What is the SEO effect of schema subtype deprecation? Do I really have to update the subtype if there isn't a suitable alternative?
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Could someone please elaborate on the SEO effect of schema subtype deprecation? Does it even matter?
The Local business properties section of developers.google.com says to:
Define each local business location as a LocalBusiness type. Use the most specific
LocalBusinesssub-type possible; for example, Restaurant, DaySpa, HealthClub, and so on.Unfortunately, the ProfessionalService page of schema.org states that ProfessionalService has been deprecated and many of my clients don't fit anywhere else (or if they do it's not a LocalBusiness subtype).
I find it inconvenient to have to modify my different clients' JSON-LD from LocalBusiness to ProfessionalService back to LocalBusiness. I'm not saying this happens every day but how does one keep up with it all?
I'm really trying to take advantage of the numerous types, attributes, etc., in structured data but I feel the more I implement, the harder it will be to update later (true of many things, of course).
I do feel this is important and that a better workflow could be the answer.
If you have something that works for you, please let us know. If you think it's not important tell us why not? (Why Google is wrong) I understand there is always a better use of our time, but I'd like to limit the discussion to solving this Google/Schema.org deprecation issue specifically.
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See the comment(s) here from danbri (Dan Brickley, Schema.org webmaster), last one matters though and should address your exact situation. You may not even need to make any changes really, see if you need to and see if it is worth the effort and time.
https://github.com/schemaorg/schemaorg/issues/1109#issuecomment-212480234
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