What Is Schema Markup? Structured Data for Local Business

You've set up your Google Business Profile. Your NAP is consistent across directories. Your website mentions your location clearly. But there's one more thing Google looks for when trying to understand your business: schema markup.

Schema markup is code that tells search engines exactly what your business information means. Without it, Google has to guess. With it, you're spelling things out in a language Google speaks fluently.

This guide explains what schema markup is, why it matters for local businesses, and how to add it to your website.

What Schema Markup Is

Schema markup is a standardized vocabulary for labeling information on web pages. Schema.org (opens in a new tab) documents it as a collaborative project supported by major search engines including Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex. The goal was simple: give website owners a common way to describe their content so search engines could understand it better.

When you add schema markup to your website, you're adding code that explicitly labels your content. Instead of Google seeing text that says "123 Main Street" and guessing it might be an address, schema markup tells Google "this is a street address for a local business located at these coordinates."

The most common format is JSON-LD, which Google recommends. It's a block of code you add to your page that doesn't affect what visitors see. It just provides search engines with structured information about your business.

According to the HTTP Archive's 2024 Web Almanac (opens in a new tab), 41% of web pages now use JSON-LD markup, up from 34% in 2022. LocalBusiness schema specifically appears on about 4% of pages. That's still a minority, which means implementing it puts you ahead of most competitors.

What Schema Does for Your Business

Schema markup serves two main purposes: helping Google understand your content and making you eligible for enhanced search displays.

Better Understanding

Google's John Mueller has explained how this works. In a discussion about structured data (opens in a new tab), he said Google uses structured data to better understand entities on a page.

When Google crawls your website, it's trying to figure out what your business is, where it's located, when it's open, and what it offers. Schema markup answers these questions directly. Your business name isn't just text. It's labeled as the official name of a LocalBusiness entity at a specific address with specific hours.

This matters because Google cross-references information from multiple sources. When your schema markup matches your Google Business Profile and your directory citations, Google becomes more confident that it understands your business correctly.

Rich Results

Schema markup makes your site eligible for rich results, which are enhanced search displays that show more information than standard listings. For local businesses, this can include your star rating, hours, price range, and other details directly in search results.

The impact on clicks is significant. Research by Milestone analyzing 4.5 million queries (opens in a new tab) found that rich results have an average click-through rate of 58%, compared to 41% for standard results. That's a meaningful difference in how many people actually click through to your site.

Google has published case studies showing similar results. Rotten Tomatoes (opens in a new tab) added structured data to 100,000 pages and measured a 25% higher click-through rate. Nestlé found that pages appearing as rich results had 82% higher click-through rates than pages without rich results.

How schema markup enables rich results: your business details like ratings, hours, and price range can appear directly in Google search results

What Schema Does Not Do

Here's where honesty matters. Schema markup is not a ranking factor.

Mueller has also been clear that structured data helps understanding and presentation, but is not a direct ranking boost by itself.

Adding schema won't move you from position 10 to position 1. Google won't give you a ranking boost just because your code is technically correct. Schema helps Google understand your content and display it better, but the ranking itself still depends on all the other factors: your content quality, your site performance, your backlinks, and your overall authority.

Think of schema as making sure Google understands what you're offering. It doesn't guarantee they'll choose you over competitors. But if Google misunderstands your business because your information isn't clearly structured, you're at a disadvantage before the competition even starts.

LocalBusiness Schema Explained

For local businesses, the relevant schema type is LocalBusiness (opens in a new tab). It's designed for businesses with physical locations or defined service areas.

LocalBusiness has 33 more specific subtypes. If one matches your business, use it instead of the generic LocalBusiness type. Google's documentation (opens in a new tab) specifically recommends using "the most specific LocalBusiness sub-type possible."

Some common subtypes include:

• Restaurant, Bakery, CafeOrCoffeeShop
• Dentist, Physician, MedicalClinic
• Plumber, Electrician, HVACBusiness
• AccountingService, LegalService, RealEstateAgent
• AutoRepair, HairSalon, DaySpa

If your business type isn't listed, use the general LocalBusiness type. Using an inaccurate subtype is worse than using the generic option.

Required and Recommended Properties

Google specifies which properties you must include and which ones improve your markup.

Required Properties

name: Your official business name, exactly as it appears on your signage and Google Business Profile.

address: Your physical location using the PostalAddress format, including street address, city, province/state, postal code, and country.

Recommended Properties

geo: Your latitude and longitude coordinates. Google asks for at least 5 decimal places of precision.

telephone: Your main phone number, including country code and area code.

openingHoursSpecification: Your business hours, including which days you're open and your opening and closing times.

url: Your website address.

priceRange: An indication of your pricing level, either as a range ("$10-50") or using currency symbols ("$$").

image: A photo of your business, typically your storefront or logo.

The more recommended properties you include, the more information Google has to work with. But accuracy matters more than completeness. Don't add properties with guessed or outdated information.

LocalBusiness schema properties: required fields include name and address, recommended fields include geo coordinates, telephone, hours, URL, and price range

How Schema Markup Looks

Here's a simplified example of LocalBusiness schema markup in JSON-LD format:

json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Plumber",
  "name": "Smith Plumbing Services",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main Street",
    "addressLocality": "Toronto",
    "addressRegion": "ON",
    "postalCode": "M5V 1A1",
    "addressCountry": "CA"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": 43.64567,
    "longitude": -79.38705
  },
  "telephone": "+1-416-555-0123",
  "url": "https://www.smithplumbing.ca",
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
      "opens": "08:00",
      "closes": "18:00"
    }
  ],
  "priceRange": "$$"
}

This code goes in the <head> section of your webpage, wrapped in <script type="application/ld+json"> tags. Visitors don't see it. Search engines read it.

The sameAs Property

One property worth special attention is sameAs. It links your business to your profiles on other platforms, helping Google connect the dots between your website and your presence elsewhere online.

According to Search Engine Land's guide on entity SEO (opens in a new tab), the sameAs property helps search engines "build a broader knowledge graph by connecting your entities to authoritative external sources."

Common sameAs links include:

• Your Google Business Profile URL
• Your Facebook business page
• Your LinkedIn company page
• Your Instagram profile
• Your industry association listing

This isn't required, but it reinforces your business identity across the web.

How to Add Schema to Your Website

You have several options depending on your technical comfort level and how your site is built.

Manual Implementation

If you or your developer can edit your site's code, you can add the JSON-LD script directly. Place it in the <head> section of your homepage and any location-specific pages (contact page, about page, individual location pages for multi-location businesses).

WordPress Plugins

If your site runs on WordPress, plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or Schema Pro can generate LocalBusiness markup through their settings panels. You fill in your business details, and the plugin creates the code.

Website Builder Tools

Platforms like Wix and Squarespace have built-in structured data options, though they vary in completeness. Check your platform's documentation for local business markup settings.

Generator Tools

Google offers a Structured Data Markup Helper (opens in a new tab) that can help you create markup by tagging information on your existing page.

Whichever method you choose, the key is accuracy. Your schema markup should match exactly what's on your page, in your Google Business Profile, and in your directory listings.

Testing Your Markup

Before assuming your schema is working, test it.

Use Google's Rich Results Test (opens in a new tab) to check whether your markup is valid and eligible for rich results in Google Search.

Use Schema Markup Validator (opens in a new tab) to test against the full Schema.org vocabulary.

After implementation, monitor Google Search Console. The Enhancements section shows structured data errors across your site. If Google can't parse your markup or finds inconsistencies, you'll see warnings there.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using the wrong schema type. If you're a restaurant, use Restaurant schema, not the generic LocalBusiness. Google recommends the most specific type available.

Inconsistent information. If your schema says one address and your page content says another, Google notices. Your schema must match your visible content, your Google Business Profile, and your directory listings.

Syntax errors in JSON-LD. JSON-LD is unforgiving. A missing comma or misplaced bracket breaks the entire block. Always validate after making changes.

Marking up invisible content. Google's guidelines require that schema markup reflect content actually visible on the page. Adding schema for information that doesn't appear on the page violates their policies.

Implementing and forgetting. Business details change. If you update your hours or phone number, update your schema too. Outdated markup is worse than no markup.

Schema and AI Search

Here's something relatively new. AI tools like ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews, and Perplexity are increasingly recommending local businesses. According to research on AI search visibility (opens in a new tab), structured data helps machine systems extract and understand business information more reliably.

When AI systems generate recommendations, they're more likely to accurately represent businesses that have clearly structured their information.

This doesn't mean schema guarantees AI visibility. But as AI-powered search grows, having your business information in a machine-readable format becomes more valuable, not less.

What We Include

When we build websites for local businesses, LocalBusiness schema is part of the foundation. We add it during development, not as an afterthought.

That means:

• The correct schema subtype for your business category
• All required and recommended properties populated accurately
• Geo coordinates matching your actual location
• Hours that match your Google Business Profile
• sameAs links connecting to your verified profiles
• Validation before launch and monitoring after

Schema markup is one piece of local SEO. It works alongside your Google Business Profile optimization, your NAP consistency, and your citation building. None of these elements works in isolation. Together, they help Google confidently understand and display your business.

The Bottom Line

Schema markup is structured code that helps search engines understand your business information. For local businesses, LocalBusiness schema (or a more specific subtype) labels your name, address, phone number, hours, and location in a format Google can read directly.

It won't boost your rankings on its own. What it does:

• Helps Google understand your business accurately
• Makes you eligible for rich results with higher click-through rates
• Reinforces the information in your Google Business Profile and citations
• Prepares your business information for AI-powered search

Implementation isn't complicated, but accuracy matters. Your schema must match your visible content and your other listings exactly. Test it before launch and monitor it ongoing.

Most local businesses don't have schema markup. That's an opportunity. When you do it right, you're giving Google clearer information than most of your competitors provide.

Need Help With Schema Markup?

If you're not sure whether your website has schema markup or whether it's set up correctly, we can take a look. We'll check your current structured data, compare it against your Google Business Profile, and explain what we find in plain terms.

Get a free schema review: Contact us at info@ylx.ca