Using Service Schema and Local Business Schema | PointA

When the internet is your business card, you employ every tactic you can so that customers find you. So, how do you snag the attention of someone searching “plumbing service”? By adding it right into the code of your website, of course!

What the Heck Is Schema Markup?

Schema is code, or microdata or structured data, that goes right into the HTML code of your website. It provides context for search engines about your business.

You might have seen an extra robust result like this while using Google, which is thanks to the addition of schema markup to the web page:

Versus a typical SERP result without schema markup:

All the extra information a user sees, like how long it takes to make, how many calories there are, and the star rating all stem from the addition of “recipe schema” markup. Recipe schema is one of the most popular schema markups, but there is schema markup for almost anything you can dream up, and more is added every day.

The two types of schema most relevant to franchise businesses are 1) service schema and 2) local business schema. Service schema improves the SERP listings for service businesses, and local business schema improves results for local search via Google My Business.

What Is Service Schema?

Service schema is specialized schema markup that helps search engines understand what type of services your business specializes in.

Service schema is the number one way to describe exactly the service your business offers to crawlers.

For example, when implementing schema on your site, if you’re a plumber, you’ll set your “service” as plumbing, you might include your service area (areaServed) to get more specific, as well. You can use “provider” to say specifically what the business is.

The more specific your schema markup is, the more opportunities you have to highlight additional information about your service-based business.

According to a Search Engine Journal blog post, schema markup doesn’t improve your rankings, but this is up for debate. Adding schema does make your snippet more pronounced with extra information. This could indirectly improve rankings, as more people click on your site – higher click-through rate improves SERP positioning.

What Is Local Business Schema?

Another very important schema markup to consider for your franchise business is Local Business Schema.

You already know the importance of making sure your Google My Business listing is optimized, but with structured data you can add information right into your website to help search engines understand your business better.

There’s a way to input everything from service hours to price range and more!

According to a study, less than one-third of all search results include schema markup. There’s an opportunity to get ahead of the game and implement schema to get seen.

But where to start? Searching through Schema.org for ten minutes can leave your head spinning with the massive amount of information available.

How to Implement Service Schema on Your Franchise Website

If you know what this means …

<div itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Invoice”>

<h1 itemprop=”description”>New furnace and installation</h1>

<div itemprop=”broker” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/LocalBusiness”>

   <b itemprop=”name”>ACME Home Heating</b>

</div>

<div itemprop=”customer” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Person”>

   <b itemprop=”name”>Jane Doe</b>

Great! Then you’re probably ready to start implementing schema markup on your website. Feel free to follow along with this awesome guide to get it going. Or if you’re using Google Search Console you can use the Google Data Highlighter to add schema to your website. (The only drawback is it supports much less schema than exists.)

If the code above looks like a bunch of nonsense to you – no worries. PointA is ready to help. We’re expert at designing and developing websites for franchise owners. There’s thousands of different types of schema markup, so our experts will recommend and implement the right markup for you based on your industry and digital marketing goals.

Reach out to PointA today and see how we can boost your franchise’s appearance on Google and Google My Business with service or local business schema markup.