Schema Smart Grouping Tool
This tool allows you to automate the grouping of URLs for publishing schema
Overview
When you're managing schema across hundreds (or thousands) of URLs, doing it one page at a time can be time-consuming. That’s where Smart Grouping comes in.
Milestone Schema Manager’s Smart Grouping feature helps you automatically organize pages with similar content into groups, allowing schema to be deployed faster and more efficiently across multiple pages.
This guide walks you through the full process of using the Smart Folder Grouping utility to group URLs and streamline your workflow.
Why Use Smart Grouping?
Smart Grouping is designed to save time and scale schema deployment. By identifying and clustering pages with similar structure or content (like product listings, service pages, or location pages), you can tag schema once and apply it across the group.
It’s ideal for:
- Franchise or multi-location businesses
- Product or category pages
- Blogs with similar structure
Step-by-Step: Using the Smart Folder Grouping Utility
Here’s how to use the tool to group URLs and speed up schema deployment:
Locate the Smart Folder Grouping Utility
Navigate to your Milestone project directory and open the folder named: Smart Folder Grouping
This folder contains everything needed to automate URL grouping. Open the ‘URLs’ Folder. Inside the Smart Folder Grouping directory, click on the ‘urls’ folder.
Update the Spreadsheet
Open the spreadsheet file inside the folder. This file is where you will list the URLs that need to be grouped.
Important: Do not rename this file. It must be saved as url.xlsx (or just url) for the utility to recognize and process it.
Return to the Smart Grouping Tool Folder
Once your URLs are ready, navigate back to the main Smart Folder Grouping folder and click on 'Milestone SFG'.
Launch the Smart Grouping Tool
Run the utility named: Smart Folder Grouping.
A command-line window or prompt will open.
Initiate Group Creation
When prompted, enter: 1
Then press Enter
This tells the tool to begin processing the URLs from your spreadsheet and form logical groups.
Locate the Output File
Once the tool completes grouping, it creates a new output file.
You’ll find it inside the folder named: Grouped
Open the output spreadsheet to view the URL-to-group mapping.
Upload the Grouped File into Schema Manager
Final step: Go to Milestone Schema Manager, then navigate to: Settings > URL Grouping
Upload your grouped output file here to apply the new group structure to your account.
Upload the output file in the ‘URL Grouping’ section within the ‘Settings’ tab.
Glossary of Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Smart Grouping | A feature that clusters URLs with similar content into groups for bulk schema deployment. |
| Smart Folder Grouping | The name of the utility used to create URL groups. |
| Grouped Folder | The directory where the output (grouped) file is saved after processing. |
| URL Spreadsheet | An Excel file where you input URLs for grouping. Must be named url. |
| URL Grouping (Settings Tab) | Section within Milestone Schema Manager where grouped files are uploaded. |
Tips for Success
- Always Use the Correct File Name
The utility won’t process files named anything other than url. Keep naming consistent.
- Double-Check Your Spreadsheet Format
Make sure URLs are properly formatted and free of trailing slashes or errors before running the tool.
- Run the Tool in the Correct Folder
The utility depends on the folder structure and file names—ensure you launch it from the Smart Folder Grouping directory.
- Use Grouping for High-Volume Projects
For projects with many similar pages, grouping drastically speeds up schema deployment and keeps tagging consistent.