process:
- Gather reviewer credentials: Full name, title, certifications, employer, years of experience
- Collect
sameAsURLs: Hospital bio, medical board listing, professional directory profiles - Create or update reviewer’s author page on your site (e.g.,
/medical-team/dr-firstname-lastname) - Add
reviewedByobject to your page’s JSON-LD using the template above - Include
lastRevieweddate at the root level to show content freshness
Common mistake: Adding reviewedBy without corresponding sameAs URLs. This reduces the verification value—Google can’t validate the reviewer’s credentials without external links to authoritative sources.
WordPress Implementation: Plugins vs. Manual
For medical schema on WordPress, manual header injection provides more control than plugin-generated schema. Here’s why and how to implement each approach:
Plugin Method (RankMath/Yoast)
RankMath Pro and Yoast SEO offer basic medical schema options, but they lack granular control over reviewedBy properties and sameAs arrays.
- RankMath: Navigate to Schema tab → Select “Medical Webpage” → Add author details
- Yoast: Less robust medical schema support; primarily handles basic
WebPagetypes - Limitation: Most plugins don’t support the full
reviewedByschema object withhasCredentialand nested properties
Recommended approach: Use RankMath for basic page schema, then enhance with custom JSON-LD for medical properties.
Manual Header Injection (Recommended)
Add custom JSON-LD directly to your theme’s header.php or via a code snippets plugin for complete control over medical schema properties.
Method 1 – Theme Functions:
function add_medical_schema() {
if (is_single() && in_category('treatment-guides')) {
?>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "MedicalWebPage",
// ... full schema here
}
</script>
<?php
}
}
add_action('wp_head', 'add_medical_schema');
Method 2 – Advanced Custom Fields (ACF): Create custom fields for reviewer details, then dynamically generate schema:
$reviewer_name = get_field('medical_reviewer_name');
$reviewer_credentials = get_field('reviewer_credentials');
$reviewer_sameas = get_field('reviewer_sameas_urls'); // Repeater field
// Generate JSON-LD dynamically
Method 3 – Code Snippets Plugin: Install “Code Snippets” plugin, create new snippet, paste JSON-LD template with PHP conditional logic to target specific post types or categories.
Best practice for scale: Create a custom post meta box that allows editors to select a medical reviewer from a dropdown (populated from an “Our Medical Team” custom post type), then automatically generate the reviewedBy schema based on that selection.
Testing & Maintenance
Validation: Rich Results Test vs. Schema Validator
Google’s Rich Results Test and Schema.org’s validator serve different purposes—use both for comprehensive validation. The Rich Results Test checks if your markup qualifies for enhanced search features, while the Schema Validator checks syntactic correctness.
Validation workflow:
- Schema.org Validator (https://validator.schema.org) – Run first to catch JSON-LD syntax errors
- Google Rich Results Test (https://search.google.com/test/rich-results) – Verify Google-specific implementation
- Google Search Console – Monitor “Enhancement” reports for deployed pages
Key difference: A page can pass Schema.org validation but fail Rich Results Test if it’s missing required properties for Google’s enhanced features (like reviewedBy for medical content).
Common Medical Schema Errors
Mismatched @type declarations cause the most frequent validation failures. Here are the specific errors you’ll encounter and how to fix them:
Error 1: Missing Required Property reviewedBy
Problem: Google expects medical content to include a medical reviewer for E-E-A-T validation.
// ❌ WRONG - No reviewer declared
{
"@type": "MedicalWebPage",
"author": { ... }
// Missing reviewedBy
}
// ✅ CORRECT - Reviewer included with credentials
{
"@type": "MedicalWebPage",
"author": { ... },
"reviewedBy": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Dr. Sarah Johnson",
"sameAs": ["..."]
}
}
Fix: Always include reviewedBy for treatment content, symptom guides, and medication information.
Error 2: Invalid @id Format
Problem: @id properties must be absolute URLs with fragment identifiers.
// ❌ WRONG - Relative URL
"@id": "/article#webpage"
// ❌ WRONG - No fragment identifier
"@id": "https://example.com/article"
// ✅ CORRECT
"@id": "https://example.com/article#webpage"
Fix: Use full URL with hash fragment (#webpage, #person, #condition) to uniquely identify entities.
Error 3: Incorrect Date Formats
Problem: Schema.org requires ISO 8601 date format (YYYY-MM-DD).
// ❌ WRONG
"lastReviewed": "12/01/2024"
// ✅ CORRECT
"lastReviewed": "2024-12-01"
Fix: Always use YYYY-MM-DD format for datePublished, dateModified, and lastReviewed.
Error 4: Empty sameAs Arrays
Problem: Including sameAs property with no URLs provides no verification value.
// ❌ WRONG
"sameAs": []
// ⚠️ WEAK - Only one URL
"sameAs": ["https://linkedin.com/in/doctor"]
// ✅ STRONG - Multiple authoritative sources
"sameAs": [
"https://hospital.com/staff/dr-name",
"https://healthgrades.com/physician/dr-name",
"https://linkedin.com/in/dr-name"
]
Fix: Include 2-5 authoritative URLs that verify identity and credentials. Remove sameAs entirely if you have no external profiles to reference.
Error 5: Nested Schema Without Proper @type
Problem: Every nested object needs its own @type declaration.
// ❌ WRONG - Missing @type in nested object
"worksFor": {
"name": "Example Hospital"
}
// ✅ CORRECT - Proper typing
"worksFor": {
"@type": "MedicalOrganization",
"name": "Example Hospital",
"url": "https://hospital.com"
}
Fix: Declare @type for all nested entities (Person, MedicalOrganization, MedicalCondition, EducationalOccupationalCredential).
How to Implement Medical Schema: Best Practices Checklist
Successful medical schema implementation requires systematic rollout and ongoing maintenance. Follow this prioritization framework:
Phase 1: High-Value Pages First
- ✅ Treatment methodology pages
- ✅ Condition/disorder overview pages
- ✅ “What to expect” process pages
- ✅ Insurance and admissions pages with medical info
Phase 2: Blog Content
- ✅ Symptom guides
- ✅ Medication information articles
- ✅ Evidence-based treatment comparisons
Phase 3: Supporting Content
- ✅ FAQs with medical claims
- ✅ Aftercare and continuing care information
- ✅ Family resource guides
Phase 4: Maintenance Schedule
| Task | Frequency | Action |
|---|---|---|
Update lastReviewed dates | Quarterly | Re-review top 20 traffic pages, update date even if no content changes |
| Validate schema | After any template changes | Run Rich Results Test and Schema Validator |
Update reviewer sameAs URLs | Semi-annually | Check for new professional profiles, broken links |
| Add new staff reviewers | As hired | Create Person schema with full credentials |
Audit for missing reviewedBy | Monthly | Identify published medical content lacking reviewer schema |
Critical best practice: Never backdate lastReviewed to make content appear fresher. Google may cross-reference your dates with Wayback Machine snapshots or Search Console’s crawl dates—timestamp manipulation can trigger manual actions.
Monitoring Schema Health in Google Search Console
The “Enhancements” section in Search Console shows which pages have valid medical schema and which have errors. Navigate to:
- Search Console → Enhancements → Unparsable structured data: Check for JSON-LD syntax errors
- Coverage report: Filter for pages with “Valid with warnings” status
- Manual Actions: Monitor for any structured data penalties (rare but critical)
Set up Search Console alerts for “New structured data issues detected” to catch validation problems immediately after template changes or WordPress updates that might break your schema.
Conclusion
Medical schema transforms subjective expertise claims into verifiable, machine-readable authority signals that directly impact your YMYL rankings. By implementing MedicalWebPage schema with comprehensive reviewedBy properties, you’re providing Google with the exact E-E-A-T proof it seeks for medical content evaluation.
The SEO Impact
Sites with properly implemented medical reviewer schema see:
- Improved crawl interpretation: Google understands content context without relying solely on textual analysis
- Enhanced topical authority: Entity connections via
sameAslink your content to recognized medical experts - Competitive differentiation: Most addiction treatment and behavioral health sites lack detailed reviewer schema
- Future-proofing: As Google’s AI systems evolve, structured data becomes increasingly important for content evaluation
The Trust Signal
From a user perspective, visible medical reviewer credentials build immediate trust. When you display “Medically reviewed by [Reviewer Name, Credentials]” text that’s backed by corresponding schema markup, you’re providing dual signals:
- Human trust: Users see credentials and can click through to verify qualifications
- Machine trust: Search engines validate those credentials via
sameAsentity reconciliation
For addiction treatment centers specifically, where users are making life-changing decisions about care, this combination of technical and visual trust signals can be the difference between a bounce and a phone call.
Implementation Priority
Start with your highest-traffic treatment pages and symptom guides. These pages typically:
- Drive the most organic traffic
- Target high-commercial-intent keywords
- Face the strongest YMYL quality evaluation
- Benefit most from immediate E-E-A-T enhancement
Once you’ve established the schema template and workflow, roll out to blog content and supporting pages systematically.
The long-term goal: Every page making medical claims should have verifiable reviewer schema linking to credentialed professionals with multiple authoritative sameAs confirmations. This isn’t optional for YMYL sites—it’s the baseline expectation for medical content in competitive search environments.
