What types of businesses should use areaServed schema?

Any service-area business that travels to customers or delivers to specific areas. This includes plumbers, electricians, landscapers, roofers, mobile cleaning services, pest control, delivery-based restaurants, florists, and home health providers. Storefront-only businesses that do not travel or deliver should use the standard address property instead.

Can I list multiple cities in areaServed?

Yes. Use an array to include multiple values. Each city or area should be its own object with a type, name, and sameAs link. You cannot pass multiple values comma separated as a single text string.

Should I use City names or a GeoCircle radius?

It depends on your business. Listing individual cities takes a more keyword-based approach and is useful when you want to target specific location names. GeoCircle is better for defining a broad service radius that captures surrounding towns without listing each one. You can also combine both in the same markup.

Does areaServed schema directly impact rankings?

There is no confirmed direct ranking signal from areaServed markup alone. However, structured data helps search engines understand your business, which can influence how and where you appear in results over time. It also expands your service area information to Bing and Yahoo in addition to Google.

What is the difference between areaServed and serviceArea?

The areaServed property supersedes the older serviceArea property. They serve the same purpose, but areaServed is the current recommended property per Schema.org. Use areaServed for all new implementations.

Where should I place the schema on my website?

Add the JSON-LD script in the head section of the page that best represents the business or service. For a single-location business, that is typically the homepage. For businesses with multiple locations, place it on each location-specific page.

How to add AreaServed Schema to your website

Adding areaServed schema markup to your website helps search engines understand the geographical areas your business serves. This tutorial covers how to implement the markup using JSON-LD, when to use each method, and best practices for getting the most out of areaServed for local SEO.

Table of Contents

What Is AreaServed Schema?
Who Should Use AreaServed Schema?
Implementation Methods
Choosing the Right Approach for Your Business
Full LocalBusiness Example
Best Practices
- FAQs

What Is AreaServed Schema?

The areaServed property is structured data defined by Schema.org as “the geographic area where a service or offered item is provided.” By adding this markup to your website, you give search engines explicit context about where your business operates, which can help your site appear in relevant local search results and improve the accuracy of your Google Maps listing.

AreaServed works within several schema types, including LocalBusiness, Organization, and Service. Any subtype of these (such as ProfessionalService, MedicalClinic, or HomeAndConstructionBusiness) also supports the property.

Who Should Use AreaServed Schema?

You should use areaServed schema if you run a service-area business (SAB), meaning any business that travels to the customer rather than the customer coming to you. Common examples include:

Plumbers, electricians, landscapers, and roofers
Mobile cleaning services and pest control
Restaurants, florists, or shops that offer delivery to specific zip codes or cities
Home health providers and mobile medical services

If you are a physical storefront that customers visit (like a coffee shop or retail store) and you do not deliver or travel to customers, you should not use areaServed. The standard address property is sufficient in that case.

Implementation Methods

There are three main ways to define your service area using areaServed markup. The right approach depends on how your business operates and how specific you need to be about the areas you cover.

Method 1: City or AdministrativeArea (Text Type)

The simplest approach is listing each individual suburb, city, or region your business serves. This method uses the City or AdministrativeArea type and links each location to its Wikipedia page via the sameAs property.

"areaServed": [
  {
    "@type": "City",
    "name": "Ottawa",
    "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa"
  },
  {
    "@type": "City",
    "name": "Toronto",
    "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto"
  }
]

You can list multiple values by wrapping them in an array. Each entry is a separate object in the array. Note that areaServed does not accept multiple values comma separated as a plain text string. Each area needs its own object.

For areas that are not technically cities (such as census-designated places, unincorporated communities, or territories), use the AdministrativeArea type instead and link to the relevant Wikipedia page:

"areaServed": [
  {
    "@type": "AdministrativeArea",
    "name": "San Carlos Park",
    "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Carlos_Park,_Florida"
  },
  {
    "@type": "City",
    "name": "Fort Myers",
    "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Myers,_Florida"
  }
]

Method 2: GeoCircle with Postal Address

If your business serves a radius around a central location, you can use a GeoCircle with a PostalAddress as the midpoint. The geoRadius value is measured in meters (100 miles = 160,934 meters).

"areaServed": {
  "@type": "GeoCircle",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "Ottawa",
    "addressRegion": "ON",
    "postalCode": "K0A 2P0",
    "addressCountry": "CA"
  },
  "geoRadius": "160934"
}

Method 3: GeoCircle with Latitude and Longitude

Alternatively, you can define the center of your service area using exact coordinates. Both approaches (postal address and coordinates) work equally for Google.

"areaServed": {
  "@type": "GeoCircle",
  "geoMidpoint": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": 45.239000,
    "longitude": -75.477150
  },
  "geoRadius": 160934
}

Choosing the Right Approach for Your Business

Each method has trade-offs, and the best choice depends on your service area.

Use City/AdministrativeArea when you serve a specific, defined list of locations and want to target those by name. This approach aligns with a keyword-based approach to local SEO, since the city names in your markup match what users search for (e.g., “plumber in Ottawa”). It is also the clearest option when your service area is not a clean circle around a single point.

Use GeoCircle when your service area is better described as a radius from your business location. This method is especially useful because it captures all the small towns and suburbs adjacent to your business without you needing to list every individual suburb by name. It also helps Google understand proximity for “near me” searches.

Combine both when it makes sense. You can list specific high-value cities while also defining a radius to cover the surrounding area. Use an array to include multiple values in a single areaServed property.

In most cases, the GeoCircle approach with coordinates is the most practical starting point. It covers a broad area with minimal maintenance, and you can always layer in specific City entries for locations you want to emphasize.

Full LocalBusiness Example

Here is a complete LocalBusiness schema that includes areaServed. If you intend to use areaServed, it is recommended that you build it into the full LocalBusiness markup rather than adding it in isolation.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ProfessionalService",
  "name": "SEO North",
  "description": "We are based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We live, sleep, dream SEO.",
  "openingHours": "Mo-Su",
  "telephone": "+3437774012",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "image": "https://seonorth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/seo-north-logo.png",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "2566 Dow St",
    "addressLocality": "Ottawa",
    "addressRegion": "ON",
    "postalCode": "K0A 2P0",
    "addressCountry": "CA"
  },
  "areaServed": {
    "@type": "GeoCircle",
    "geoMidpoint": {
      "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
      "latitude": 45.239000,
      "longitude": -75.477150
    },
    "geoRadius": 160934
  },
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "bestRating": 100,
    "worstRating": 0,
    "ratingValue": 88,
    "reviewCount": 122
  }
}
</script>

Best Practices

Match your markup to your on-page content. If you list service areas in your schema, make sure those same areas appear in text somewhere on the page. Schema reinforces what is already on the page; it does not replace it.

Use sameAs links to Wikipedia or Wikidata. Linking each area to its Wikipedia page helps search engines disambiguate locations and connect your markup to known entities.

Keep your markup accurate and up to date. If your service area changes, update the schema. Inaccurate markup can hurt rather than help.

Place the JSON-LD in the head section of the page that most accurately represents the business. For single-location businesses, that is usually the homepage. For multi-location businesses, use each location’s dedicated page.

Validate with Google’s Rich Results Test. After adding your markup, run the page through Google’s testing tool to confirm there are no errors.

FAQs

What types of businesses should use areaServed schema?
Any service-area business that travels to customers or delivers to specific areas. This includes plumbers, electricians, landscapers, roofers, mobile cleaning services, pest control, delivery-based restaurants, florists, and home health providers. Storefront-only businesses that do not travel or deliver should use the standard address property instead.
Can I list multiple cities in areaServed?
Yes. Use an array to include multiple values. Each city or area should be its own object with a type, name, and sameAs link. You cannot pass multiple values comma separated as a single text string.
Should I use City names or a GeoCircle radius?
It depends on your business. Listing individual cities takes a more keyword-based approach and is useful when you want to target specific location names. GeoCircle is better for defining a broad service radius that captures surrounding towns without listing each one. You can also combine both in the same markup.
Does areaServed schema directly impact rankings?
There is no confirmed direct ranking signal from areaServed markup alone. However, structured data helps search engines understand your business, which can influence how and where you appear in results over time. It also expands your service area information to Bing and Yahoo in addition to Google.
What is the difference between areaServed and serviceArea?
The areaServed property supersedes the older serviceArea property. They serve the same purpose, but areaServed is the current recommended property per Schema.org. Use areaServed for all new implementations.
Where should I place the schema on my website?
Add the JSON-LD script in the head section of the page that best represents the business or service. For a single-location business, that is typically the homepage. For businesses with multiple locations, place it on each location-specific page.

Published on: 2022-10-16
Updated on: 2026-04-02

Isaac Adams-Hands

Isaac Adams-Hands is the SEO Director at SEO North, a company that provides Search Engine Optimization services. As an SEO Professional, Isaac has considerable expertise in On-page SEO, Off-page SEO, and Technical SEO, which gives him a leg up against the competition.

How to Add AreaServed Schema to Your Website