Most Seattle business websites have LocalBusiness schema installed. That’s the good news. The bad news is that most of them are not taking full advantage of it. They use the bare minimum, leaving valuable local search visibility on the table.
Schema markup, specifically LocalBusiness schema, is code that helps search engines understand what your business is, what you do, and where you are. When Google is confident it understands your business, it is more likely to show your website in local search results, like for "plumbers in Ballard" or "best coffee near Pike Place Market".
We audit dozens of Puget Sound websites a month. We see the same mistakes over and over. Here are the fields that are most often missing or incorrectly configured.
Are You Using the Right Business Type?
One of the most common and impactful errors is using the generic LocalBusiness type instead of a more specific one. If you run a dental clinic in South Lake Union, you should use Dentist, not LocalBusiness.
Why does this matter? Specific types give Google more confidence. The more specific you are, the better Google can match you to specific user searches. There are hundreds of types to choose from, including:
PlumberElectricianRoofingContractorDentistPhysicianRestaurantAttorneyRealEstateAgent
Choosing the right one is a simple change that clarifies your entire online presence for search engines. It removes ambiguity.
Is Your Address and Phone Formatted Correctly?
This seems basic, but it’s a frequent point of error. Your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) must be identical across your website, your Google Business Profile, and other local directories.
Schema has specific fields for each part of your address. Don't just lump it all into one line. Use streetAddress, addressLocality (e.g., "Seattle"), addressRegion ("WA"), and postalCode.
For your phone number, use the telephone field and format it with the country code, like +1-206-555-0100. Consistency is critical. A bot crawling your site needs a clear, unambiguous signal. If your address on your contact page is "123 Main St" but your schema says "123 Main Street," you are creating a small point of friction.
Have You Listed Your Service Area?
For businesses that serve customers at their locations, like a plumber or a mobile dog groomer, the areaServed field is crucial. If you are a Bellevue-based electrician who also works in Redmond and Kirkland, you should list those cities.
This tells Google your precise service area. Without it, you are depending on Google to guess where you operate based on your physical address. If your business is in Tacoma but you serve all of Pierce County, defining areaServed helps you show up in searches for "electrician in Puyallup".
We once worked with a landscaper based in Kent. They served clients across the Puget Sound region, but their online presence was weak outside of Kent. By properly defining their areaServed in their schema, we saw a significant increase in leads from Federal Way and Auburn within two months.Do You Include Department-Specific Information?
Larger businesses, like a car dealership with sales, service, and parts departments, should use department schema. Each department can have its own hours and phone number.
A customer looking for your service department on a Saturday morning needs to know if it's open. If your main business hours are for the sales floor, you create a bad customer experience. By providing department schema, you give Google the granular details it needs to answer user queries accurately.
This is especially useful for healthcare clinics in Seattle with different hours for their lab, pharmacy, and general practice.
What About Your Geo Coordinates?
Including geo coordinates (latitude and longitude) in your schema is another way to pinpoint your location for search engines. It removes any ambiguity that might exist with a street address.
Is your business on "1st Ave" or "1st Ave S"? For a human in Pioneer Square, the difference is obvious. For a search engine, it can be a point of confusion. Latitude and longitude are precise. This is a small detail, but it contributes to a powerful, unambiguous signal about your business's physical location.
Fixing your local business schema is a high-impact SEO task. It requires no design changes and no expensive content campaigns. It’s simply about providing clear, accurate, and specific data to search engines.
Take 30 minutes to review your schema. If you are using the generic LocalBusiness type or have any of the other issues we mentioned, fixing it can provide a measurable boost in your local search visibility.
If you're not sure how to check or update your website's schema, we can help. A free website audit from our team can identify these and other opportunities to improve your presence in Seattle and Bellevue search results. Request your free website audit report today.
Seattle agency · Seattle, WA
A full-service digital agency working in WordPress, Drupal, Shopify, Webflow, React, and React Native. We partner with universities, nonprofits, governments, and growing brands to ship sites that hold up after launch.