LocalBusiness Schema
LocalBusiness schema is a type of structured data from Schema.org that describes a business with a physical location or service area: its name, address, phone number, opening hours and more. It helps search engines understand and confirm key business details from your website.
What LocalBusiness schema is
LocalBusiness is one of the most widely used types of schema markup. It has many more specific subtypes, such as Dentist, Restaurant, Plumber, LegalService and AutoRepair. Using the most specific subtype that fits gives search engines a clearer picture.
Google recommends adding structured data in JSON-LD format, a block of code in the page that does not change what visitors see.
Key properties
| Property | What it describes |
|---|---|
name | The business name, matching your real-world signage. |
address | A PostalAddress with street, town, postcode and country. |
telephone | The main phone number. |
url | The page for this business or location. |
geo | Latitude and longitude. |
openingHoursSpecification | Days and opening times. |
priceRange | A rough price level. |
sameAs | Links to official profiles elsewhere. |
Why it matters
Google’s documentation says local business structured data can be used to show business details such as hours in Search and Maps. In practice, the profile data in Google Business Profile drives most map results, and schema is not a direct ranking boost. Its value is in confirming facts: matching name, address and phone details on your site and your profile support NAP consistency and help search engines and AI tools connect your website to the right entity.
How to add it
- Choose the most specific subtype for your business.
- Write JSON-LD with the required and recommended properties, using details exactly as they appear on the page.
- Place it on the homepage for a single-location business, or on each location page for several branches.
- Test it with the Rich Results Test and the Schema.org validator.
- Check Google Search Console for structured data errors after publishing.
Many SEO plugins can generate this markup, but check the output, as defaults are often incomplete.
Common mistakes
- Marking up details that are not visible on the page.
- Using a different name, address or number from your Business Profile.
- Adding the same LocalBusiness markup to every page of the site, including unrelated pages, for a multi-location business.
- Adding self-serving review markup for your own business, which Google does not show as review stars.
- Forgetting to update hours and phone numbers in the schema when they change.
Single location or many?
A business with one site usually needs one LocalBusiness block, often combined with Organization markup on the homepage. A business with several branches should give each location page its own block with that branch’s address, phone and hours, and can use the parentOrganization property to connect each branch to the main brand. This mirrors the way each branch has its own Business Profile.
Further reading: Google’s local business structured data guide.
Key Takeaways
- LocalBusiness schema describes a business’s name, address, phone, hours and more.
- Use the most specific subtype available, such as Dentist or Restaurant.
- Google recommends JSON-LD and the details must match what is on the page.
- It supports consistency and entity understanding rather than directly boosting rankings.
- Each location page should carry its own location’s markup.
Related Terms
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