How To: Implement LocalBusiness Schema Markup (And Why)

In today’s digital age, ensuring your business stands out online is crucial. One powerful way to do this is by implementing LocalBusiness Schema Markup. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the process of adding this markup to your website, and more importantly, explain why it’s essential for your local search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

What is LocalBusiness Schema Markup?

Local business schema markup is a structured data vocabulary that allows search engines to understand and display important information about a local business in search results. This markup provides key details such as the business’s name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and website URL.

By implementing local business schema markup, businesses can enhance their online presence and improve their chances of appearing in relevant local search results. This markup helps search engines like Google to better understand the business’s location and relevance to specific geographic areas, thus increasing visibility for potential customers. Additionally, local business schema markup also enables businesses to provide additional information such as customer reviews, ratings, and other relevant details, which can further attract and engage potential customers. Overall, implementing local business schema markup is an effective strategy for businesses to optimize their online presence, increase visibility, and attract local customers.

What Are The Benefits Of LocalBusiness Schema Markup?

Implementing LocalBusiness Schema Markup offers several compelling advantages:

• Improved Search Engine Rankings:
  Search engines like Google often prioritize websites with structured data markup, leading to higher rankings in search results.
  
• Enhanced Local Visibility:
  LocalBusiness Schema Markup helps your business appear in local search results and on Google Maps, increasing your local online presence.
  
• Higher Click-Through Rates:
  Rich search results, enabled by schema markup, tend to attract more clicks from users because they provide detailed and visually appealing information.

When to Use LocalBusiness Schema

LocalBusiness Schema is beneficial for a wide range of businesses, including but not limited to:

• Local brick-and-mortar stores
• Restaurants and cafes
• Service-based businesses (e.g., plumbers, electricians)
• Medical practices
• Hotels and accommodations

Local Business Schema Markup Examples

Adding LocalBusiness Schema Markup to your website is a powerful way to enhance your online visibility in local search results. To help you get started, we’ve created a blank template of code that you can use to structure your business information in accordance with Schema.org guidelines. This structured data will make it easier for search engines to understand and present your business information to users.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
	"@context": "https://www.schema.org/",
	"@type": "LocalBusiness",
	"name": "",
	"description": "",
	"address": 
	{
		"@type": "PostalAddress",
		"streetAddress": "",
		"addressLocality": "",
		"addressRegion": "",
		"postalCode": "",
		"addressCountry": ""
	},
	"location": 
	{
		"geo": 
		{
			"@type": "GeoCoordinates",
			"latitude": "",
			"longitude": ""
		}
	},
	"hasMap": "",
	"openingHoursSpecification": 
	[
		{
			"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
			"dayOfWeek": 
			[
				"Monday",
				"Tuesday",
				"Wednesday",
				"Thursday",
				"Friday"
			],
			"opens": "",
			"closes": ""
		},
		{
			"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
			"dayOfWeek": 
			[
				"Saturday"
			],
			"opens": "",
			"closes": ""
		},
		{
			"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
			"dayOfWeek": 
			[
				"Sunday"
			],
			"opens": "",
			"closes": ""
		}
	],
	"contactPoint" : 
	[
		{
			"@type" : "ContactPoint",
			"email" : "",
			"telephone": "",
			"contactType" : ""
		}
	],
	"sameAs": 
	[
		""
	]
}
</script>

Here’s how to fill in the template:

1. @type and @context: These properties define the type of schema you’re implementing (LocalBusiness) and the context (Schema.org). You don’t need to change these.
2. name: Enter your business name within the quotation marks.
3. description: Provide a brief description of your business.
4. address: Fill in the postal address details, including street address, locality, region, postal code, and country.
5. location: If you have the geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) for your business location, enter them here. If not, you can leave these fields blank.
6. hasMap: If you have a link to an online map (e.g., Google Maps) showing your business location, include it here. Otherwise, you can leave this field blank.
7. openingHoursSpecification: Specify your business’s opening hours for each day of the week. For each day, provide the dayOfWeek, opens (opening time), and closes (closing time).
8. contactPoint: Include your contact information, such as email, telephone number, and contact type (e.g., customer support, sales).
9. sameAs: If your business has a presence on other websites or social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), you can include the URLs here. Add each URL within the double quotation marks and separate multiple URLs with commas.

Once you’ve filled in all the necessary information, you can copy and paste this code into the HTML of your website’s relevant pages, such as your homepage or contact page. Don’t forget to validate your markup using tools like Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to ensure it’s error-free.

Local Business Schema Markup Generators

While manually adding LocalBusiness Schema Markup is a viable option, you can also take advantage of handy online tools known as Local Business Schema Markup Generators. These generators simplify the process by creating the markup code for you based on the information you provide. This is especially useful if you’re not comfortable working directly with code or want a quicker solution.

Here are some reliable Local Business Schema Markup Generators:

1. Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper: Google offers a user-friendly tool that allows you to generate Schema Markup for various types of content, including local businesses. It provides a step-by-step interface to enter your business details, and then it generates the code for you. Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper
   
2. Schema.org’s JSON-LD Generator: Schema.org provides a simple JSON-LD Generator that lets you fill in the details of your local business, and it generates the code in JSON-LD format. Schema.org’s JSON-LD Generator

Using these generators is a convenient and error-free way to ensure your LocalBusiness Schema Markup is accurate and properly structured. Simply fill in the required information, and the tool will provide you with the code to add to your website.

How To Test and Validate LocalBusiness Schema Markup

Before adding to your site, always test and validate to ensure the code is correct, use an online schema markup testing tool. 

I personally always use the validator tool at schema.org

You could also use Google’s Rich Results Test tool.

Either or, don’t add it to your site till they say it’s good to go.

How To Implement LocalBusiness  Schema Markup

My preference is to always add the code directly to the HTML, but of course that’s not always possible.

Alternatively you could use Google Tag Manager, whilst a number of site plugins will do this for you:

For WordPress, try Yoast.

For Magento, try Welt Pixel or Amasty

For Shopify try Schema Plus.

Do You Implement LocalBusiness Schema Markup On Every Page?

No, you do not typically implement LocalBusiness Schema Markup on every page of a website. LocalBusiness Schema Markup is specifically designed to provide information about a physical, local business, such as its name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and location. Therefore, it is most relevant and useful when applied to pages that represent or describe the local business.

Here’s where you should consider implementing LocalBusiness Schema Markup:

1. Homepage: It’s common to include LocalBusiness Schema Markup on the homepage of your website. This helps search engines associate your website with your physical business location.
2. Contact Page: If you have a dedicated contact page that includes your business’s address and contact information, adding LocalBusiness Schema Markup to this page is beneficial.
3. Location-Specific Pages: If your website has multiple physical locations (e.g., multiple store branches), you can include LocalBusiness Schema Markup on each location-specific page to provide details for each branch.
4. Service or Product Pages: If your website includes specific pages for products or services offered by your local business, consider including LocalBusiness Schema Markup on these pages to associate them with your business.

However, for pages that don’t directly relate to your local business, such as informational blog posts or product listings without a location context, it’s not necessary to include LocalBusiness Schema Markup. Instead, you should focus on using schema markup that is more relevant to the content of those pages, such as Article Schema Markup or Product Schema Markup, as appropriate.

In Summary

By following the steps outlined in this guide and embracing the power of LocalBusiness Schema Markup, you’re taking a significant stride toward optimizing your online presence and attracting local customers. In an era where digital visibility is key, this structured data becomes your secret weapon to shine brightly on the local stage.

So, go ahead, empower your business, and embark on a journey towards higher search engine rankings, improved local visibility, and the increased engagement of potential customers. Embrace the potential of LocalBusiness Schema Markup and watch your business thrive in the digital world.