Schema Markup for Local Businesses: A Practical Guide for 2026

Schema markup (also called structured data) is a small block of code on your website that states your business facts in a format machines can read without guessing: your name, address, phone, hours, coordinates, price range and what kind of business you are. Search engines and AI systems can read your page without it, but markup removes ambiguity.

For a local business, the useful markup is a short list. This guide covers which types to use, which properties matter, what Google still displays in 2026 after several features were retired, and the mistakes that make markup worthless or risky.

What schema markup does for a local business in 2026

Expectations need resetting here, because a lot of older advice no longer applies.

• It describes your business clearly. Google's LocalBusiness documentation says this markup can tell Google about hours, departments and other details, and can support how your business appears in a knowledge panel.
• It does not get you review stars for your own business. Google's review snippet rules say that if a business controls the reviews about itself, its LocalBusiness or Organization pages are not eligible for star ratings in search, including reviews shown through a third-party widget.
• FAQ markup no longer produces rich results. Google stopped showing FAQ rich results on May 7, 2026, and removed the documentation in June 2026. FAQ markup will not cause harm, but it no longer creates the expandable questions under your listing.
• It is not a secret switch for AI answers. Google's guidance on AI Overviews and AI Mode says you do not need new machine-readable files or special markup to appear in those features, and that structured data should match the visible text on the page.

So why bother? Because accurate, consistent business facts are the foundation of local search and AI answers alike. Markup is one more place where your facts are stated cleanly, and it takes an hour to do properly.

Which schema types a local business needs

Google recommends using the most specific subtype available. A dentist should use Dentist, a restaurant Restaurant, a hotel Hotel, a plumber Plumber. Schema.org lists the full set of LocalBusiness subtypes.

Service-area and multi-location businesses

Plumbers, cleaners and other service-area businesses often hide their street address on Google, as Google's profile guidelines recommend. Keep the website consistent with that choice: if the street address is not shown on your site, do not publish it in the markup either. Mark up the city and state you operate from, and use the areaServed property to list the cities or counties you cover, the same ones listed on the page.

Businesses with several locations should give each location its own page with its own name, address, phone, hours and markup. A single home page listing five addresses gives search engines no clear answer about which location serves which area.

The LocalBusiness properties that matter

Google requires only two properties, name and address. The recommended ones are where the value is:

Every value must match what visitors can see on the page. Google's structured data policies say not to mark up content that is not visible to readers, and spammy or misleading markup can lead to a manual action that removes rich result eligibility.

How to add schema markup, step by step

1. Collect your facts. Pull the exact name, address, phone and hours from your Google Business Profile so all three sources match. If they do not match, fix the listings first. Our NAP consistency guide explains how.
2. Choose the format. Google says it generally recommends JSON-LD, a script block that sits in the page and does not change how the page looks.
3. Write the markup. Start with your most specific LocalBusiness subtype, add the properties above, and include Organization details (logo, sameAs) if they apply.
4. Add it to the right page. Single-location businesses usually place it on the home page. Multi-location businesses should place each location's markup on that location's own page.
5. Test it. Run the page through Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema.org validator to catch syntax errors and missing properties.
6. Monitor it. Check Search Console's enhancement reports after launch. Theme updates and plugin changes can break markup without anyone noticing.
7. Update it when facts change. New hours, a new phone number or a move means updating the markup the same day you update Google.

Common schema mistakes we fix

• Marking up your own reviews to chase stars. It no longer works for LocalBusiness pages and can count as misleading markup.
• Hours in the markup that differ from the hours on the page or on Google. Mixed signals defeat the purpose.
• Every location's address on the home page. Give each location its own page and its own markup.
• The wrong type. Using generic LocalBusiness when a specific subtype such as Dentist or HVACBusiness exists.
• Old markup left behind after a redesign. A previous developer's block with an old address can sit in the theme for years. A redesign checklist should include a markup check.
• Keyword stuffing in the name property. The name should be your real business name, the same rule Google applies to Business Profiles.

Schema and AI search: a realistic view

AI assistants assemble local recommendations from many sources: Google Business Profiles, review sites, directories and business websites. Markup does not guarantee a mention. What it does is make your own website a clean, unambiguous source of facts that agree with every other source. Combined with consistent listings, recent reviews and pages that answer real customer questions, it is part of a sound AI search visibility setup.

If you are not sure whether your site has markup, or whether it is correct, our free audit checks it along with your listings and how AI tools currently describe your business.