Schema markup sounds like a technical rabbit hole, but it's simpler than it looks once you know what it does. This guide explains what it is, why it's worth bothering with for a trades or service business, and which types still earn their place in 2026.
What is Schema Markup?
Schema markup is a small piece of code you add to your website. It helps search engines understand your content, not just read the words on the page but actually grasp what they mean.
Without it, Google has to guess what your business does from your text alone. With it, you're telling Google straight out: "This is a local business. These are our services. These are our opening hours. These are our reviews."
Think of it as a label stitched into your site. Your visitors never see it, but search engine crawlers read it constantly.
Schema is written in a format called JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data), which is the format Google recommends. It sits in the <head> of your pages and never shows up on screen.
Here's what a basic version looks like in your code:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"name": "Your Business Name",
"telephone": "01234 567890",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"addressLocality": "Nottingham",
"addressCountry": "GB"
}
}
</script>
How Schema Works
From the moment you add it to the moment it changes your search listing, schema goes through four stages.
Types of Schema That Matter for Trades Businesses
There are hundreds of schema types, but only a handful actually do anything for a UK trades or service business. These are the ones worth your time.
A Note on FAQPage Schema
FAQPage is still a valid Schema.org type, and plenty of older SEO guides will tell you to add it. Here's where things actually stand in 2026.
Google fully deprecated FAQ rich results on 7 May 2026. That finished off a process it started back in August 2023, when it limited FAQ rich results to well-known government and health sites only. From that point on, trade, service, and commercial sites stopped getting them anyway.
The deprecation means FAQ dropdowns no longer appear in Google's search results for any website. Search Console's FAQ report and the Rich Results Test support are being removed in June 2026, with API support following in August 2026.
This is a display change, not a markup penalty. Google has said it will keep reading FAQPage data to understand your pages, it just won't render it as a visible search feature. If you have real FAQ content, leaving the markup in place does no harm and there's no rush to strip it out. What no longer makes sense is bolting on FAQ schema purely to grab more space in the results, because that benefit is gone.
What Are Rich Results?
When schema is set up correctly, Google can add visual extras to your listing that make it stand out from the plain blue links around it. For a trades business, the ones that matter most are star ratings, opening hours, service area, and sitelinks.
The difference is easiest to see side by side.
A listing with stars and opening hours is a completely different proposition to a plain title and description. It's physically bigger, more informative, and far more likely to win the click over a competitor.
Why Schema Matters for Your Business
Higher Click-Through Rates
Rich results consistently beat standard listings on click-through rate. Stars and opening hours give people more to go on, and more reasons to pick you.
Google Understands You More Precisely
LocalBusiness schema with a defined service area is one of the clearest signals you can send about where you work. It backs up your visibility in the local pack and "near me" searches.
Set It Once, Keep the Benefit
Unlike paid ads, schema is a one-off job with an ongoing payoff. Once it's on your site it keeps telling Google what you do, where you work, and how trustworthy you are, with no monthly bill attached.
Most Competitors Haven't Bothered
Most UK trade websites have no schema at all. That's an edge sitting there for the taking, simply by doing something the business down the road hasn't.
How to Add Schema to Your Website
There are three routes, depending on how technical you want to get.
Option A: Google's Structured Data Markup Helper. A free tool where you highlight elements on your page and Google generates the code for you. Fine for simple LocalBusiness markup.
Option B: Plugins (WordPress / Wix). Tools like Yoast SEO on WordPress or the Wix SEO app can auto-generate basic schema. Quick to set up, but limited in how much you can customise.
Option C: Custom JSON-LD. Add the schema by hand to your site header or individual pages. It takes more effort, but you get full control over every field on every page. This is what we do as standard at WAT Websites.
Schema Implementation Checklist
You can run any page through Google's Rich Results Test for free to check your markup is valid.
Common Schema Mistakes to Avoid
A few mistakes come up again and again. Here's what to watch for.
Schema vs No Schema: What You're Missing
| Without Schema | With Schema |
|---|---|
| Plain blue link only | Star ratings visible in search |
| No opening hours shown | Opening hours shown in results |
| Small result footprint | Larger, richer result footprint |
| Google guesses your services | Google knows exactly what you offer |
| No local service area signal | Service areas clearly communicated |
| Lower trust in Google's eyes | Signals authority and relevance |
Need Schema on Your Website?
Schema markup is one of the quickest SEO wins going for a trades business, and most of your competitors still haven't touched it. We build it into every site we make as standard.
If you want to know whether your current site has any schema, where the gaps are, and what fixing it could do for your rankings, get in touch with the WAT Websites team.
