LocalBusiness Schema: Describe and Validate Your Business Facts

Structured data gives a website a consistent way to describe a business and its services. Start with facts the business can verify. Adding markup does not turn an unsupported claim into evidence or guarantee that an AI answer will recommend you.

Check what your website already generates

Inspect the existing markup before adding another plugin or code block. A website builder or developer may already maintain business information. Identify the source so that future edits do not leave conflicting names, hours or contact details in different blocks.

Compare the markup with the information customers can read on the page. Correct discrepancies at their source rather than adding another version of the business alongside them.

Choose types and properties that fit

Check the actual Schema.org vocabulary when describing a contractor. Use an applicable type rather than inventing a trade-specific name. Do not select a type solely because you expect it to trigger a recommendation.

Confirm the business name, public contact details, services, hours and coverage. Use profile links only when they identify the same business. A coverage list describes where the business works; it is not a guarantee of search visibility in every listed city.

Understand feature-specific requirements

Google publishes LocalBusiness requirements for its supported search features. Review the required and recommended properties for the feature you are implementing. Do not invent an address or other detail merely to satisfy a validator.

Google's review-snippet policy excludes self-serving reviews for LocalBusiness and Organization. Adding your own business's ratings to its site does not establish eligibility for review stars. Keep review information truthful and distinguish displaying feedback from qualifying for a search feature.

Validate and maintain the result

Use the Schema.org validator for vocabulary checks and Google's Rich Results Test for supported Google features. A valid result does not independently verify the underlying business facts, and neither tool certifies citation eligibility across every AI platform.

After publishing, check the live page and retain a record of the facts and sources used. Revisit the markup when the operation changes. Measure actual search results separately from successful implementation.