LocalBusiness schema: JSON-LD example for 2026

Structured data is a small block of code that spells out your business facts in a format machines can't misread: name, address, phone, hours and the area you serve. It's useful and cheap, and it's also oversold, often by the people selling it. This lesson separates what it does from what gets claimed, then gives you a template to fill in.

What structured data is

Structured data is a standard way of labeling information on a page. Google describes it as "a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying the page content." The labels come from schema.org, a shared vocabulary that defines types like LocalBusiness, Plumber or Dentist, and properties like telephone or openingHoursSpecification.

It can be written in a few formats. Google says it generally recommends JSON-LD: a <script type="application/ld+json"> block you paste into a page, separate from the visible text. You can add it without touching your design.

What it does, and what it doesn't

In Google's own words:

• It helps search engines understand a page. Google says structured data gives "explicit clues about the meaning of a page."
• It can make a page eligible for rich results, the enhanced listings with extra details. Eligibility isn't a guarantee: Google says it "does not guarantee that your structured data will show up in search results."
• It isn't required for AI features. Google's guide to generative AI search says "structured data isn't required for generative AI search, and there's no special schema.org markup you need to add." Google still calls it "a good idea" as part of your overall SEO.

Other answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot) haven't published whether or how they use structured data, as far as we could find. Our view, and it's only an opinion: add it because it's a clear, cheap, consistent statement of your facts. Don't add it expecting it to get you into AI answers.

LocalBusiness or Organization?

Google's Organization documentation says that if your site is about a local business, such as a restaurant or a store, you should use "the most specific subtype(s)" of LocalBusiness. Some subtypes from schema.org that fit local businesses:

LocalBusiness inherits everything from Organization, so properties like sameAs, logo and areaServed still work.

The properties Google uses

Google's local business documentation splits them up like this:

• Required: name and address (as a PostalAddress, with as many fields as possible).
• Recommended: telephone (with country and area code), url (the page for that specific location, which must work), geo (latitude and longitude with at least 5 decimal places), openingHoursSpecification, priceRange (under 100 characters, such as $$), and servesCuisine and menu for restaurants.
• Reviews: aggregateRating and review are only for sites that publish reviews about other businesses. Google's review rules say that if a business controls the reviews about itself, its LocalBusiness or Organization markup is "ineligible for star review feature." So don't mark up your own testimonials hoping for stars.

Copy-paste example

Here's a version for a made-up HVAC company. Swap every value in quotes for your real details and delete lines you don't need. Leave the commas and brackets alone; one missing comma breaks the whole block. It goes on your homepage, or on each location's page if you have more than one.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HVACBusiness",
  "@id": "https://www.example.com/#business",
  "name": "Your Business Name",
  "url": "https://www.example.com/",
  "logo": "https://www.example.com/logo.png",
  "image": "https://www.example.com/storefront.jpg",
  "telephone": "+1-480-555-0100",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "priceRange": "$$",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St, Suite 4",
    "addressLocality": "Mesa",
    "addressRegion": "AZ",
    "postalCode": "85201",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": 33.41520,
    "longitude": -111.83150
  },
  "areaServed": ["Mesa", "Gilbert", "Chandler", "Tempe"],
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
      "opens": "07:00",
      "closes": "18:00"
    },
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": "Saturday",
      "opens": "08:00",
      "closes": "14:00"
    }
  ],
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/yourpage",
    "https://www.yelp.com/biz/your-business",
    "https://www.bbb.org/your-listing"
  ]
}
</script>

Some notes on the fields:

• @id gives your business a stable identifier, so other markup on your site can refer to the same entity.
• sameAs lists your profiles on other sites. Google describes it as "the URL of a page on another website with additional information about your organization." It ties your website to your listings, which supports the consistency covered in lesson 5.
• areaServed suits service-area businesses like HVAC, plumbing and roofing. It's a schema.org property that LocalBusiness inherits from Organization. Google's local business documentation doesn't list it as a property it uses, so treat it as helpful context, not a ranking lever.
• The facts must match the page. Google's rules say structured data "must be a true representation of the page content," and you shouldn't mark up content that's hidden from visitors. Show the same address, phone and hours in your page's visible text.

What happened to FAQ markup

For years, FAQPage markup could put expandable questions under a page's search result. Google has since dropped it:

• August 2023: Google announced changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results. Its documentation then said FAQ rich results were "only shown for well-known, authoritative government and health websites."
• May 7, 2026: Google stopped showing the FAQ rich result in Search entirely, after announcing the deprecation in its documentation changelog.
• June 15, 2026: Google removed the FAQ rich result documentation.

FAQPage is still a valid schema.org type, and having it on a page doesn't hurt. It can still help other systems understand the page. It won't produce a special search result on Google, though, and Google says AI features need no special markup. A visible FAQ section built from real customer questions is still worth having, because people read it. Lesson 5 covers how to write one.

Test before and after you publish

1. Paste your page URL or code into Google's Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results) to check for errors.
2. Use the Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org) to check general schema.org validity.
3. After publishing, use URL Inspection in Search Console to confirm Google sees the live version.

Your website builder (WordPress plugins, Wix, Squarespace and others) may already add business markup. Check what it outputs before you add a second copy. Two blocks that disagree are worse than one that's right.

FAQ

Sources

• Introduction to structured data, Google Search Central (checked Oct 2026)
• General structured data guidelines, Google Search Central (checked Oct 2026)
• Local business structured data, Google Search Central (checked Oct 2026)
• Organization structured data, Google Search Central (checked Oct 2026)
• Review snippet structured data (self-serving reviews), Google Search Central (checked Oct 2026)
• Optimizing for generative AI features: mythbusting, Google Search Central (checked Oct 2026)
• Changes to HowTo and FAQ rich results (August 2023), Google Search Central Blog (checked Oct 2026)
• Latest documentation updates (FAQ deprecation May 2026, removal June 2026), Google Search Central (checked Oct 2026)
• HVACBusiness, schema.org (checked Oct 2026)
• LocalBusiness, schema.org (checked Oct 2026)
• Schema Markup Validator, schema.org (checked Oct 2026)

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