What is schema markup, and does your care home website need it?

Schema markup for care home websites: a small, useful job for your web company

Schema markup is hidden code that tells search engines the facts about your home, such as your name, address, telephone number and opening hours. It will not fill rooms on its own.

What is schema markup? And why does it matter for your care home?

Think of schema as the labels on your pantry jars. Google’s crawling your website in the dark, feeling for clues. With schema markup for care home websites, you’re handing it a torch and clear labels: This is our name. This is our address. This is our telephone number. It makes your details easier for search engines to read. On its own it won’t move you up the page.

Why does schema matter for your care home?

Accurate details help search engines show the right facts about your home in the right place. That can save a worried daughter a step when she needs your telephone number or address.

How Google “reads” your website (and why good Homes get overlooked)

Good small homes can still be outweighed by big groups in search results. Google uses many signals, and schema is one tidy way of giving it your basic facts. Ask yourself: if you searched for your own care home, what would you want to see? Start by making sure those facts are right on your website.

What should you include in your schema markup?

Start with the facts a family needs. Google’s guidance on local businesses asks for your name and address, and recommends your telephone number, website and opening hours.

Use the LocalBusiness type, or a more specific one if it truly fits. Schema.org has no dedicated care home type, so don’t go hunting for one. Everything you mark up must also appear on the page.

Add a list of your other official profiles, called sameAs. Point it to your carehome.co.uk listing, CQC profile, Google Business Profile and Facebook page. That helps machines see one home.

What schema can no longer do

Some older advice, including earlier versions of this guide, promised more than schema now delivers. Three things have changed or were never allowed.

• Star ratings. Google does not show stars for reviews a business hosts about itself, even through an embedded widget. Nor should you copy in ratings from other sites.
• FAQ results. Google stopped showing FAQ rich results in May 2026. Marking up your questions does no harm, and the plain answers on the page still help families.
• AI answers. Google says no special schema is needed for AI Overviews or AI Mode. Schema is one tidy signal among many, and no guarantee of a mention.

Schema is a small part of the work, so read how to get your care home found on Google and AI for the rest. Our page on care home SEO explains what we do each month.

How to check if your schema markup is working

Most of us don’t code, and that’s fine. Google’s own tool, the Rich Results Test, lets you paste your website address in and see whether your details are being read clearly. A ten-minute check can highlight mistakes.

Schema markup for care home websites: local, real, human

Schema only works if what you share is truthful. Everything you mark up must also appear on the page. If your website mentions community events, keep them where families can read them.

What happens if you ignore schema?

Nothing dramatic. Google can still read your page and show your Google Business Profile. You are giving search engines less help, so it is worth doing when your web company next updates the site.

Don’t make people jump through hoops

Most families just want to know: “Will mum be okay here?” Give honest information and make it easy to find. Schema is a small part of that. If you’re still feeling wobbly, don’t worry. Our guide to what a care home website needs to win families’ trust covers the rest.

3 Simple Things You Can Do Today

• Paste your homepage URL into Google’s Rich Results Test and check what schema info is showing up.
• Send your review link to every family this month. Mention it will show on Google if they post on your Google profile.
• Write down your CQC rating and a fact you’re proud of. Double-check these appear on your website and your Google Business Profile.