The latest articles on DEV Community by Nicholas Ashkar (@nicholas_ashkar_4193f5187). https://dev.to/nicholas_ashkar_4193f5187 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3753474%2F6007eb08-396f-46d6-a94d-c2401a27c545.jpg https://dev.to/nicholas_ashkar_4193f5187 en Nicholas Ashkar Wed, 04 Feb 2026 17:32:06 +0000 https://dev.to/nicholas_ashkar_4193f5187/i-built-a-free-wordpress-plugin-that-automatically-generates-schema-markup-now-live-on-1949 https://dev.to/nicholas_ashkar_4193f5187/i-built-a-free-wordpress-plugin-that-automatically-generates-schema-markup-now-live-on-1949 <p>Hey DEV community!</p> <p>Wanted to share something I've been working on. I built <strong>Cirv Box</strong>, a free WordPress plugin that auto-generates Schema.org structured data (JSON-LD) for your site.</p> <h2> The Problem I Solved </h2> <p>I was frustrated that:</p> <ul> <li>Most schema plugins are bloated with features I don't need</li> <li>The good ones cost $67-199/year</li> <li>Manual schema is tedious and error-prone</li> <li>Non-technical site owners have no idea how to implement it</li> </ul> <h2> What It Does </h2> <p>Cirv Box automatically adds schema markup to:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Blog posts</strong> → Article schema</li> <li> <strong>WooCommerce products</strong> → Product schema with prices, reviews, stock status</li> <li> <strong>FAQ pages</strong> → FAQ schema (detects Q&amp;A patterns automatically)</li> <li> <strong>Tutorial content</strong> → HowTo schema with step detection</li> <li> <strong>Business info</strong> → Organization schema on homepage</li> <li> <strong>Navigation</strong> → Breadcrumb schema for all pages</li> </ul> <p>Everything runs automatically. No coding required. Just toggle on what you need.</p> <h2> Tech Stack </h2> <ul> <li>Pure PHP (WordPress requirements)</li> <li>Zero external dependencies</li> <li>JSON-LD output (Google's preferred format)</li> <li>24-hour transient caching for performance</li> <li>Multisite compatible</li> <li>~2,400 lines of code</li> </ul> <h2> What I Learned Building This </h2> <ol> <li> <strong>WordPress.org review is brutal</strong> - Took 6 rounds of compliance fixes (escaping, sanitization, prefix requirements)</li> <li> <strong>Schema validation is tricky</strong> - Empty fields break Google's validator, had to add conditional logic everywhere</li> <li> <strong>The 90/10 rule is real</strong> - 90% of the work was edge cases and polish</li> </ol> <h2> Results </h2> <p>The plugin is now live on WordPress.org:</p> <p>👉 <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/cirv-box" rel="noopener noreferrer">wordpress.org/plugins/cirv-box</a></p> <h2> What's Next </h2> <p>Planning to add:</p> <ul> <li>Local Business schema (for physical locations)</li> <li>Video schema (for embedded content)</li> <li>Event schema (for webinars/events)</li> </ul> <p>Would love feedback from anyone running WordPress sites. What schema types would be most useful to add next?</p> <p><em>If you're interested in SEO and structured data, feel free to ask questions in the comments!</em></p> wordpress seo opensource php