SiteNavigationElement

SiteNavigationElement is a direct WebPageElement subtype for navigation structures — primary nav, secondary nav, footer nav. No unique properties; use cssSelector / xpath to identify the element.

Full example of schema.org/SiteNavigationElement json-ld markup

The markup is verified as valid with Rich Results Test from Google.

schema.org/SiteNavigationElement

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SiteNavigationElement",
  "name": "Primary navigation",
  "cssSelector": "nav.primary",
  "hasPart": [
    { "@type": "WebPage", "name": "Schemas", "url": "https://xoocode.com/json-ld-code-examples" },
    { "@type": "WebPage", "name": "Tools", "url": "https://xoocode.com/tools" },
    { "@type": "WebPage", "name": "About", "url": "https://xoocode.com/about" }
  ]
}
</script>

Minimal valid version

The smallest markup that still produces a valid SiteNavigationElement entity. Use it as the floor. Reach for the advanced example above when you want search engines and AI agents to understand more about your content.

schema.org/SiteNavigationElement (minimal)

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SiteNavigationElement",
  "name": "Primary navigation"
}
</script>

Google rich results this unlocks

SiteNavigationElement is a structural type. It does not produce a rich result on its own.

Its value comes from combining it with a primary type whose markup earns a rich result (Article, Product, Event, and so on). SiteNavigationElement becomes the trunk that the primary type branches off viamainEntityorbreadcrumb. Include it on every page as the backbone of your markup.

Common SiteNavigationElement mistakes

Mistakes that pass validation but silently fail to earn rich results or mislead consumers walking the graph. Avoid these and your markup will be ahead of most sites in the wild.

01
BreadcrumbList instead of SiteNavigationElement
Wrong
```
BreadcrumbList for primary nav
```
Right
```
BreadcrumbList for breadcrumbs; SiteNavigationElement for site nav
```
Breadcrumbs are a positional trail; navigation is a menu.

Schema properties in this example

SiteNavigationElement WebPageElement CreativeWork name cssSelector hasPart WebPage url

About the example data

The primary navigation on xoocode.com.

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