Short answer: Schema markup is structured data written with the schema.org vocabulary: code that describes a page to search engines in a standard format. For a local business, it gives Google explicit clues about your name, address, phone and hours. Google recommends the JSON-LD format, asks for the most specific business type, and only wants markup for what visitors can see on the page. Valid markup can make a rich result possible, but Google doesn’t guarantee one.
Schema markup and what Google does with it
Structured data gives Google explicit clues about what a page means. Most of the structured data Google Search uses follows the schema.org vocabulary. For Google Search, Google says to rely on its own documentation rather than schema.org’s.
Google uses structured data to understand the page and to gather information about things like people, books and companies. It can also make a page eligible for rich results, search results that are more engaging. In one of Google’s case studies, Rotten Tomatoes measured a 25% higher click-through rate on pages with structured data.
When people search for a business on Search or Maps, Google may show a knowledge panel with its details. LocalBusiness markup is how your site tells Google about your hours, your departments and more.
From Google Search Central, “Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search” and “Local business (LocalBusiness) structured data”, read November 2, 2026.
The LocalBusiness details Google reads
Google requires two properties, the name and the address, and recommends several more. Use the most specific type for your business, such as Restaurant or DaySpa, and list more than one as an array when more than one fits.
| Detail | What Google asks for |
|---|---|
| Name | Required. The name of the business |
| Address | Required. The physical location, with as many parts of the address as you can |
| Phone | Recommended. The main number for customers, with the country code and area code |
| Hours | Recommended. When you open and close each day, with times in hh:mm:ss format |
| Map location | Recommended. Latitude and longitude, with at least 5 decimal places |
In the markup these are name, address, telephone, openingHoursSpecification and geo. LocalBusiness is a kind of Organization, so Google also suggests the Organization fields. A price range must stay under 100 characters, or Google won’t show it. Ratings and reviews are only for sites that collect reviews about other businesses.
Google prefers a few recommended properties that are complete and accurate to many that are incomplete or wrong.
From Google Search Central, “Local business (LocalBusiness) structured data” and “Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search”.
How to add schema markup to your site
- Write down your details exactly as your site shows them: name, address, phone with country code and area code, and hours.
- Pick the most specific type for your business, and list more than one as an array if they fit.
- Write the markup in JSON-LD, the format Google recommends, on the page about your business.
- On WordPress, Wix or Shopify, look for the search engine settings or a structured data plugin instead of editing the code.
- Test the page with the Rich Results Test and fix the critical errors.
- Once the page is live, check it with the URL Inspection tool in Search Console and ask Google to recrawl it.
- Watch the rich result reports in Search Console, since a template change can break the markup later.
Our guide on getting your website on Google shows how to use URL Inspection and request indexing. Keep the same name, address and phone you use in your listings elsewhere, which our guide on local citations covers.
From Google Search Central, “Local business (LocalBusiness) structured data” and “Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search”.
What not to mark up
Don’t mark up content that visitors can’t see on the page, even if it’s true, and don’t create empty pages to hold markup. If a page breaks Google’s rules, it can get a manual action, and Google then ignores its structured data.
From Google Search Central, “General structured data guidelines”.
What we found in our own markup
Our home page marks the agency as ProfessionalService and Organization, listed as an array. It carries our name, city, phone with country and area code, founders, and 11 profiles in sameAs, a property Google says it can use in general.
We don’t mark up a street address, because our pages don’t show one. Checking for this guide, we found our hours in the markup but on no page. On November 2, 2026, we added them to the footer of every page, so the markup matches what visitors see.
Before you call it done
- The markup uses the most specific type for your business.
- Name, address and phone match the page and your other listings.
- The phone includes the country code and area code.
- Everything in the markup, hours included, also appears on the page.
- The Rich Results Test shows no critical errors.
- No review or rating markup, unless your site collects reviews about other businesses.
RememberMark up only what visitors can see, with the most specific type and complete, accurate details. Write it in JSON-LD, test it with the Rich Results Test, and check the reports again after any change to your site.
If you want us to set up and test your markup, see our local SEO service.
Quick answers about schema markup
What is schema markup?
Schema markup is structured data written with the schema.org vocabulary. It describes a page in a standard format that search engines read, such as the name, address, phone and hours of a business. Google recommends writing it in JSON-LD.
Is schema markup the same as structured data?
Structured data is a standard format for describing a page, and schema.org is the vocabulary that most of Google’s structured data uses. Schema markup usually means structured data written with that vocabulary.
Does schema markup help SEO?
It helps Google understand your page and can make it eligible for rich results. In Google’s case studies, Rotten Tomatoes measured more clicks on pages with structured data, and Nestlé on pages that showed as rich results. Google doesn’t guarantee a rich result, even for valid markup.
Where should LocalBusiness markup go?
Google says you can add it to any page, but it may make more sense on a page with information about your business, such as your home or contact page. Mark up only the details that page shows.
Can I mark up reviews of my own business?
No. Google only allows review markup on a local business for sites that capture reviews about other local businesses, and it points to its rules on self-serving reviews. You can still show your reviews on the page, without the markup.
Sources
All read on November 2, 2026, in Google Search Central: Local business (LocalBusiness) structured data, Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search and General structured data guidelines. Our own case: the markup and the visible text of our home page on November 2, 2026.