Schema Markup for Home Service Websites

Google’s search results for “plumber near me” used to show ten blue links. Now they show star ratings, price ranges, service areas, hours of operation, and direct call buttons. The contractors who show up with all that information get clicked. Everyone else gets scrolled past.

Schema markup is the code that tells Google exactly what information to display about your business. Without it, Google guesses. With it, Google shows your reviews, your services, and your contact information directly in search results.

Websites with proper schema markup see 30% higher click-through rates than those without it. For a home service business where a single job is worth $500-5,000, that click rate difference adds up fast.

What schema markup actually does

Schema markup is a standardized vocabulary that helps search engines understand your website content. It’s code you add to your pages that says “this is a business,” “this is a review,” “this is a service we offer.”

Google uses this information in two ways. First, it helps Google understand what your pages are about so it can rank them appropriately. A page with LocalBusiness schema explicitly identified as a plumbing company in Phoenix is easier for Google to categorize than one where it has to figure that out from the text.

Second, schema enables rich results. Those star ratings, price ranges, and FAQ accordions you see in search results come from schema markup. They’re called rich snippets, and they make your listing stand out in a crowded results page.

The home service contractors showing up with star ratings and service lists in their search listings didn’t get that by accident. They implemented the right schema types on their websites.

LocalBusiness schema: the foundation

LocalBusiness schema is the base layer every home service website needs. It tells Google your business name, address, phone number, service area, hours, and what category of business you are.

Here’s what LocalBusiness schema communicates to Google:

Your business name and what type of business it is. For contractors, you’d use a specific subtype like Plumber, Electrician, HVACBusiness, RoofingContractor, or GeneralContractor. These subtypes help Google understand exactly what you do.

Your service area. This is critical for service-area businesses that go to customers rather than having customers come to them. You can specify cities, zip codes, or geographic regions you serve.

Your contact information. Phone number, email, and website URL all go in the schema. Google uses this to power the click-to-call buttons in mobile search results.

Your hours of operation. If you offer 24/7 emergency service, the schema reflects that. Google shows hours directly in search results, and homeowners searching for “emergency plumber” at 2am need to know you’re available.

Your price range. Schema supports a general price range indicator ($ to $$$$) that helps searchers understand your market positioning.

The LocalBusiness schema should be on every page of your website, typically in the footer or head section. Most website platforms have plugins or built-in features to add this without touching code.

Review schema: showing your ratings

91% of homeowners check reviews before letting a contractor into their home. Review schema lets you display those ratings directly in search results rather than making them click through to find them.

Review schema can show your aggregate rating (4.8 out of 5 based on 247 reviews) in search results. That star rating makes your listing visually stand out from competitors who don’t have it, and it provides instant social proof before the click.

There are two ways to implement review schema. The first is aggregate review schema, which shows your overall rating based on all reviews. The second is individual review schema, which highlights specific reviews on the page.

Aggregate review schema typically pulls from your Google Business Profile reviews or a review platform you use. The schema needs to accurately reflect your actual review count and rating. Google verifies this data and penalizes sites that inflate their numbers.

One important note: as of recent Google updates, self-served review schema (reviews you collect and post yourself) may not always generate rich snippets. Reviews from third-party platforms like Google, Yelp, or verified review software carry more weight.

Link your review strategy to your review generation system so you’re consistently building the reviews that feed your schema markup.

Service schema: what you actually do

Service schema tells Google the specific services you offer. For a plumber, this includes drain cleaning, water heater installation, pipe repair, and every other service you provide.

Each service can include its own attributes: price range, duration, area served, and description. This level of detail helps Google match your pages to specific service searches.

When a homeowner searches “tankless water heater installation Phoenix,” Google is more likely to surface a page that has Service schema explicitly identifying tankless water heater installation as a service you offer, with Phoenix listed as a service area.

Structure your service schema to match your actual service pages. If you have a dedicated page for water heater installation, that page should have Service schema for that specific service. If you have separate pages for tankless and traditional water heater installation, each page gets its own service schema.

This creates alignment between your URL structure, page content, and schema markup. Google sees consistent signals that reinforce what you do and where you do it.

FAQ schema: answering questions in search results

FAQ schema enables those expandable question-and-answer boxes that appear directly in search results. When someone searches “how much does AC repair cost,” a page with FAQ schema might show the question and answer right in the results without requiring a click.

This has two benefits. First, it makes your listing significantly larger and more visually prominent, pushing competitors further down the page. Second, it positions you as the authoritative source for that information.

The questions in your FAQ schema should be actual questions homeowners ask. Pull them from your call logs, your Google Business Profile Q&A section, or the “People Also Ask” boxes that appear for your target keywords.

Keep answers concise in the schema. Two to three sentences that directly answer the question. The goal is to earn the click by demonstrating expertise, not to give away so much information they never need to visit your site.

FAQ schema works well on service pages, blog posts, and location pages. A service page for water heater installation might include FAQ schema for “How much does water heater installation cost?” and “How long does water heater installation take?” and “Should I repair or replace my water heater?”

HowTo schema: step-by-step processes

HowTo schema displays step-by-step instructions in search results. This works well for educational content that explains processes homeowners might research before hiring.

“How to unclog a drain” is a common search. A page with HowTo schema showing the steps can rank prominently for that search. This captures homeowners who might try a DIY fix, fail, and then need to call a professional.

HowTo schema can include estimated time, tools needed, and images for each step. The more complete your markup, the more likely Google is to display it.

This schema type is particularly useful for blog content targeting problem-based keywords. Posts about troubleshooting HVAC issues, maintaining plumbing systems, or identifying electrical problems can all use HowTo schema.

The traffic from these educational searches may not convert immediately, but it builds awareness. When the DIY fix doesn’t work, the contractor who taught them something useful is top of mind.

BreadcrumbList schema shows your site structure in search results. Instead of just a URL, searchers see a navigational path like “Home > Services > Plumbing > Water Heater Installation.”

This helps in two ways. First, it makes your listing cleaner and easier to understand at a glance. Second, the breadcrumb links are clickable, giving searchers multiple entry points to your site.

Breadcrumb schema also signals to Google how your content is organized. A clear hierarchy reinforces your topical authority. “Services > Plumbing > Water Heater Installation” tells Google this page is a specific subset of your plumbing services, which are part of your broader services.

Most modern website themes include breadcrumb navigation automatically. The schema markup just makes that navigation visible to Google and displayable in search results.

Implementing schema without breaking your site

Schema markup can be implemented in three formats: JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa. JSON-LD is the recommended format because it’s a separate block of code that doesn’t interfere with your page content.

JSON-LD schema goes in the head section of your page or before the closing body tag. It’s a structured block of code that looks like this conceptually: “This page is about a LocalBusiness of type Plumber, located at this address, offering these services, with this aggregate rating.”

For WordPress sites, plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and Schema Pro generate schema markup automatically based on your page content and settings you configure. These plugins can handle LocalBusiness, FAQ, and other schema types without requiring you to write code.

For other platforms, check if your website builder has built-in schema features. Squarespace, Wix, and Webflow all have some level of schema support, though it may require adding custom code in certain places.

After implementing schema, validate it using Google’s Rich Results Test. Paste your URL and see exactly what schema Google detects and whether there are any errors. Fix any issues the test identifies.

Common errors include missing required fields, mismatched data between schema and page content, and formatting issues in the code. The validation tool identifies these specifically so you can address them.

Measuring schema impact

Schema markup improvements show up in several metrics.

Click-through rate is the most direct measure. Track CTR in Google Search Console before and after implementing schema. Rich snippets typically increase CTR by 20-30% for the same rankings.

Impression share for rich results appears in Search Console under the Performance report. Filter by search appearance to see how often your pages are showing with rich snippets versus plain results.

Track which schema types are generating rich results. Not all schema automatically earns a rich snippet. Google decides what to display based on page quality, search type, and other factors. Your FAQ schema might show for some queries and not others.

For home service websites, the ultimate measure is leads and booked jobs. Schema markup should be part of a broader local SEO strategy that connects search visibility to actual revenue. Higher click-through rates only matter if those clicks convert to calls and jobs.

What to implement first

Start with LocalBusiness schema on your entire site. This is foundational and affects how Google understands your business at a basic level.

Next, add FAQ schema to your key service pages. The pages targeting your most valuable services should have three to five relevant questions with concise answers.

Add Service schema to each service page. Make sure the services in your schema match the services described on the page.

Finally, implement Review schema if you have reviews from verified platforms. Connect it to actual review data that can be validated.

Schema markup is a technical foundation that makes all your other SEO work more effective. It doesn’t replace good content or a strong Google Business Profile, but it ensures Google fully understands what you have.