LocalBusiness Schema: Complete Implementation Guide

What Is LocalBusiness Schema?

LocalBusiness Schema is a JSON-LD structured data type that describes a physical business -- its name, address, phone number, opening hours, services, geographic coordinates, and more -- in a format that AI models and search engines can parse directly.

When someone asks ChatGPT "Where can I get my car fixed near downtown Denver?" or Gemini "What dentists are open on Saturday in Brooklyn?", the AI needs structured business data to generate a useful answer. LocalBusiness Schema provides exactly that data in a machine-readable format, removing the need for AI to interpret unstructured HTML text.

Without LocalBusiness Schema, AI must extract business information from unstructured page content -- interpreting paragraphs, parsing footer text, and guessing which text represents an address versus a description. This process is error-prone and incomplete. With Schema, the data is explicit, unambiguous, and complete.

The impact on local AI SEO is direct. Businesses with complete LocalBusiness Schema give AI everything it needs to recommend them. Businesses without it force AI to work harder -- and AI models, optimized for efficiency, tend to recommend the sources that provide the easiest data access.

LocalBusiness vs Organization: When to Use Which

LocalBusiness is a subtype of Organization in the Schema.org hierarchy. It inherits all Organization properties and adds location-specific properties like openingHours, geo, priceRange, and areaServed.

Use LocalBusiness when:

• You have a physical location customers visit (store, office, restaurant)
• You serve a specific geographic area (plumber, landscaper, delivery service)
• Your business is listed on Google Business Profile
• Local queries are relevant to your business

Use Organization when:

• You operate entirely online (SaaS, digital products)
• You serve a global audience without geographic focus
• You have no physical customer-facing location

Use both when:

• You are a company with both a corporate entity and physical locations. The corporate website uses Organization schema; each location page uses LocalBusiness.

For your Organization schema implementation, see our Organization Schema for Authority guide.

Complete JSON-LD Template

Here is a complete LocalBusiness JSON-LD template with all recommended properties:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Dentist",
  "@id": "https://example.com/#dentist",
  "name": "Bright Smile Dental",
  "legalName": "Bright Smile Dental LLC",
  "description": "Bright Smile Dental is a family dental practice in downtown Denver offering general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and orthodontics since 2010.",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "telephone": "+1-303-555-0147",
  "email": "info@brightsmile.example.com",
  "image": "https://example.com/images/clinic-exterior.webp",
  "logo": "https://example.com/logo.png",
  "priceRange": "$$",
  "currenciesAccepted": "USD",
  "paymentAccepted": "Cash, Credit Card, Insurance",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "456 Main Street, Suite 200",
    "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"],
      "opens": "08:00",
      "closes": "17:00"
    },
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": "Friday",
      "opens": "08:00",
      "closes": "14:00"
    },
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": "Saturday",
      "opens": "09:00",
      "closes": "13:00"
    }
  ],
  "areaServed": {
    "@type": "City",
    "name": "Denver",
    "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver"
  },
  "hasOfferCatalog": {
    "@type": "OfferCatalog",
    "name": "Dental Services",
    "itemListElement": [
      {
        "@type": "Offer",
        "itemOffered": {
          "@type": "Service",
          "name": "General Dentistry",
          "description": "Routine checkups, cleanings, fillings, and preventive care"
        }
      },
      {
        "@type": "Offer",
        "itemOffered": {
          "@type": "Service",
          "name": "Cosmetic Dentistry",
          "description": "Teeth whitening, veneers, and smile makeovers"
        }
      }
    ]
  },
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.8",
    "reviewCount": "247"
  },
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/brightsmile",
    "https://www.yelp.com/biz/bright-smile-dental-denver",
    "https://g.co/maps/brightsmile"
  ],
  "foundingDate": "2010",
  "founder": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Dr. Emily Rodriguez",
    "jobTitle": "Lead Dentist"
  }
}

This template uses Dentist as the specific subtype. Replace it with your business-appropriate subtype and adjust properties accordingly.

Essential Properties Reference

Tier 1: Required for AI Visibility

| Property | Description | Example | |---|---|---| | @type | Most specific subtype | "Dentist", "Restaurant", "LegalService" | | name | Official business name | "Bright Smile Dental" | | address | Full PostalAddress | See template above | | telephone | Phone with country code | "+1-303-555-0147" | | geo | GeoCoordinates (lat/lng) | 39.7392, -104.9903 | | openingHoursSpecification | Structured hours per day | See template above | | url | Website URL | "https://example.com" |

Tier 2: Strongly Recommended

| Property | Description | Why It Matters | |---|---|---| | image | Business photo | Visual verification for AI | | priceRange | Price indicator ($ to $$$$) | Enables price-based filtering | | areaServed | Geographic coverage | For service-area businesses | | hasOfferCatalog | Services offered | Matches specific service queries | | aggregateRating | Rating summary | Trust signal for recommendations | | sameAs | External profile links | Entity verification | | description | Business description | Entity definition for AI |

Tier 3: Additional Value

| Property | Description | Use Case | |---|---|---| | paymentAccepted | Payment methods | "Takes Apple Pay" queries | | currenciesAccepted | Currencies | International businesses | | founder | Founder Person | E-E-A-T signal | | foundingDate | Establishment year | Business maturity signal | | email | Contact email | Direct contact data | | logo | Business logo | Brand recognition |

Choosing the Right Subtype

Schema.org offers dozens of LocalBusiness subtypes. Using the most specific one matters because AI models use the type to match queries precisely.

Common Subtypes

Food and Dining: Restaurant, BarOrPub, CafeOrCoffeeShop, FastFoodRestaurant, IceCreamShop, Bakery

Healthcare: Dentist, MedicalClinic, Pharmacy, Optician, Physician, VeterinaryCare

Professional Services: LegalService, AccountingService, FinancialService, InsuranceAgency, RealEstateAgent, EmploymentAgency

Automotive: AutoRepair, AutoDealer, GasStation, AutoBodyShop

Retail: Store, ClothingStore, ElectronicsStore, HardwareStore, BookStore, FurnitureStore

Fitness and Recreation: HealthClub, SportsClub, GolfCourse, BowlingAlley

Home Services: Electrician, Plumber, HVACBusiness, LocksmithService, Roofing Contractor

Hospitality: Hotel, Motel, BedAndBreakfast, Hostel, Resort

Subtype Selection Rule

Always choose the most specific subtype available. If you run an Italian restaurant, use Restaurant (not FoodEstablishment). If you are a divorce attorney, use LegalService with a description specifying your practice area. If no specific subtype exists for your business, use the closest parent type.

Multi-Location Implementation

For businesses with multiple physical locations, the Schema strategy requires a parent-child architecture:

Parent Organization (on the main/corporate page)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Bright Smile Dental Group",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "subOrganization": [
    {
      "@type": "Dentist",
      "name": "Bright Smile Dental - Denver",
      "url": "https://example.com/locations/denver"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Dentist",
      "name": "Bright Smile Dental - Boulder",
      "url": "https://example.com/locations/boulder"
    }
  ]
}

Individual Location (on each location page)

Each location page carries its own complete LocalBusiness schema (as shown in the full template above) with its unique address, phone, hours, and geo coordinates.

Key Multi-Location Rules

1. Never put multiple location schemas on one page -- each location gets its own page and schema
2. Keep NAP data unique per location -- do not reuse the corporate phone number
3. Match Google Business Profile data -- each location's schema must match its GBP listing exactly
4. Use consistent naming -- "Brand - City" format works well for both humans and AI
5. Link parent to children -- the parent Organization should reference each location

Testing and Validation

After implementing LocalBusiness Schema, validate it:

Tools for Testing

1. Google Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results) -- Tests if your schema is valid and eligible for rich results
2. Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org) -- Full Schema.org compliance check
3. Google Search Console -- Monitors schema errors over time in the "Enhancements" section
4. AImetrico Scanner -- Checks schema completeness specifically for AI visibility

Common Validation Errors

• Missing geo coordinates -- Address alone is insufficient; always include latitude and longitude
• Incorrect openingHoursSpecification format -- Hours must use 24-hour format ("08:00" not "8:00 AM")
• Mismatched data -- Schema data must match visible on-page content exactly
• Wrong @type -- Using "LocalBusiness" when a more specific subtype exists
• Missing @id -- For multi-location implementations, each location needs a unique @id

Ongoing Monitoring

Schema validation is not a one-time task. Business hours change, phone numbers get updated, and locations open or close. Audit your LocalBusiness Schema quarterly and after any business information change.