Build Actions from web content

Structured data tells Google about the type of content you're creating, so we can present it to users in an interactive way. In addition to presenting your content as a rich result on Google Search, we can read your markup to automatically build an Action that presents your content on the Google Assistant and creates an entry in the Assistant directory. When users ask the Assistant for one of the available content types, we may show your Action.

If you're just getting started, learn more about how structured data works.

Figure 1. Example Actions auto-generated from web content.

Publish your content

Google can generate a variety of Actions based on web content that you provide. Refer to the following list of supported content types to learn about creating Actions for each type:

FAQs	Users who ask the Google Assistant for information on a topic can receive your FAQ content to give them the best answers. Create markup for your FAQ content and we can auto-generate an Action with your information. For information on FAQ Actions built with markup, see the FAQ Action documentation. Note: Users can only invoke FAQ Actions built with markup on devices with screens.
How-to guides	Users can follow your how-to guides in the Google Assistant. When users ask the Assistant for help with a task, we may recommend your how-to if they can help with that task. Create markup for your how-to content and we can auto-generate an Action for your guides. For more information on How-to Actions built with markup, see the How-to Action with markup documentation. Note: How-to guide Actions built with markup are currently in developer preview and only available on smart displays. If you'd like to provide your users with the best visual experience on smart displays, including the images specified in the markup, fill out the interest form.
Media	Users can discover your content on Google Search and Assistant, and initiate playback of the content directly on your app or platform. For information on setting up your media content, see the Media Actions documentation.
News	Users can consume your content through the Google Assistant as part of Google News, including the top stories carousel. When you add structured data to your AMP pages, we can surface your news content on the Google Assistant. For information on setting up your news article content, see the article structured data documentation.
Podcasts	Users can find your podcast in the Assistant directory and play episodes on their devices using the Google Assistant. Create an RSS feed for your podcast and we can auto-generate an Action for it. For more information on setting up your podcast feed, see the Podcasts documentation.
Recipes	Users can follow your recipes through rich cards presented in the Google Assistant and learn about your content on the Assistant directory. Create markup for your recipes and we can auto-generate an Action for them. For information on setting up your recipe content, see the recipes structured data documentation.

Figure 2. Example of a How-to Guide Action generated with markup on a smart display. The left image shows the overview of the how-to guide, and the right image shows specific steps alongside the video.