TECHNICAL · SEO GLOSSARY
Local Service Schema
Schema.org structured data for local service businesses — covering the `LocalBusiness` type hierarchy (including subtypes like Plumber, Electrician, Lawyer, Accountant), `hasOfferCatalog` service definitions, `areaServed` geographic coverage, opening hours, and `aggregateRating` for customer reviews.
Definition
Local service schema refers to the full set of schema.org properties used to describe local service businesses — professional, trade, and consumer service businesses that serve customers in a defined geographic area. The schema.org LocalBusiness type hierarchy provides specific subtypes for common service categories: `Plumber`, `Electrician`, `Locksmith`, `Dentist`, `Physician`, `Lawyer`, `Accountant`, `FinancialService`, `InsuranceAgency`, `Veterinary`, `BankOrCreditUnion`, `HairSalon`, `BeautySalon`, `HealthAndBeautyBusiness`, `SportingGoodsStore`, and many more — each inheriting `LocalBusiness` properties while providing specific type classification. Core local service schema properties: (1) **`hasOfferCatalog`**: the services offered, structured as an `OfferCatalog` with `itemListElement` of `Offer` objects each containing a `Service` item — enables service-level semantic matching; (2) **`areaServed`**: for service area businesses — the geographic coverage as `Place` objects; (3) **`openingHoursSpecification`**: structured opening hours as day-and-time-range objects; (4) **`aggregateRating`**: Google uses review count and rating in local ranking signals; the `aggregateRating` property should match the actual review aggregate from GBP; (5) **`priceRange`**: a text descriptor ("£" to "££££") used in local knowledge panels; (6) **`geo`**: `GeoCoordinates` for the business location — helps Google match the GBP listing to the website. Implementation requirement: all properties must be server-rendered in the initial HTML response.
Why it matters for SEO
Local service schema enables rich result eligibility (local business knowledge panel enrichment, review star display in search results), improves semantic matching between specific service categories and relevant queries, and provides structured signals supplementing GBP data. Businesses using the specific subtype consistently see better local pack visibility than equivalent businesses using generic `LocalBusiness` only.
How DeepSEOAnalysis checks this
DeepSEOAnalysis validates the specific `@type` used (identifying when generic `LocalBusiness` is used instead of a specific subtype like `Plumber`), confirms required properties are present and correctly structured, checks `aggregateRating` format, and verifies server-rendering of all local service schema.
Useful tools and resources
GLOSSARY
Related terms
technical
Plumber Schema
The schema.org `Plumber` type — a subtype of `HomeAndConstructionBusiness → LocalBusiness` — used to mark up plumbing and heating business websites, communicating service types, geographic service area, opening hours, and emergency availability to search engines.
Read definition →technical
Service Area Schema
The `areaServed` schema.org property used to declare the geographic areas a service business covers — expressed as `Place`, `City`, `AdministrativeArea`, `GeoShape`, or `GeoCircle` objects — enabling search engines to match service area businesses with local queries outside their registered address location.
Read definition →technical
Home Service SEO
Local SEO strategy for tradespeople and home service businesses — plumbers, electricians, roofers, locksmiths, cleaners — covering service area configuration, Google Local Services Ads, HomeAndConstructionBusiness schema subtypes, and emergency service visibility optimisation.
Read definition →technical
Plumber SEO
Search engine optimisation for plumbing and heating businesses — targeting local emergency service queries, service area pages, Google Local Services Ads integration, and HomeAndConstructionBusiness schema with areaServed and hasOfferCatalog properties.
Read definition →technical
Google Local Services Ads
Google\'s pay-per-lead advertising product for local service businesses — appearing above standard search ads and organic results with a "Google Guaranteed" or "Google Screened" badge, charging per verified lead rather than per click, and requiring background checks, licence verification, and insurance for the Google Guaranteed programme.
Read definition →See how your site scores on Local Service Schema.
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