Schema markup for service businesses
The JSON-LD that actually helps service businesses show up in Google.
Schema markup is JSON-LD that tells search engines what your page is about in machine-readable terms. For service businesses, a few schemas do most of the work.
Organization schema
On your home page, declare your organisation. Name, URL, logo, founding date, location, social profiles, what you do.
Google may use this for the Knowledge Panel when people search your brand name. Worth doing once, lasts forever.
LocalBusiness schema
If you have a physical address or serve a specific geographic area, use LocalBusiness instead of (or in addition to) Organization. Add opening hours, phone number, address.
This is the schema that gets you into the Google Maps local pack for "service near me" searches.
Service schema
For each service you offer (web development, branding, etc.), declare a Service schema with name, description, provider, and area served.
This helps Google understand what you offer beyond what the homepage copy says explicitly.
Article schema
For blog and resource pages, declare Article schema with author, headline, description, image, datePublished. Required for the article to appear in Google News and "Top Stories" rich results.
BreadcrumbList schema
On any page below the root, declare the breadcrumb trail. Home > Services > Web Development. Google may show breadcrumbs in search results, which improves click-through.
FAQPage schema
If you have a FAQ section on a page, mark it up as FAQPage. Each question and answer becomes structured data. Google sometimes shows these directly in search results — a huge click-through advantage.
What not to bother with
SiteNavigationElement. Largely deprecated, Google ignores it.
Product schema for service businesses. Use Service, not Product.
Excessive review schema. Be careful here. Fake review schema gets manual penalties. If you have real reviews, link to the source.
How to add it
In Next.js or any framework: a single JSON-LD script tag per schema. Server-render it so search engines see it immediately. No client-side hydration required.
Test what you wrote with the Google Rich Results Test tool. It catches typos and tells you which rich results your schema is eligible for.
How much it actually moves rankings
Directly, not much. Schema isn't a ranking factor on its own. Indirectly, a lot — rich results have higher click-through rates, and click-through is a ranking signal. Schema is one of the highest-ROI ten-minute SEO improvements you can make.