Local business schema, explained and tested

The short answer

Local business schema is structured data, usually a short JSON-LD script in a page’s code, that tells search engines your business name, address, phone, hours, location and type in a format machines can read without guessing. Google uses LocalBusiness markup to understand details such as hours and departments, and says it can support features like knowledge panels and local carousels. Google lists only two required properties, name and address, and recommends adding telephone, url, geo coordinates, opening hours and, where relevant, price range and menu.

Schema doesn’t replace a Google Business Profile, and Google says it doesn’t promise that features using structured data will appear. Its value is accuracy: it removes ambiguity about who you are and where you operate. Below: which types to use, what to include, how to add it and how to test it.

Which schema types a local business uses

Because LocalBusiness is a subtype of Organization, Google recommends Organization properties on LocalBusiness markup as well, such as logo and sameAs links to your official profiles.

What to include

Here is what a LocalBusiness block for one office typically contains. Use the details exactly as they appear on that location’s Google Business Profile and on the visible page.

• @type: the most specific subtype, for example “Dentist”. You can give several types as a list.
• name: your real business name, without keywords.
• address: a PostalAddress with street, city, state, ZIP and country. Google asks for as many fields as apply.
• telephone: the main number, with country and area code, for example +1-404-555-0100.
• url: the page for that specific location. Google says it must work.
• geo: latitude and longitude. Google says the precision must be at least five decimal places.
• openingHoursSpecification: days, opening and closing times, with seasonal changes using validFrom and validThrough.
• priceRange: optional. Google says it must be shorter than 100 characters.
• image and logo: a real photo of the location and your logo.
• sameAs: links to your official social and directory profiles.
• department: for distinct departments, such as a dealership’s service center. Google suggests naming them “store name + department name”.

What not to mark up

• Your own reviews. Google says pages using LocalBusiness or other Organization markup are ineligible for review stars when the business controls the reviews about itself, including reviews shown through an embedded widget. Marking up your own testimonials won’t earn stars.
• Anything not visible on the page. Google’s structured data guidelines require markup to describe content users can see. Hidden or misleading markup can lead to a manual action.
• FAQ markup expecting rich results. As of 2026, Google no longer shows FAQ rich results in Search; its documentation was deprecated in May 2026 and removed in June 2026.
• A service area as an address. If you are a service-area business that hides its street address on Google, think before publishing it in schema. Organization markup with an areaServed property is one option; showing the address only where you are comfortable displaying it publicly is another.

Not sure your markup is right?

Book a free 30-minute call. We test your key pages with you, check the markup against your Google Business Profile and tell you what we would fix first. No obligation. Pick a time that works for you.

How to add it

Google supports JSON-LD, Microdata and RDFa, and says all three are fine when valid. JSON-LD is the usual choice because it sits in one script block and doesn’t tangle with your page layout.

• WordPress: most SEO plugins can output Organization or LocalBusiness markup from settings you fill in once. Check what yours actually produces with the testing tools below, because defaults are often generic.
• Website builders such as Shopify or Squarespace: some themes and apps add basic markup; you can usually add a custom JSON-LD block in the page head for anything missing.
• Custom sites: add the JSON-LD script to each location page template, filled from the same data that renders the visible address and hours, so the two can never drift apart.
• Google Tag Manager: possible, but markup added in the page source is more dependable.

For multiple locations, put LocalBusiness markup on each location page with that office’s details, and Organization markup once on the homepage. Don’t put every location’s markup on every page.

How to test it

1. Rich Results Test (Google): paste a URL or code. Fix critical errors; Google says non-critical warnings are worth fixing but not required.
2. Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org): checks all schema.org types, including ones Google doesn’t use for rich results.
3. URL Inspection in Search Console: confirms Google can crawl the page and isn’t blocked by robots.txt, noindex or a login.
4. Request indexing after changes and allow several days for Google to recrawl.
5. Recheck after site changes. Theme updates, plugin changes and redesigns often break or duplicate markup.

An illustrative example in plain terms

Take a dental office in Marietta, Georgia. Its location page carries a JSON-LD block of type Dentist, with the practice name, a PostalAddress for the office, the phone number with +1, the URL of that location page, latitude and longitude to five decimal places, opening hours for Monday to Friday, a photo of the building and sameAs links to its official social profiles. The homepage carries one Organization block with the practice logo. Every value matches what patients see on the page and on the Google Business Profile.

Common mistakes

• Hours in schema that don’t match the page or the Google Business Profile.
• The same LocalBusiness block, with the head office address, on every page of a multi-location site.
• Two plugins both outputting markup, creating conflicting entities.
• Using plain “LocalBusiness” when a specific subtype exists.
• Phone numbers without the country code, or tracking numbers that change by visitor.

Where schema fits in local SEO

Structured data is one small, precise part of local SEO. It helps search engines connect your website to your business and its locations. It works alongside, not instead of, a complete Google Business Profile, strong service and location pages, and reviews. JLB USA has done web design and marketing for growing businesses for more than 15 years. Our SEO services are billed month to month, and you can cancel after any month; our custom WordPress websites can build markup into page templates. If you are planning a redesign, read how to redesign without losing SEO.

Keep reading

• Why is my website not showing up on Google? Causes and fixes
• Crawled – currently not indexed: what it means and how to fix it
• Location pages for SEO: how to build pages that rank without thin content
• Google AI Overviews SEO: how to get cited and keep the leads

Related services

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• Website redesign without losing SEO