Schema is NOT a direct ranking factor (Confirmed: John Mueller, Gary Illyes). It indirectly impacts visibility through rich results (43% CTR increase, Webstix case study), better entity understanding, and AI search features.
| Schema Type | Use For |
|---|---|
Restaurant |
Full-service restaurants |
CafeOrCoffeeShop |
Coffee shops, cafes |
BarOrPub |
Bars, pubs, taverns |
Bakery |
Bakeries |
FastFoodRestaurant |
Fast food, quick service |
IceCreamShop |
Ice cream, frozen yogurt |
FoodEstablishment |
Generic food (avoid if specific subtype exists) |
| Schema Type | Use For |
|---|---|
MedicalClinic |
Clinics, urgent care (eligible for rich results) |
Hospital |
Hospitals (eligible for rich results) |
Dentist |
Dental offices (eligible for rich results) |
Physician |
Individual doctor pages (use with Person) |
Optician |
Eye care, optical shops |
Pharmacy |
Pharmacies |
MedicalBusiness |
Generic medical (avoid if specific subtype exists) |
| Schema Type | Use For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
LegalService |
Law firms, legal practices | Correct type |
~~Attorney~~ |
~~Individual attorneys~~ | DEPRECATED by Schema.org. Use LegalService + Person |
| Schema Type | Use For |
|---|---|
Plumber |
Plumbing services |
Electrician |
Electrical services |
HVACBusiness |
Heating, ventilation, AC |
RoofingContractor |
Roofing |
GeneralContractor |
General contracting |
HousePainter |
Painting services |
Locksmith |
Locksmith services |
MovingCompany |
Moving services |
HomeAndConstructionBusiness |
Generic (avoid if specific subtype exists) |
| Schema Type | Use For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
RealEstateAgent |
Both agents AND brokerages | No RealEstateBrokerage type exists |
| Schema Type | Use For |
|---|---|
AutoDealer |
Sales departments |
AutoRepair |
Service departments |
AutoPartsStore |
Parts departments |
AnimalShelter, BeautySalon, ChildCare, DaySpa, DryCleaningOrLaundry, EmergencyService, EmploymentAgency, EntertainmentBusiness, FinancialService, FireStation, FurnitureStore, GasStation, GolfCourse, GovernmentOffice, HealthClub, Hotel, InsuranceAgency, Library, LodgingBusiness, NightClub, PetStore, PoliceStation, PostOffice, RecyclingCenter, ShoppingCenter, SkiResort, SportsActivityLocation, Store, TouristInformationCenter, TravelAgency, VeterinaryCare
Per Google Developers documentation (updated December 10, 2025, Confirmed).
| Property | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
name |
Text | Business name, must match GBP exactly |
address |
PostalAddress | With streetAddress, addressLocality, addressRegion, postalCode |
| Property | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
aggregateRating |
AggregateRating | Rating summary with reviewCount |
geo |
GeoCoordinates | Minimum 5 decimal places (Confirmed, ~1.1m accuracy) |
openingHoursSpecification |
OpeningHoursSpecification | Standard, late-night, 24h, seasonal |
telephone |
Text | Must match GBP and page NAP |
url |
URL | Canonical URL for this location |
priceRange |
Text | Under 100 characters |
image |
URL | Business photo |
review |
Review | Individual reviews |
department |
LocalBusiness | For nested departments (auto dealers) |
menu |
URL or Menu | Restaurants only |
servesCuisine |
Text | Restaurants only |
| Property | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
areaServed |
Place/GeoShape | NOT in Google's official recommended list but supported by Schema.org. Industry-recommended for SABs. Use named cities with sameAs links to Wikipedia/Wikidata. |
Restaurant (or specific subtype)
+ Menu > MenuSection > MenuItem (name, price, nutrition, suitableForDiet)
+ ReserveAction (booking capabilities; not a Google-supported rich result, machine-readable data only)
+ OrderAction (takeout/delivery; not a Google-supported rich result, machine-readable data only)
+ servesCuisine, acceptsReservations
Note: Google Food Ordering (GFO) direct checkout discontinued June 2024. "Order Online" button now redirects to third-party platforms.
MedicalClinic (or Hospital, Dentist)
+ Physician pages: Person + medicalSpecialty + hospitalAffiliation + hasCredential
+ MedicalSpecialty (helps match "hip replacement surgery" to relevant pages)
+ sameAs: link to NPI Registry entry and medical board page
HIPAA constraint: Cannot confirm/deny reviewer is a patient in review responses. Fine precedent: $30,000 (Manasa Health Center, 2023).
LegalService (NOT Attorney -- deprecated)
+ Person on attorney bio pages: jobTitle, worksFor, alumniOf, hasCredential (bar admissions)
+ makesOffer > Service (one per practice area)
+ Practitioner GBP: unique phone per attorney, not sole lawyer at firm
Note: Reviews follow practitioner listing when attorney changes firms.
Specific subtype (Plumber, Electrician, etc.)
+ areaServed: named cities with sameAs to Wikipedia/Wikidata
+ Service on individual service pages, linked via provider
+ hasOfferCatalog for service listings
SAB note: Service area in GBP does NOT currently impact rankings -- rankings based on verification address (Sterling Sky, March 2025).
RealEstateAgent (for both agent and brokerage)
+ Person on agent pages: memberOf (brokerage), credentials
+ RealEstateListing + SingleFamilyResidence/Apartment + Offer (pricing)
+ Event for open houses with organizing agent
Note: No RealEstateBrokerage type exists on Schema.org.
AutoDealer (sales)
+ Car/Vehicle: VIN, mileage, fuelType, vehicleTransmission
+ Offer: price, priceCurrency, availability
+ Separate GBP: AutoRepair (service), AutoPartsStore (parts)
VehicleListing deprecated June 12, 2025 (Confirmed). Use Car + Offer instead. Feed-based Vehicle Listings via Google Merchant Center still functional.
Yelp, TripAdvisor (1B+ reviews), OpenTable (DA + bookings), DoorDash, UberEats, Grubhub, Foursquare (powers Apple Maps, Uber)
Healthgrades (50% of Americans who see a doctor visit), Zocdoc (booking + lead gen), WebMD physician directory (high DA), Vitals, Doximity (80% of US physicians), NPI Registry (entity verification source of truth), state medical board directories
FindLaw (DA~91, dofollow), Martindale-Hubbell (DA~84, peer review since 1868), Avvo (1-10 ratings, auto-created from bar data), Justia (DA~70, free profiles), Super Lawyers (top 5%, selection-based), state bar directories (entity verification)
Note: Internet Brands (KKR) owns Avvo + Martindale + Lawyers.com + Nolo. Thomson Reuters owns FindLaw + Super Lawyers + LawInfo.
Thumbtack ($400M revenue 2024, integrations with ChatGPT/Alexa/Zillow), BBB, Nextdoor, Yelp. Declining: Angi (revenue -30% from 2022 peak), Porch (pivoted to insurance), Houzz (pivoted to SaaS)
Zillow (44% of all RE search traffic, integrated into ChatGPT Oct 2025), Homes.com (#2, overtook Realtor.com, 100M monthly visitors), Realtor.com, Redfin (acquired by Rocket Companies Mar 2025), local MLS sites
Cars.com, AutoTrader, CarGurus, DealerRater (reviews syndicate to Cars.com + OEM sites, supports salesperson ratings), Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book (pricing authority), OEM manufacturer dealer locators (entity verification)
// Homepage: Organization with branchOf references
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"@id": "https://example.com/#org",
"name": "Brand Name",
"url": "https://example.com"
}
// Each location page: individual LocalBusiness
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Dentist",
"@id": "https://example.com/locations/downtown/#location",
"name": "Brand Name - Downtown",
"branchOf": { "@id": "https://example.com/#org" },
"address": { ... },
"geo": { "latitude": "40.71234", "longitude": "-74.00567" },
"telephone": "+1-555-123-4567",
"openingHoursSpecification": [ ... ]
}
Use @id for unique identifiers per location. Subdirectory structure recommended: domain.com/locations/city-name/ (subdirectory consolidates link equity better than subdomain, Bruce Clay study: 50%+ traffic lift).
| Type | Status | Date | Use Instead |
|---|---|---|---|
Attorney |
Deprecated by Schema.org | -- | LegalService + Person |
VehicleListing |
Rich results removed | June 12, 2025 | Car + Offer |
HowTo |
Rich results removed | September 2023 | None |
SpecialAnnouncement |
Deprecated | July 31, 2025 | None |