How Do You Add Local Business Schema Markup to Your Website?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 16, 2026

The short answer

Local business structured data is a small block of code on your website that tells search engines your business name, address, phone, website, hours, and type in a format they can read without guessing. Google lists name and address as required, and recommends phone, website, map location, and hours. Use the most specific business type that fits, match every detail to what’s on your page and your Google Business Profile (GBP), and test it before you call it done.

What this means

Structured data is code that labels facts on a page. Instead of a search engine reading “Open Mon to Fri 8 to 5” and guessing, the code says “these are the opening hours.” The labels come from a shared vocabulary called Schema.org.

Google supports three formats and recommends one called JSON-LD, short for JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data. It’s a block of code that sits in the page and doesn’t change how the page looks.

Here’s a simple example for a made-up plumber. Your developer or builder would fill in your real details:

{“@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “Plumber”, “name”: “Clearwater Plumbing”, “url”: “https://www.example.com/”, “telephone”: “+1 208 555 0100”, “address”: {“@type”: “PostalAddress”, “streetAddress”: “123 Main St, Suite 4”, “addressLocality”: “Boise”, “addressRegion”: “ID”, “postalCode”: “83702”, “addressCountry”: “US”}, “openingHoursSpecification”: [{“@type”: “OpeningHoursSpecification”, “dayOfWeek”: [“Monday”, “Tuesday”, “Wednesday”, “Thursday”, “Friday”], “opens”: “08:00”, “closes”: “17:00”}]}

</script>

“Plumber” is one of Schema.org’s specific business types. Google says to use the most specific type that fits. There are types for many trades, like Electrician, HVACBusiness, RoofingContractor, HairSalon, and Dentist. If none fits, use LocalBusiness.

Why it matters

It removes guesswork. Search engines and artificial intelligence (AI) tools can read your core facts directly.
It supports consistency. When your website code, your visible contact info, and your GBP all say the same thing, it’s easier for search engines to connect them (see 19.7 Entity Consistency).
Wrong markup can backfire. Google says markup that’s misleading or doesn’t match the page can lead to a manual action, which removes eligibility for rich results.
It isn’t a ranking shortcut. Google says valid markup makes a page eligible for special search features but doesn’t guarantee they’ll show.

Who this applies to

Any business with a website and a real business location or service area. It goes on your home page, and on location pages if you have more than one location.

Your GBP is separate. It’s managed in Google’s own tools (see 14.1.1 Business Name and the rest of Part 14). Structured data doesn’t replace it. It helps your website tell the same story.

How to do it

Pull your exact name, address, phone, website, and hours from your Master Business Record (see 5 Master Business Record). Use the same spelling as your GBP.
Decide what to mark up. Google’s local business guide lists name and address as required. If you’re a service-area business that doesn’t show its address anywhere (see 14.1.2 Address), ask your developer whether Organization markup fits better. Google’s Organization guide says it has no required fields. Never put an address in the code that you don’t show customers.
Pick the most specific business type from Schema.org that fits your main service.
Add the recommended fields that apply: telephone with country and area code, url, geo coordinates, and openingHoursSpecification. Google says geo should have at least 5 decimal places. Add priceRange only if it’s accurate, and Google says to keep it under 100 characters.
Add sameAs links to your official profiles, like your Facebook page or Bing Places listing. Google’s Organization guide describes sameAs as links to other pages about your business.
Make sure every fact in the code also shows on the page, usually in the footer or contact section. Google says not to mark up content visitors can’t see.
Add the code. Many website builders and search engine optimization (SEO) plugins have a “business info” setting that writes this for you. Otherwise, your developer adds it to the page.
Test it with Google’s Rich Results Test and fix any errors (see 19.6.6 Testing Structured Data).
Update the code any time your hours, phone, address, or name change. Put it on the same checklist as your GBP updates.

Don’t add review stars about your own business here. Google’s local business guide recommends review markup only for sites that collect reviews about other local businesses (see 19.6.4 Review Structured Data).

What proof to keep

A copy of the structured data code with the date it was added or changed
A screenshot of the Rich Results Test showing no errors
Notes on which business type you chose and why

Keep these in your website records folder with your Master Business Record.

Common mistakes

Facts that don’t match the GBP. Old phone numbers and hours in the code are common after a change.
Adding a hidden address. If customers can’t see the address on your site, don’t put it in the markup.
Marking up every city you serve as a location. Only real locations get their own address.
Using two plugins that both add business markup. You end up with two conflicting blocks. Pick one.
Copying sample code and forgetting to change a field. A leftover sample phone number or city is easy to miss. Test every page.
Self-review stars. Adding star ratings about your own business in this markup goes against Google’s guidance.

When to get help from a pro

Your web developer or an SEO specialist: if your builder doesn’t support structured data, you have several locations, or the test shows errors you can’t fix. Questions to ask:

Which business type are we using, and is there a more specific one?
Does every fact in the code match the visible page and the GBP?

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short story or lesson here. For example, a site where the markup still showed old hours or a past address, or how you keep markup in sync with Google Business Profile changes for SiteSmarty clients.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty adds and tests local business structured data on the websites it builds.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: the business type I chose for SiteSmarty, which fields I included, and how I added the code]
[What it cost and how long it took:]
[What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
[Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: SiteSmarty’s structured data code and the Rich Results Test result]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

What is structured data? Code that labels facts on your page, like your name, address, and hours, so search engines can read them without guessing.

Is JSON-LD the best format? Google supports several formats and recommends JSON-LD.

What fields does local business markup need? Google lists name and address as required, and recommends phone, website, map coordinates, and hours.

Should I use Organization or LocalBusiness? Use the most specific LocalBusiness type if you have a real location customers can see. Organization can fit businesses that don’t show an address.

Do I need this if I have a Google Business Profile? They do different jobs. Your GBP is your listing in Google. Structured data helps your website say the same facts in code.

Audit check

Question: Does the website have accurate local business or organization structured data that matches the visible page and the GBP?
Pass looks like: One block of markup using the most specific fitting type, with name, address if shown, phone, website, and hours that match the page and the GBP, and no errors in the Rich Results Test.
Fail looks like: No markup, conflicting duplicate blocks, old or hidden facts, cities marked as locations, or self-review stars.
Evidence to collect: The code, a Rich Results Test screenshot, and a side-by-side check against the GBP.

Where this fits

Do this first: 14.1.1 Business Name, 14.1.2 Address, 14.1.4 Phone, 14.1.6 Hours, 13.4.4 Contact Page

Do this next: 19.6.2 Service Structured Data

Sources

Google Search Central, "Local business (LocalBusiness) structured data" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Search Central, "Organization (Organization) structured data" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Search Central, "General structured data guidelines" (checked October 16, 2026)
Schema.org, "LocalBusiness" (checked October 16, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.