Check 15 of 23 · Can AI tell who you are?

Your business type is named

Your structured data should say what kind of business you are, using a specific label like Dentist or LocalBusiness. A generic label makes AI guess your category.

  • Who fixes itYou can do this
  • TimeAbout 5 minutes
  • Worth2 of 100 points
  • How sure we areLikely

What this is

When your page carries structured data, one of the facts in it is your type. That is the label for what kind of thing you are.

Some labels are specific: Dentist, Plumber, Attorney, ProfessionalService, LocalBusiness. Some are generic and say nothing about your business: WebSite, WebPage, BreadcrumbList. A page can have several types. We want at least one of the specific kind.

Why it matters to you

This is a 2-point check, and it is kept at 2 on purpose. When a buyer asks an AI for “a family counselor in Castle Rock”, a declared category removes one guess. That is helpful. But the evidence that schema moves citations is null, so we are not going to price it like a lever. Do it because it is five minutes of tidiness, not because it will change your week.

What we look for

We read the types declared in your homepage’s JSON-LD.

  • Pass: at least one type is a business or organization type. Full points. The result names which one.
  • Warn: types are declared, but all of them are generic (like WebSite or WebPage). You get 1 of 2 points.
  • Fail: no types at all, which usually means no structured data. Zero points. Fix Your business facts are written as data first.

Types that pass include LocalBusiness and any of its specific kinds: Plumber, Dentist, Attorney, ProfessionalService, MedicalClinic, Restaurant, RealEstateAgent, and many more. Organization also counts. It is the right choice for a business with no street address.

Whether you can fix this yourself

Yes. It is one word in the block you already have. If a plugin writes your structured data, it is one dropdown in that plugin.

How to fix it

Pick the most specific type that is true for you. Use LocalBusiness or one of its subtypes (Plumber, Dentist, Attorney, ProfessionalService) for a business with an address. Use Organization for one without. Do not pick a type that is not true just because it sounds better. Schema.org lists every type; search there for your trade.

WordPress

In Yoast SEO, go to Search Appearance, then the site representation setting, and choose “Organization”. Yoast writes Organization. For LocalBusiness or a subtype you need Yoast Local SEO or Rank Math. In Rank Math, the Local SEO settings let you pick “Local Business” and then a specific business type from a dropdown.

Squarespace or Wix

Squarespace writes its own block and does not let you change the type. Wix has a per-page structured data field in the SEO panel where you can paste your own block with the type you want. On Squarespace, if this check warns, leave it. It is 1 point.

Shopify

Most themes write Organization. To change it, search the theme’s help or the app store for “local business schema”.

Your own site or a developer

Change the @type line in your JSON-LD:

"@type": "Dentist",

Everything else in the block stays the same.

How to check it worked

Paste your homepage address into Google’s Rich Results Test. It lists the types it found. Then run the free check again.

Do not worry about

Getting the “perfect” subtype. LocalBusiness alone passes. A more specific type is nice, not required.