Schema Markup for Local Businesses: A Practical JSON-LD Guide
How to add schema markup to a local business website: LocalBusiness, Organization, Service, Article, and BreadcrumbList with JSON-LD, what rich results are still available, and how to test.
Quick answer: add JSON-LD structured data describing your business (LocalBusiness or a more specific type) with name, address, phone, hours, and website, plus Service, Article, and BreadcrumbList markup on the relevant pages. Keep it consistent with your Google Business Profile and validate it with Google's Rich Results Test.
What schema markup does
Schema markup is structured data in a standard vocabulary (schema.org) that tells search engines exactly what a page represents: a business, a service, an article, a product. It does not guarantee higher rankings, but it removes ambiguity and makes pages eligible for certain rich results.
JSON-LD is the recommended format
JSON-LD sits in a script type="application/ld+json" tag, separate from your visible HTML, which makes it easy to maintain. Google recommends it.
Essential types for a local business site
LocalBusiness (or a specific subtype)
Use the most specific type that fits, such as ProfessionalService, Dentist, or Restaurant. Include:
name,url,logo,imageaddressas a PostalAddress,telephone,emailopeningHoursSpecificationgeocoordinates andareaServedsameAslinks to your social profiles and Google Business Profile
Organization and Person
Describe the business and, for personal brands, the founder, linked together with @id references.
Service
On each service page, describe the service, provider, and area served.
Article and BreadcrumbList
On blog posts, Article markup with headline, author, dates, and image; BreadcrumbList on all inner pages helps Google display your site structure.
What changed with rich results
Google has narrowed some rich result types. FAQ rich results are now shown mainly for authoritative government and health sites, and HowTo rich results were removed. You can still use these types to describe content, but do not expect special search features from them. Breadcrumbs, organisation details, products, reviews within policy, and articles remain useful.
Rules to follow
- Mark up only content that is visible or true on the page.
- Keep name, address, and phone identical to your Google Business Profile.
- Do not mark up fake reviews or self-serving ratings for your own business.
How to test
- Paste a URL into Google's Rich Results Test.
- Check the Schema Markup Validator for general schema errors.
- Watch the Enhancements reports in Search Console after deployment.
This website uses Person, ProfessionalService, WebSite, Article, and BreadcrumbList markup generated automatically from its data. See the Next.js technical SEO checklist or ask for a schema audit.
