[Feature Request] Provide ability to disable Yoast Schema

[Pcosta88]

Yoast with v11 outputs lots of schema as described in the doc https://developer.yoast.com/schema-documentation/yoast-seo/

However, users need to use filters to disable it (or parts of it): https://developer.yoast.com/schema-documentation/api/

Not all users have the programming ability to do this.

Therefore we should provide ability to disable Yoast Schema

[Pcosta88]

related #12707

[RTCTTFMF]

Thanks for moving this over to a feature request. Many WordPress sites are already using either plugins or manually added Schema Markup either in JSON/LD or Microdata. The V11 update not having the ability to switch off schema output will cause a great deal of problems for these sites with duplicate and/or contradictory markup.

Ideally I'd like to see the ability to turn on/off individual sections of markup for different parts of a Wordpress site. The default setting for all of these sections should be OFF to avoid problems with sites that already have a solution in place.

I have seen there are also concerns about linking/disclosing author usernames within schema markup that have been turned off.

[kerdezo]

Hi Friends,

I do highly agree.
"Not all users have the programming ability to do this.
Therefore we should provide ability to disable Yoast Schema"

Lot of Yoast users out there, are keen to this option(s)

[jdevalk]

I'm sorry but we're not going to provide a user option for this.

[SarahHaruel]

jdevalk commented 11 days ago

I'm sorry but we're not going to provide a user option for this.

Can you clearly and without spin advise why?

Since when is causing issues for site owners a priority for Yoast ?

Why do you believe that a simple checkbox that says _enable schema / disable schema OR some other UI element is a wrong move ?

I love your plugin Joost, but I think the arrogance and non explanatory nature of your reply implies your simply trying to slide in a functionality ready for a pro version ( Yoast Schema Pro etc ) and you want to force it down peoples throats through the backdoor..... Even if they currently use a solution that works out the box or which may have been hand coded to make it work.

Users, including myself are voicing concern and its telling that you dont see the issues surrounding a user using a different schema plugin and your late to the party schema implementation potentially screwing up a website.

On something that has scope for creating so much issues, I am really disappointed in your response and some of the responses I have seen regarding other issues, which reek of arrogance and if I may be bold enough to state, anti competitive practice.

I think when you take away control of peoples websites by hardcoding certain things in, you wind up in the situations where someone disrupts your model such as the SEO Framework or your plugin becomes to be a ' patchwork king ' in order for people to hack it apart just to make it behave in a way that grants them the control they deserve as the site owner and not the guy who wrote a plugin .....

"My plugin/theme already outputs schema markup"
https://developer.yoast.com/schema-documentation/integration-guidelines/#top

Unless you're already adding individual pieces to a @graph (and connecting those pieces via @id referencing), you may need to make some changes in order to integrate effectively. If you already use an ID-based approach, you should be able to 'stitch' your pieces into our graph by using our Schema API and by following our specification.

If you use a different approach (e.g., you output a structured JSON-LD tree, or use microdata), there's a risk that the various pieces might have conflicting information, and that the page isn't accurately represented.

In this case, we encourage you to adapt your code to follow our specification. The first step is to identify each individual 'piece' of schema markup which you produce, and to output them as top-level members in a @graph (and connect them via unique @id parameters, based on our our specification). A certain plugin is getting too big for their JSON boots ....

Then, if the user is running Yoast SEO, you can filter and/or extend our output and connect your pieces to our graph via our Schema API. When correctly integrated, you should be able to disable your plugin/theme output (as our own logic will manage the construction and output of the completed graph).

If you detect that your user isn't running Yoast SEO and you want to maximize interoperability with other plugins, you can construct your own graph following our specification.

[jdevalk]

Since when is causing issues for site owners a priority for Yoast ?

I don't think we are causing issues at all. If people were OK with having disconnected schema pieces before our update, we've just added one more. It connects to itself but it doesn't undo anything else. Of course I think it'd be better if people tied their schema implementation to ours, but nothing breaks if you don't.

I love your plugin Joost, but I think the arrogance and non explanatory nature of your reply implies your simply trying to slide in a functionality ready for a pro version ( Yoast Schema Pro etc )

None of that is our plan. If we ever add a feature to disable it, it'll be available to all, we simply don't roll like that.

On something that has scope for creating so much issues, I am really disappointed in your response

I'm sorry that you're disappointed in my response, but I really fail to see the issues we're creating with this. If you're using other plugins and those plugins collide with our code, those plugins can disable our Schema with one line of code. We've checked all the ones that did that before this release, and the line they used to disable our Schema still works.

[RTCTTFMF]

Many of our sites use manually inserted JSON/LD Schema on specific pages via header/footer insertion plugins such as SOGO Add Script Header Footer, or modified template files. Those for sure don't "disable" your code" - why should they? You changed your functionality. We used to just leave your person/org switch OFF and it didn't generate code...

The big one that I'm surprised you don't see a problem with is WooCommerce, it generates /Product markup on product pages, and Yoast SEO 11+ is now generating /Article markup on the same pages.

This is a VERY simple request for you guys to do. I removed about a dozen installs of Yoast SEO yesterday FYI, not a big deal to you guys but I'm telling you you're wrong on this call. Give people ability to control the schema generation. Minimum an on/off switch for all of it. Ideally the ability to control what sections generate what markup. For example turning off /Article Markup only on Posts.

[jdevalk]

I'm sorry but you're wrong here: we don't output article on product pages, we output webpage, which doesn't collide at all with the product markup woo outputs. You're of course free to disable our output but the reason you give for doing it is simply wrong.

Yes we changed our functionality, that's what happens with software...

[bupotalovo]

You're of course free to disable our output..

Can't find any options in current plugin, please advise in which menu we can disable the webpage schema output on product pages, thanks.

[Cheekypixel]

I don't understand why this is such an issue. Many people who use the Yoast plugin would like to use other ways of implementing schema - why not allow it to be switched off?

[Djennez]

@bupotalovo @Cheekypixel You can, by implementing your own logic. The details on how are mentioned in the original post. This link will take you to the necessary content.