Blog Post

If your company has a storefront, office, or brick-and-mortar presence—and you’re trying to get found online—there’s something you need to have in place: Local Business Schema.

I’ve worked with dozens of brands over the years, and one common issue keeps popping up: they invest in content, they optimize keywords, but forget to give search engines the structured information that helps them show up better locally.

This short but powerful addition can do more for your online visibility than most people realize. And the good news? It’s easier to implement than you think.

Let’s keep it simple. Local Business Schema is a type of structured data—essentially a small chunk of code that sits on your website and helps search engines understand details about your company.

Think of it like a digital fact sheet for Google. It includes things like:

• Business name
  
• Address (physical location)
  
• Phone number
  
• Operating hours
  
• Type of service or industry
  
• Links to your social profiles
  
• Customer feedback (reviews and ratings)
  

You won’t see this code on the front end of your website. It lives behind the scenes, helping bots better interpret your business page and serve it to people searching for your products or services locally.

Want a refresher on structured data in general? I walk through the basics in this beginner’s guide.

When you optimize your site technically, you’re not just doing it for machines—you’re helping potential customers find and trust your presence online. Here’s what happens when you implement this data markup correctly:

Adding this structured info helps Google connect the dots. Your brand becomes easier to locate and categorize correctly, especially in searches that involve “near me” queries or location-based intent.

You’ve probably seen businesses in search results that include hours, star ratings, or quick-access contact info. That’s no accident—it’s often thanks to proper schema markup.

I explore how this works in more detail in this post on rich results.

Smart assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant pull their answers from structured data. If your information is well formatted, your site is more likely to be recommended when someone asks, “Where’s the nearest bakery open now?”

Clean, consistent business data helps you show up with confidence in platforms like Google Maps and Knowledge Graphs. This strengthens your local digital footprint.

Here’s where I see folks get it wrong: they slap the same schema on every page of their site.

Don’t do that.

You should only place local business details on pages that represent your actual organization or service location.

Typically, that means:

• Homepage
  
• Contact page
  
• About page
  

These are the places where you display your core company info. Adding schema here reinforces the content users already see on the page.

 If you have multiple locations, you’ll need a dedicated page for each one, with a unique set of structured data per location.

And no—you don’t need to mark up every blog post or product page. Those serve different purposes and benefit from other types of schema (like FAQ, Article, or Product).

For a full list of structured data types, check out my overview of schema markup categories.

I know “adding code” sounds intimidating, but trust me—it’s not. Especially if you’re using WordPress.

Here’s my preferred method:

1. Install Rank Math from the WordPress plugin directory
   
2. Go to the Dashboard
   
3. Enable the “Local SEO & Knowledge Graph” module
   
4. Head to Titles & Meta > Local SEO
   
5. Fill in all your company details:
   
   • Name
     
   • Address
     
   • Business category
     
   • Phone number
     
   • Hours of operation
     
   • Social links
     
6. Save—and you’re done
   

The plugin automatically generates the correct JSON-LD code and injects it into your site. This way, everything stays structured and validated without touching HTML.

Need a step-by-step breakdown? I’ve got that covered in this tutorial.

Don’t just assume everything’s working.

Run your implementation through Google’s tools:

• Rich Results Test
  
• Structured Data Testing Tool
  

These tools will show whether your information is being read correctly and if anything is missing.

Heads up: You may see warnings about optional fields. That’s not usually a problem unless required data is missing.

And if you’re seeing errors you don’t understand, I share common fixes in this troubleshooting guide.

Here’s a tip that’s often overlooked: make sure you’re not using the generic Organization type when you should be using a more specific label like Dentist, Restaurant, or RealEstateAgent.

Why? Because specificity helps search engines understand your context more clearly.

Here are just a few supported types under local business schema:

• AccountingService
  
• AutomotiveBusiness
  
• HealthAndBeautyBusiness
  
• ChildCare
  
• ProfessionalService
  
• Restaurant
  
• TravelAgency
  

There are more than 30 categories supported. Choose one that fits your offering the best. For examples based on industry, I go into more detail here.

You can include customer reviews and ratings in your structured data, which can enhance your search snippet. But—and this is a big one—only do this if those reviews are displayed on the page itself.

If you add markup for reviews that aren’t actually visible on the site, Google could remove your enhancements or, worse, hit you with a manual action.

TL;DR: Don’t game the system. Keep your data accurate and transparent.

Even with the best intentions, people slip up. Watch for these:

• Marking up blog posts with location data (unnecessary)
  
• Using outdated address or phone numbers in your schema
  
• Copying and pasting the same markup across all location pages
  
• Failing to update hours during holidays or changes in operations
  

Accuracy is everything. Search engines rely on consistency across your website, schema, and other platforms like Google Business Profile.

It’s not just about adding code—it’s about tracking results.

Use Google Search Console to see if your site qualifies for enhanced listings, and keep an eye on impressions and click-through rates. Schema doesn’t directly affect rankings, but better listings usually get more clicks.

I explain how to monitor your results in this schema tracking guide.

If you’ve made it this far—congrats! You now know what Local Business Schema is, why it matters, and how to implement it like a pro (without hiring one).

To recap:

• You’re giving search engines clean, organized info
  
• You’re improving how your listing appears in local search
  
• You’re setting your website up for better visibility and click-throughs
  

And best of all? You don’t need to touch a single line of code to make it happen.

Need help getting it set up? Or want a full audit of your site’s technical setup? I’m here when you’re ready.