Stop WordPress and TinyMCE from Stripping Microdata in Content

By default, microdata will be stripped from the WordPress content editor. This is important, as some webmasters will want to use microdata, a way of defining structured data, to help improve high-value page content.

Structured data tells search more about our site, and can be used to better interpret information. Check out schema.org for a full list of data types, not all of which are recognized by Google currently. An alternative to using microdata (and usually easier to manage) is to use json instead.

With the rise in feature cards within SERPs (search engine result pages) it’s important to make some changes to your WordPress installation to prevent it from removing structured data or microdata.

Take these simple steps to stop WordPress from removing your microdata.

1.  Download and install the Advanced TinyMCE Configuration Plugin
2. The option name you want to add is: extended_valid_elements
3. The option value you want to add: @[itemscope|itemtype|itemid|itemprop|content],div,span,time[datetime]

This is by no means going to cover all of the possibilities when adding rich data, but should give you at least enough of a model to continue to add tags you need to customize. Be careful if the structured data has errors the effort will be worthless. To validate be sure to use the structured data testing tool to verify the new structured data and type.