What is schema markup?

Close enough that most people use the terms interchangeably. Structured data is the general idea: Google calls it "a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying the page content." Schema.org is the vocabulary most of it uses, and JSON-LD is the format Google recommends "if your site's setup allows it."

In practice, "add schema" means adding a small block of JSON-LD code to a page that describes what's on it. Visitors don't see the code; search engines read it.

Most contractors need one thing first: LocalBusiness markup, or one of its trade types such as Electrician or Plumber, on the page that describes the business. Google's local business documentation lists a name and address as required, and you can add hours, phone number and more. It even shows one business marked as an electrician, plumber and locksmith at once.

The facts in the markup have to match the page. Google's guidance for its AI features asks site owners to make sure "your structured data matches the visible text on the page," and its general guidelines say "Don't mark up content that is not visible to readers of the page." Keep the markup consistent with your NAP everywhere else.

Not on its own. Google says it "does not guarantee that your structured data will show up in search results, even if your page is marked up correctly," and that for its AI features "there's also no special schema.org structured data that you need to add." Schema helps search engines read your facts; it doesn't replace useful pages.

Our own crawl of contractor sites points the same way. In our contractor website study, 2,348 of 4,433 homepages had LocalBusiness schema. Among businesses in a Google Maps top three, it was no more common for those ChatGPT named (139 of 298) than for those it didn't (352 of 648). That's an association, not proof, and it's ChatGPT, not Google.

The common one is adding star-rating markup for your own business. Google's review documentation says local business review snippets are "only for sites that capture reviews about other local businesses," so stars about yourself on your own site won't qualify. That includes star ratings pulled in through an embedded Google or Facebook reviews widget. In our crawl, 699 of 4,433 contractor homepages carried review-rating markup.

Two more: don't mark up anything that isn't on the page, and don't mark up "irrelevant or misleading content, such as fake reviews." A structured data manual action costs the page its eligibility for rich results, though Google says it "doesn't affect how the page ranks." Check your markup with Google's free Rich Results Test after every site change.

Website figures come from our saved crawl files as collected in October 2026, before the rulings that later adjusted listings in 23 metros. See the study methodology.

Related terms: NAP · AI Overviews · E-E-A-T · All glossary terms

Where to go next: The home-service SEO handbook shows where schema fits after service pages and your Business Profile. For help with the whole job, see Mindflow's SEO program.

• Google Search Central, Intro to how structured data markup works (last updated December 10, 2025; read October 28, 2026)
• Google Search Central, General structured data guidelines (last updated July 10, 2026; read October 28, 2026)
• Google Search Central, Local business (LocalBusiness) structured data (last updated September 8, 2026; read October 28, 2026)
• Google Search Central, Review snippet (Review, AggregateRating) structured data (last updated September 8, 2026; read October 28, 2026)
• Google Search Central, AI features and your website (last updated December 10, 2025; read October 28, 2026)
• Mindflow, Contractor website study (sites crawled October 2026)

Want to see what Google's AI and ChatGPT say about your business today? Get a free AI Visibility Review.