LocalBusiness Schema for Small Business Websites: A Plain-English Guide
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LocalBusiness schema is a small block of code on your website that tells search engines your business type, name, phone, hours and area in a standard format. It can help Google understand your details and show them in search, but it doesn't guarantee better rankings. Google also says no special markup is needed for its AI features. Add it once, correctly, and keep it matching your Google profile.
What is LocalBusiness schema?
Schema is structured data: a standard vocabulary from schema.org. Google says LocalBusiness structured data can tell it about business hours, departments, reviews and more, and that you can add it to any page, though the page about your business usually makes most sense (Google). Most sites add it as JSON-LD, a short script block in the page code.
What can it do, and what can't it?
| It can | It can't |
|---|---|
| Help Google read your name, phone, hours and area accurately | Guarantee a higher ranking |
| Support eligibility for some rich results | Replace a verified Google Business Profile |
| Keep your details machine-readable for any tool that reads the page | Make AI tools recommend you. Google says structured data isn't required for its generative AI search and no special schema is needed (Google) |
Which fields matter for a small business?
- @type: the most specific type that fits, such as Plumber, Electrician, Dentist or AccountingService, falling back to LocalBusiness
- name, url and telephone, exactly as on your Google profile
- address, but only if customers visit you; service-area businesses can use areaServed instead
- openingHoursSpecification for your real hours
- sameAs links to your Google, Facebook and LinkedIn pages
- image or logo
Don't mark up reviews of your own business that you collected yourself expecting stars in Google; Google restricts self-serving review markup for local businesses. Check its current LocalBusiness guidelines.
What does a simple example look like?
This example uses made-up details. Replace every value with yours:
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Plumber","name":"Example Plumbing","url":"https://www.example.com.au","telephone":"+61 400 000 000","areaServed":["St Albans","Deer Park","Sunshine"],"openingHoursSpecification":[{"@type":"OpeningHoursSpecification","dayOfWeek":["Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday"],"opens":"07:00","closes":"17:00"}]}
How do you add and test it?
- Add the JSON-LD block to your homepage or contact page. In Framer, WordPress or Squarespace, use the custom code or header area for that page
- Paste the page URL into Google's Rich Results Test and fix any errors
- Check that every value matches your Google profile and website text. See how to check NAP consistency
- Update it whenever your phone, hours or areas change
Common mistakes
- Copying a template and leaving the sample business details in
- Marking up a street address for a home-based business that hides its address on Google
- Hours in the code that differ from the hours on the page
- Paying for "AI schema" packages: Google says there's no special markup for its AI features
Which type should you pick for your business?
Schema.org has specific types for many kinds of local business. Use the most specific one that fits, and fall back to LocalBusiness if nothing matches. Some common examples:
| Business | Type to use |
|---|---|
| Plumber | Plumber |
| Electrician | Electrician |
| Air conditioning or heating | HVACBusiness |
| Builder or renovator | GeneralContractor |
| Mechanic | AutoRepair |
| Hairdresser or barber | HairSalon |
| Dentist | Dentist |
| Accountant or bookkeeper | AccountingService |
| Lawyer | LegalService |
| Restaurant or café | Restaurant or CafeOrCoffeeShop |
Check the type exists on schema.org before you use it; a misspelt type is simply ignored. If your business does several things, pick the type that matches your main service, the same one you chose as your primary category on Google.
Where should the schema go on your website?
For most small businesses with one location, one LocalBusiness block is enough. Put it on the homepage or the contact page, and make sure the same details appear in the visible text of that page.
- One location: one block, on the homepage or contact page
- Several locations: one page per location, each with its own block and its own address, phone and hours
- Service and suburb pages don't need their own LocalBusiness block; link them to the main page instead
- Blog posts can carry Article markup with the author and date, which many website platforms add automatically
This is our general approach. Google's LocalBusiness guidelines set out the rules.
How do you describe a service area in schema?
If customers don't visit you, don't publish a street address in your schema, the same as on Google. Use areaServed to list the places you cover instead, as in the example above.
List the suburbs, council areas or region you genuinely serve
Use the same areas as your Google Business Profile service area
Keep the list realistic; a list of every suburb in the state helps no one
Update it when your service area changes, and change the website and Google profile on the same day
See should you hide your address on Google? for how this works on your Google profile.
How does schema relate to your Google Business Profile?
They do different jobs. Your Google Business Profile is what appears on Google Maps and in the local results; schema helps Google read the details on your own website. Neither replaces the other.
- Verify and complete your Google profile first; it has far more influence on local results
- Add schema to your website so the details there are clear and match the profile
- Use the sameAs field to link your website's schema to your Google profile and social pages
- If the two ever disagree, fix the website and the schema to match the profile
What other structured data is worth adding?
LocalBusiness is the most useful type for a local business, but a few others can help Google understand your site:
- Organization: your business name, logo and social profiles, often added once for the whole site
- BreadcrumbList: shows where a page sits in your site's structure
- Article: author, date and headline for blog posts
- Person: the author's name, role and profile, which helps show who wrote your content
Google publishes which structured data types can appear as rich results, and that list changes. Check it before adding anything new, and don't add markup for content that isn't on the page.
Do you need a developer to add schema?
Not always. Many website platforms let you paste a code block into a page's header or custom code area, and some SEO plugins add basic schema for you. But it's worth having someone check the result.
- If your platform has a built-in setting for business details, fill it in completely and check what it outputs
- If you paste code yourself, copy only the structure and replace every value with your own
- Test the page after publishing, not just in a preview
- Avoid having two tools add conflicting LocalBusiness blocks to the same page
For a developer or agency, this is usually a small job on a small site, and it rarely needs touching again unless your details change.
If customers visit you, the schema should include your full street address, in the same format as your Google profile and website footer. A few extra details help too:
- address: street, suburb, state and postcode, split into their own fields
- geo: the latitude and longitude of your entrance, if you know them
- openingHoursSpecification: including different hours on weekends
- hasMap: a link to your location on Google Maps
Keep the address exactly as it appears elsewhere, including the unit or shop number. See NAP consistency for a simple way to check every listing at once.
Schema is easy to forget once it's in. A few quick checks keep it accurate:
- Run the page through the Rich Results Test after any website change
- If you use Google Search Console, check its reports for structured data errors once a month. See Search Console for business owners
- Update the schema the same day you change your phone, hours or service area
- When you move website platforms, make sure the schema moves with the content
Because Google says no special markup is needed for its AI features (Google), the main goal is simple: make sure the facts about your business are correct and consistent everywhere.
Morphic adds correct LocalBusiness schema to every website we build and can check yours. Get a free quote, or book a 30-minute call.
Related service. local SEO.
Related reading: AI Search for Local Businesses and do small businesses need llms.txt.
Related reading. how to plan suburb pages.
Key Takeaways
LocalBusiness schema describes your business in a standard, machine-readable way.
It helps accuracy but doesn't guarantee rankings.
Google says no special markup is needed for its AI features.
Use the most specific business type and match your Google profile exactly.
Test with Google's Rich Results Test and update it when details change.
Emon Datta
Founder, Morphic Agency
Morphic Agency is a Melbourne-based UX design agency. We've shipped 50+ products across 15+ countries.
