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Local business schema: a plain-English guide

Updated · 2 min read

Structured data (also called schema markup) is a small block of code that tells search engines and AI assistants the facts about your business in a format machines can't misread: your name, type of business, address, phone, hours and service area.

For local businesses, the most important type is LocalBusiness, or a more specific type such as Dentist, Plumber, Restaurant or LegalService.

Why it matters for AI search

AI assistants have to work out who you are from your website. Clear text helps, but structured data removes guesswork: it states exactly which business the page is about, where it is, and when it's open. It also helps connect your website to your Google, Facebook and directory profiles through the “sameAs” field.

The fields that matter most

  • @type: the most specific business type that fits (Dentist rather than LocalBusiness, for example)
  • name: exactly as it appears on your signs and listings
  • address: street, city, region, postcode and country
  • telephone and url
  • openingHoursSpecification: your hours for each day
  • geo: latitude and longitude
  • areaServed: the towns or regions you cover
  • sameAs: links to your Google Business Profile, Facebook, LinkedIn and other official profiles

How to add it

  1. Create the code with our free local business schema generator. Just fill in the form.
  2. Paste the whole <script type="application/ld+json"> block into your homepage, ideally inside the <head>. On WordPress, most SEO plugins or a header-scripts plugin let you do this without editing code.
  3. Check it with our structured data checker, and with Google's Rich Results Test.

Common mistakes

  • Details that don't match your Google Business Profile, such as a different phone number or old address
  • Using the generic LocalBusiness type when a specific one exists
  • Marking up information that isn't visible on the page
  • Broken code after copying and pasting. One missing comma makes the whole block unreadable.

Questions

Will schema markup make me rank higher?

Not directly. It helps search engines and AI assistants understand your business correctly, which supports everything else you do. It's a foundation, not a shortcut.

Do I need it on every page?

Put LocalBusiness schema on your homepage (or a dedicated contact or location page). If you have several locations, give each location its own page with its own schema.

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