Schema Markup for Local Business: Rich Results

What Is Schema Markup and Why Does It Matter for Local Businesses?

Schema markup is structured data that tells search engines what your content means, not just what it says. For a local business, this is the difference between Google guessing that your page is about a plumbing company and Google knowing your hours, service area, phone number, and exact service categories. The schema types that do the work for service businesses are LocalBusiness (or its industry subtypes like Plumber, Dentist, HVACBusiness), Service (for each offering), andFAQPage on pages with a visible FAQ, which AI engines use to pull answers even though Google no longer shows FAQ rich results for most sites. Review stars are not on that list: Google ignores reviews a business marks up about itself. In our experience, adding LocalBusiness schema alone usually doesn't move rankings overnight, but it materially improves how AI search engines describe your business when they cite you.

Which Schema Types Should a Local Business Prioritize?

Most local businesses are best served by adding schema in priority order: LocalBusiness first, Service second, Person schema for authors and key staff third, and FAQPage on pages that show a FAQ fourth. Leave Review and AggregateRating off your own business. Trying to add everything at once usually leads to mismatched data and Search Console warnings.

What Is Schema Markup?

Schema markup is structured data code that tells search engines exactly what your content means, not just what it says. As Google's structured data documentation explains, when Google encounters a phone number on your page, it might not know if it's for sales, support, or something else. Schema markup removes that ambiguity.

For local businesses, schema is particularly valuable because it reinforces the information in your Google Business Profile and gives Google and AI engines one consistent version of your business details. Google's local business structured data documentation lists the properties it reads.

How Do You Set Up LocalBusiness Schema?

LocalBusiness schema provides Google with essential information about your business: name, address, phone, hours, service area, and more. This is the most important schema type for any local business.

Basic LocalBusiness Implementation

Here's a complete LocalBusiness schema example for a plumbing company:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Plumber",
  "name": "ABC Plumbing Services",
  "image": "https://example.com/logo.png",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "telephone": "+1-555-123-4567",
  "email": "info@example.com",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main Street",
    "addressLocality": "Denver",
    "addressRegion": "CO",
    "postalCode": "80202",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": 39.7392,
    "longitude": -104.9903
  },
  "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"
    }
  ],
  "areaServed": {
    "@type": "GeoCircle",
    "geoMidpoint": {
      "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
      "latitude": 39.7392,
      "longitude": -104.9903
    },
    "geoRadius": "50000"
  },
  "priceRange": "$$",
  "paymentAccepted": "Cash, Credit Card, Check",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://facebook.com/abcplumbing",
    "https://twitter.com/abcplumbing",
    "https://yelp.com/biz/abc-plumbing-denver"
  ]
}
</script>

Specific Business Types

Instead of generic "LocalBusiness," use a specific type when available. This helps Google understand exactly what your business does.

Is FAQPage Schema Still Worth Adding?

Yes, but not for rich results. In August 2023 Google announced the change: FAQ rich results now show only for well-known, authoritative government and health websites, so a plumber's FAQ markup won't add dropdowns under its listing. The markup is still valid, and Google's FAQPage guide still documents it. Keep it on pages with a visible FAQ: it hands Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity and other answer engines clean question-and-answer pairs to quote.

FAQPage Schema Example

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How much does a plumber charge per hour?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Plumbers typically charge between $75-150 per hour,
        depending on the complexity of the work and your location.
        Emergency and after-hours calls may cost more."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "Do you offer emergency plumbing services?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Yes, we offer 24/7 emergency plumbing services.
        Call our emergency line at 555-123-4567 for immediate assistance
        with burst pipes, severe leaks, or sewage backups."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What areas do you service?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "We serve the entire Denver Metro area including Aurora,
        Lakewood, Arvada, Westminster, and surrounding communities
        within a 30-mile radius of downtown Denver."
      }
    }
  ]
}
</script>

Should You Add Review or AggregateRating Schema?

Not to your own business. Since September 2019, Google changed review rich results: star ratings no longer appear for reviews that a LocalBusiness or Organization publishes about itself on its own site. The review snippet guidelines spell it out: self-serving reviews aren't allowed for LocalBusiness and Organization. That covers testimonials you wrote up yourself and Google or Yelp reviews you embed with a widget.

Where AggregateRating Still Applies

Review and AggregateRating markup still earn stars on types Google supports for review snippets, such as products, recipes, books, courses, and software apps, when the reviews are shown on the page. If your business sells a product and shows its reviews on the product page, mark up the product, not your company:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "ABC Water Heater Flush Kit",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.8",
    "bestRating": "5",
    "worstRating": "1",
    "ratingCount": "127"
  },
  "review": [
    {
      "@type": "Review",
      "author": {
        "@type": "Person",
        "name": "John Smith"
      },
      "datePublished": "2026-01-15",
      "reviewRating": {
        "@type": "Rating",
        "ratingValue": "5"
      },
      "reviewBody": "Easy to use. Flushed our tank in twenty
      minutes with the included hose adapter."
    }
  ]
}

How Does Service Schema Help Describe Your Offerings?

Service schema helps Google understand the specific services your business offers, which can improve visibility for service-specific searches.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Service",
  "serviceType": "Emergency Drain Cleaning",
  "provider": {
    "@type": "Plumber",
    "name": "ABC Plumbing Services"
  },
  "areaServed": {
    "@type": "City",
    "name": "Denver, Colorado"
  },
  "hasOfferCatalog": {
    "@type": "OfferCatalog",
    "name": "Drain Services",
    "itemListElement": [
      {
        "@type": "Offer",
        "itemOffered": {
          "@type": "Service",
          "name": "Drain Snaking",
          "description": "Clear minor clogs with professional drain snaking"
        }
      },
      {
        "@type": "Offer",
        "itemOffered": {
          "@type": "Service",
          "name": "Hydro Jetting",
          "description": "High-pressure water jetting for severe blockages"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

How Do You Implement Schema Markup?

Method 1: JSON-LD (Recommended)

JSON-LD is Google's recommended format. Add the schema code in a script tag, typically in your page's <head> section or just before </body>.

Method 2: WordPress Plugins

If you're using WordPress, these plugins can generate schema automatically:

Method 3: Google Tag Manager

You can add schema via GTM without touching your website code:

1. 1.Create a new Custom HTML tag in GTM
2. 2.Paste your schema script (including the <script> tags)
3. 3.Set the trigger to fire on the appropriate pages (e.g., All Pages for LocalBusiness, specific pages for FAQs)
4. 4.Preview, test with Rich Results Test, then publish

How Do You Test Your Schema Markup?

Always test your schema after implementation. Invalid schema won't trigger rich results and can cause errors in Search Console.

What Are the Most Common Schema Mistakes?

Most schema errors fall into three buckets. First, wrong @type: using genericLocalBusiness when a specific subtype likePlumber or HVACBusiness is available. Second, missing required properties: Google's rich result requirements differ from Schema.org's minimums, and skipping a required field disables rich results even if the markup validates. Third, mismatched data: schema that lists one phone number while the visible page lists another, or hours that don't match the Google Business Profile. Google treats this as a trust signal problem. The fourth is outdated markup: AggregateRating on the business's own LocalBusiness node, which Google ignores as a self-serving review, and FAQPage added in the hope of FAQ dropdowns that Google stopped showing for most sites in 2023.

How Does Schema Affect AI Search Visibility?

Schema isn't just for Google's blue-link rich results anymore. Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT search, and Perplexity all parse structured data to extract facts quickly. When an AI engine cites your business, schema helps it answer questions like "what hours are they open" or "what service area do they cover" without misquoting your site. In our experience, businesses with clean LocalBusiness + Service schema get cited more accurately by AI engines than businesses that rely on page text alone. Schema also feeds Google's Knowledge Graph, which is the layer that AI Overviews pull from when summarizing local options. None of this is a guarantee of citation, but it removes the most common reason AI engines skip you: ambiguous business identity.

Local schema is usually bundled into a local SEO retainer rather than sold on its own. Seewhat SEO costs per month, or how ourSacramento local SEO services add LocalBusiness, Service and FAQ schema to every service and area page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schema Implementation Checklist