Correctly differentiate between LocalBusiness, Organization, and ProfessionalService
ProfessionalService is obsolete in Schema.org. Organization and current LocalBusiness types separate the organization from real customer locations.
"Differentiating business types in Schema.org" is considered here from the perspective of "Commercial types and rating markups." For SEO teams and developers, "Real entity" and "Virtual mock location" are particularly important.
Published: 3 min read · Author: Sebastian Geier
How do you differentiate Organization and LocalBusiness from the obsolete ProfessionalService type?
Organization describes the overarching legal or operational entity, while LocalBusiness models a specific, publicly relevant business location. Schema.org now marks ProfessionalService as deprecated; newer editions therefore use a current, specific LocalBusiness subtype or, if none of these fit, LocalBusiness itself.
Real-world entity
Test criterion
Real-world entity
Each distinguished organization or branch exists independently and has a consistent, persistent identifier.
Test criterion
Specific location reference
A local type has an accurate address, contact or opening hours, and a visible role for customers.
Current specific type A non-obsolete subtype is selected only if its business meaning describes the actual business more accurately than LocalBusiness.
Current specific type
Control signal
Signal 1
Proportion of local entities with real customer references, a consistent ID, and verified location and contact information.
Control signal
Signal 2
Number of conflicting organizational details or unconnected duplicate entities across central and local pages.
Demarcation Case: "Virtual Sham Location"
A consulting firm has a central company and three physically staffed offices. The company remains an organization; each office receives its own location ID and appropriate local information. A simple mailbox is not modeled as an additional client location.
Specific location reference
Inventory the legal organization, brand, operator, and physical locations as real entities with responsibilities.
Assign each entity a stable ID, a current and appropriate type, and only the relevant visible information.
Express relationships between the central office and the locations and check the output across all location templates for inconsistencies.
Virtual Sham Location
Virtual Sham Location – A simple mailing address is presented as a fully-fledged local business with fictitious opening hours and customer contact.
Dual Organization Identity – Head office and location pages create unconnected organizations with changing names, IDs, or company information.
Obsolete Type – ProfessionalService persists from an old template, even though Schema.org marks the type as obsolete and current alternatives are available.
Which decisions are added to "Defining Organization Types in Schema.org"
A relevant follow-up question answered Realistically Implementing Website and SearchAction Markup"What role does Website Markup play since Google discontinued the Sitelinks search field?"
A second link for "Defining Business Types in Schema.org" leads to Using Schema.org cleanly and completely for LocalBusiness. This post remains focused on the question, "Which LocalBusiness information belongs on a real location page and must match?"
If you want to practically implement "Defining Business Types in Schema.org," you can refer to Robust Website Systems . This focuses on "Commercial Types and Rating Markups" and "Real Entity."
Conclusion: Defining Business Types in Schema.org
Types follow organizational reality and current vocabulary, not page numbers. Separate IDs and explicit relationships make headquarters, operations, and actual branches understandable.
Sources and Further Information
The following sources document the technical and methodological guidelines used for "Defining Business Types in Schema.org".
Local Business Structured Data — Google Search CentralGoogle documents Local Business subtypes, required properties, and the connection between a physical location and locally visible business information.
Organization Structured Data — Google Search CentralThe documentation describes Organization markup for identity, logo, contact, and administrative information without enforcing a local business type.
ProfessionalService — Schema.orgSchema.org marks ProfessionalService as deprecated and lists the more specific service types previously included under it, as well as LegalService.
Key Thesis
Organization describes the parent entity, LocalBusiness a physical customer location. ProfessionalService is deprecated and should no longer be chosen for new editions.
What This Is Not About
ProfessionalService is not a current equivalent alternative to Organization and LocalBusiness, and not every organization with an address is automatically a locally accessible business.
What it's about
The parent organization and its physical locations receive separate identities. Locations use a current, appropriate LocalBusiness subtype or the parent type itself.
Structured data & entity SEO
Consistently assigning entity IDs for locations, services, and brands
"Defining Business Types in Schema.org" includes, as a separate check, the question: How do you assign consistent entity IDs for locations, services, and brands?
Structured data & entity SEO
Clearly link multiple entities on one page
"Defining Business Types in Schema.org" is supplemented by a separate decision: How do you connect multiple entities on a page without ambiguous relationships?
Insights Overview
All VELUNO Insights at a Glance
Further analyses on Website Systems, digital visibility, and robust working models.
Current specific type: next cross-check
An entity map should show the company, brand, and each location with its actual function. Before transferring it to templates, it is additionally checked whether the intended Schema.org type is still current.