📌 What This Message Means
If OTTO reports that it cannot remove a number of hardcoded schemas (for example, 537), it is letting you know that those schemas live directly inside your Shopify theme or app code, not inside OTTO. Because OTTO did not create them, it cannot delete them for you. This article explains what that means in plain language and shows you how to clean them up.
🧩 What a Hardcoded Schema Is
A schema is structured data that helps search engines understand your page (for example, product details, reviews, or breadcrumbs). OTTO can add and manage schema for you automatically.
A hardcoded schema is schema that was added directly into your Shopify store's theme files, a theme app, or a third-party plugin before OTTO was installed. It is fixed in place inside the code, which is why it is called "hardcoded."
❓ Why OTTO Cannot Remove Them
OTTO only controls the schema it generates and injects through your OTTO Pixel. It does not have permission to edit your Shopify theme files or other apps. When OTTO finds hardcoded schemas, it flags them so you are aware of them, but it leaves the removal to you. This protects your store from unexpected changes to code OTTO does not own.
⚠️ Why Duplicate Schemas Matter
When hardcoded schemas and OTTO schemas both exist on the same page, search engines can see duplicate or conflicting data. This can:
- Confuse search engines about which information is correct
- Trigger schema validation warnings
- Reduce the chance of earning rich results
Removing the old hardcoded schemas lets OTTO manage your structured data cleanly from one place.
🔍 How to Find the Hardcoded Schemas
Use the count OTTO gives you as your guide, then locate the source:
- Open a sample page from your store in a browser.
- Right-click and choose View Page Source.
- Search the code for application/ld+json or the word schema.
- Note where the schema appears so you can identify its source (theme file, theme section, or an installed app).
🛠️ How to Remove Them in Shopify
Most hardcoded schemas come from one of three places. Work through these in order:
- Theme files: In Shopify, go to Online Store > Themes, click Edit code, and search your template and section files (often theme.liquid or product templates) for the schema markup. Remove or comment out the hardcoded blocks.
- SEO or schema apps: If a third-party app is injecting schema, open that app's settings and disable its structured data feature, or uninstall the app if it is no longer needed.
- Page or product content: Check for schema pasted directly into product descriptions or custom HTML blocks, and remove it there.
Always create a backup of your theme before editing code. In Shopify, duplicate your theme first so you can restore it if needed.
✅ How to Confirm It Worked
- After editing, reload an affected page and check the source code again to confirm the hardcoded schema is gone.
- Run the page through a structured data testing tool to confirm only your intended schema remains.
- Return to OTTO and re-scan your site. The hardcoded schema count should drop.
💡 Helpful Tips
- Work on one schema type at a time so changes are easy to track.
- Keep your duplicated theme until you have confirmed everything looks correct.
- If a developer built your theme, share the schema locations with them so they can remove the markup safely.
- Allow time for search engines to re-crawl your pages after the cleanup.
💬 Need More Help
Cleaning up hardcoded schemas can take a few steps, but it keeps your structured data accurate and lets OTTO manage it for you going forward. If you need further assistance, click the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type "Human Teammate" to start a live chat with a member of our team.
Additional Notes
Common sources include: Your Shopify theme (ships with built-in schema for products, collections, articles), Third-party apps (SEO, review, rich-snippet apps), Custom development (code added manually by a developer/agency). Also: Check theme files via Online Store > Themes > Edit code; schema usually found in template/section files.