The local business schema every contractor site needs

Schema (also called structured data) is a short block of code on your page that describes your business in a fixed format: this is a roofing contractor, this is the name, this is the phone number, these are the hours. Visitors never see it. Search engines and other software read it.

When we checked the homepages of 225 Mississauga contractors in October (full results):

• 44% had no local-business schema at all.
• Only 48% had a business block with both an address and a phone number.
• Only 27% said which areas they serve.
• 11% had no structured data of any kind.

The most common type was not LocalBusiness. It was the generic Organization (115 sites against 75), which is what many WordPress SEO plugins write unless someone changes a setting.

What it does, and what it doesn't

Google says it uses structured data to understand what a page is about. For local businesses, its documentation lists two required fields, the name and the address, and recommends more: phone, website, hours and coordinates.

What it does not do: guarantee a ranking, or put stars next to your name. Google's rules say star ratings in this markup are only for sites that collect reviews about other businesses. Your own rating on your own site will not earn stars in search.

Think of it as filling in a form correctly. It removes guessing about who you are, what you do and how to reach you. It will not make up for thin pages or no reviews.

The lines that matter

Here is a minimal block for a contractor, with placeholders to replace. It goes in the page's code, usually in the head.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "GeneralContractor",
  "name": "Your Business Name",
  "url": "https://yourdomain.ca/",
  "telephone": "+1-905-000-0000",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "addressLocality": "Mississauga",
    "addressRegion": "ON",
    "addressCountry": "CA"
  },
  "areaServed": ["Mississauga", "Oakville", "Brampton"],
  "sameAs": ["https://www.google.com/maps?cid=YOUR_CID"]
}
</script>

Three choices matter most.

The type. Use the most specific one that is true. Schema.org has types for most trades: GeneralContractor, RoofingContractor, Plumber, Electrician, HVACBusiness, HousePainter, Locksmith. If none fits, HomeAndConstructionBusiness is the general one for the building trades.

The address and area. If customers visit you, give your full street address. If you work out of a truck and keep your address private on Google, give the city and province, and list the areas you serve in areaServed. Use the same name, phone and city everywhere: your site, your Business Profile, your directory listings.

sameAs. A list of your other official profiles: your Google Business Profile link, Facebook, Instagram, HomeStars. It ties your website to those profiles so they read as the same business.

How to check yours

1. Open Google's Rich Results Test and paste your homepage address. It lists the structured data it found and any errors.
2. Or use the Schema Markup Validator, which shows every type on the page, including ones Google does not use for rich results.
3. Look for a local business type (or your trade) with your name, phone and address. If you see only Organization and WebSite, the local part is missing.

If you're on WordPress

About half the sites we checked ran Yoast or Rank Math. Both can output a local business type: Rank Math has a Local SEO setting, and Yoast does it through its paid Local SEO add-on. Set the business type, name, phone, address and service area there, save, and run the test again.

If you're not sure what your site has, run the test above first. It takes a minute, and it tells you whether this is a five-minute settings change or a job for whoever built your site.

The free AI visibility check reads your local business schema too, along with your phone number, service area and service pages, and gives you the markup to add.

This is part of every site we build. The websites page covers what else goes in.

FAQ

Does local business schema improve my Google rankings?

It does not guarantee a ranking. Google says it uses structured data to understand what a page is about, so schema removes guessing about who you are, what you do and how to reach you. It will not make up for thin pages or no reviews.

What schema type should a contractor use?

Use the most specific type that is true: schema.org has GeneralContractor, RoofingContractor, Plumber, Electrician, HVACBusiness, HousePainter and Locksmith, and HomeAndConstructionBusiness is the general type for the building trades. If your page shows only Organization, which many WordPress SEO plugins write unless someone changes a setting, the local part is missing. On the Mississauga contractor sites we checked, Organization was more common than LocalBusiness, 115 sites against 75.

What address should I put in schema if customers don't visit me?

If customers visit you, give your full street address. If you work out of a truck and keep your address private on Google, give the city and province, and list the areas you serve in areaServed. Use the same name, phone and city everywhere: your site, your Business Profile and your directory listings.

Will review schema put star ratings next to my business in Google?

No. Google's rules say star ratings in this markup are only for sites that collect reviews about other businesses. Your own rating on your own site will not earn stars in search.