Schema Markup for Contractors in Plain English

Schema markup is a block of code on a page that labels facts, such as your business name, phone, address and hours, in a standard format search engines can read. For a contractor, LocalBusiness markup is the useful one. It helps Google understand the page. It does not promise rankings or special search results.

Schema markup is one of those phrases that gets sold to contractors as a secret. It is not a secret. It is a way of labeling facts on your page so a search engine does not have to guess.

This post explains what it is, what it can and cannot do, and gives you a template you can use or hand to whoever builds your site.

What is schema markup?

Schema markup, also called structured data, is code added to a web page that describes the page’s content in a standard vocabulary. The vocabulary lives at schema.org and is used by Google and other search engines.

Google’s own description is that structured data gives it explicit clues about the meaning of a page, and that it uses that data to understand the page’s content. The format Google recommends is JSON-LD, a block of labeled facts that sits in the page code and is invisible to visitors.

In plain English: your page says “Call us at 555-0100” for people. The markup says "telephone": "+1-555-0100" for machines.

What can it do, and what can’t it?

It can	It cannot
Help a search engine read your name, phone, address, hours and type of business	Make you rank higher by itself
Make your page eligible for certain special search features, where they exist	Make those features appear. Google says it does not promise that features using structured data will show
Keep your facts consistent between your site and the listings that mention you	Replace a well-run Google Business Profile, reviews or real content
Be checked with a free testing tool	Fix a slow site, a missing phone number or poor photos
Be added or changed without altering how the page looks to visitors	Be used to describe things the visitor cannot see on the page

What about AI answers?

Google’s guidance on its AI features says structured data is not required for generative AI search, and that there is no special schema.org markup you need to add. It also says to make sure any structured data matches the visible text on the page.

Other AI assistants do not publish their rules. What helps with all of them is the same plain advice: a clear answer near the top of the page, accurate facts and a business name, phone and area that match everywhere. Nobody can promise to get you into an AI answer.

Which schema types matter for a contractor?

Type	What it describes	Worth doing?
LocalBusiness, or a more specific kind	Your business: name, address, phone, hours, website	Yes. This is the main one.
Service	A specific service you offer	Optional. It describes a service, but Google’s list of structured data features, as of October 2026, does not include a service feature
FAQPage	A page of questions and answers	Low value. Google’s documentation changelog says the FAQ rich result stopped appearing in Search in May 2026
Review and aggregate rating	Customer reviews	Skip it on your own business markup. Google’s local business guidance recommends these only for sites that collect reviews about other businesses
Organization	Basic facts about the company, such as logo	Fine to include, but little extra for a small contractor

Which LocalBusiness type should a contractor choose?

Google says to use the most specific subtype available. Schema.org has several for the trades, including:

• Plumber
• Electrician
• RoofingContractor
• HVACBusiness
• GeneralContractor
• HousePainter
• MovingCompany
• Locksmith

If none fits your trade, HomeAndConstructionBusiness is the broader type that contains these. Check schema.org for the current list. Google also allows more than one type in an array if you do more than one trade.

What does the code look like?

Here is a template. Replace the brackets with facts that are visible on the page, and delete any line you cannot fill.

“ <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Plumber", "name": "[Business name]", "url": "https://[yourwebsite]/", "telephone": "+1-[area code]-[number]", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "[Street]", "addressLocality": "[Town]", "addressRegion": "[State]", "postalCode": "[ZIP]", "addressCountry": "US" }, "openingHoursSpecification": { "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification", "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"], "opens": "07:00:00", "closes": "17:00:00" } } </script> “

Google’s local business guidance lists name and address as required. Telephone, url, hours and geographic coordinates are recommended.

What are the rules to follow?

1. Mark up only what visitors can see. Google says not to add structured data about information that is not visible on the page.
2. Match your Google Business Profile. Same name, same phone, same hours. See name, address, phone consistency.
3. Decide what you will publish. If you work from home and hide your address, think before adding a street address to a public page. The markup asks for an address, and it will be public.
4. Do not invent. No fake reviews, no ratings you did not collect, no services you do not offer.
5. Keep it current. If your hours or phone change, change the markup too.

How do you add it and check it?

1. Ask your website builder or SEO plugin whether it has a LocalBusiness or business details form. That is usually easier than code.
2. If you paste code, put it on the page that has your business details, such as the home or contact page.
3. Run the page through Google’s Rich Results Test and fix any errors it flags.
4. Re-test after you change your phone, hours or address.

Google says to allow time for re-crawling after a change, and it does not promise features will show.

Is it worth your time?

For most small contractors, markup is a 20-minute job that is worth doing once, and not worth a monthly bill. The bigger wins in local SEO for contractors are a complete Google Business Profile, steady real reviews, clear service pages and a phone that gets answered.

If you would rather have it handled with the site, the website and local SEO are part of the Builders Presence plan. See the pricing page for details.

Common questions

Do I need schema markup to show up on Google?

No. Google can find and rank a page without it. Your Google Business Profile, reviews, real service pages and a working phone number matter more. Markup is an extra that helps a search engine read facts you already show on the page, and it is worth doing once if it is cheap to add.

What is JSON-LD?

JSON-LD is the format Google recommends for structured data. It is a block of text added to a page that lists facts in labeled pairs, like name and telephone. Visitors do not see it. Google says it supports other formats too, but JSON-LD is the one it recommends.

Will schema markup get me into AI answers?

Google says structured data is not required for its generative AI search features and that there is no special schema markup to add for them. Other AI assistants do not publish rules. Clear text, accurate facts and a consistent business name are the safer bet. Markup is a supporting detail, not a switch.

Can I do this myself or do I need a developer?

Many website builders and SEO plugins can add LocalBusiness markup from a form, which is often easier than editing code. If you paste your own, a free Google tool called the Rich Results Test will flag errors. If this feels like more than the job is worth, skip it and spend the time on reviews and your profile.