Local Business Schema: A Practical Guide for UK Businesses

LocalBusiness schema is a block of structured data that tells search engines, in a format they read easily, who you are, where you are, when you are open and how to reach you. You add it to your website as JSON-LD, either by hand or through a plugin, then test it with Google’s Rich Results Test. It will not push you up the rankings on its own, but it removes guesswork about your business details. This guide shows you which type to choose, which properties to fill in, a worked example and how to keep it accurate.

TL;DR

• LocalBusiness schema describes a physical business (name, address, phone, hours) in code that search engines can read. It must match what visitors see on the page.
• Pick the most specific subtype that fits you, such as Dentist or HairSalon, rather than the generic LocalBusiness.
• Add it as JSON-LD on your homepage or location page, then test it with the Rich Results Test before and after you publish.
• Several locations means one LocalBusiness entry per location, each on its own page.
• Review it whenever your hours, phone number or address change, including bank holiday hours.

Table of Contents

• What LocalBusiness schema actually is
• Will it help you rank?
• Choosing the right type
• The properties that matter
• A worked JSON-LD example
• How to add it to your website
• If you have more than one location
• Testing your markup
• Keeping it accurate over time
• Common mistakes to avoid
• Our perspective
• Let us handle the technical side
• Where schema fits in your local SEO
• FAQ
• Sources

What LocalBusiness schema actually is

Schema markup is a shared vocabulary for describing things on web pages. The LocalBusiness type on Schema.org covers a particular physical business or a branch of a larger organisation, such as a restaurant, a shop or a salon.

Google’s own guidance says LocalBusiness structured data lets you tell Google about business hours, departments within a business, reviews and more. When Google understands those details well, it can support things like a knowledge panel or inclusion in local business carousels on Search and Maps.

Think of it as a digital business card attached to your page. Your visitors read the visible text. Search engines read the markup. Both should say exactly the same thing.

Will it help you rank?

Be realistic about it. Semrush notes that schema does not directly control rankings or the creation of a Google Business Profile, but it reinforces the business information search engines already have about you. That reinforcement is the point: consistent details across your site, your profile and the wider web make it easier for search engines to trust and display you correctly.

If you want to see how schema sits alongside the other signals, this walkthrough of how schema supports business information is a good companion read. For the wider picture on visibility in your area, our own guides on what local SEO is for UK small businesses and the local SEO checklist cover the rest of the work, from your profile to your reviews.

Choosing the right type

Google advises using the most specific subtype possible, for example Restaurant, DaySpa or HealthClub, rather than only the generic LocalBusiness. Schema.org has dozens of subtypes, from Dentist and AccountingService to Store and ProfessionalService.

A quick way to choose:

1. Describe your business in two words: “Leeds bakery”, “family dentist”, “electrician”.
2. Look for a matching subtype on the Schema.org LocalBusiness page.
3. If nothing fits exactly, choose the closest parent, such as Store or ProfessionalService, before falling back to LocalBusiness.

What if you have no shop or office?

LocalBusiness is meant for businesses with a physical location customers can visit or that serve a defined place. If you work from home and never receive customers, or you operate entirely online, the broader Organization type is usually the more honest description. Mark up only what is true. A made-up address in your code is worse than none.

The properties that matter

Google requires a name and an address, and recommends several more. The table below summarises the ones most UK small businesses should fill in, based on Google’s documentation.

Two habits save a lot of trouble. First, copy your details from a single master source so the name, address and phone number never differ by a comma. Second, never include a property you cannot back up with visible content.

A worked JSON-LD example

Google supports several formats, but JSON-LD is the simplest to add and maintain because it sits in one block, separate from your page design. Here is a template for a fictional Leeds bakery. Swap every value for your own.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Bakery",
  "name": "Example Street Bakery",
  "image": "https://www.example.co.uk/images/shopfront.jpg",
  "url": "https://www.example.co.uk/",
  "telephone": "+441130000000",
  "priceRange": "££",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "1 Example Street",
    "addressLocality": "Leeds",
    "postalCode": "LS1 1AA",
    "addressCountry": "GB"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": 53.79648,
    "longitude": -1.54785
  },
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
      "opens": "07:00",
      "closes": "17:00"
    },
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": "Saturday",
      "opens": "08:00",
      "closes": "14:00"
    }
  ],
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/examplestreetbakery",
    "https://www.linkedin.com/company/examplestreetbakery"
  ]
}

The coordinates, address and number above are placeholders. Use your real details, and use 24-hour times as shown.

How to add it to your website

You have two routes, as Google explains: a CMS plugin, or structured data inserted directly into your pages.

Option 1: a plugin

If your site runs on WordPress or a similar platform, an SEO plugin will usually have a local business or organisation settings screen. You enter your name, address, phone number and hours once, and the plugin outputs the code. This is quick and suits simple sites. Check the output afterwards, because plugins sometimes pick the generic type or leave out hours.

Option 2: paste the JSON-LD

1. Write or generate your JSON-LD, starting from the template above.
2. Wrap it in a script tag with the type application/ld+json.
3. Place it in the head or body of the page that describes the business, usually the homepage, contact page or location page.
4. Publish, then test (see below).

If your site is built on a custom system, your developer can generate the block from the same data that feeds your contact page, so the two can never drift apart. That is the cleanest long-term setup.

The rule that catches people out

Markup must describe content that visitors can actually see. If your schema says you open at 7am, your page must say so too. A hidden claim, or a mismatch between code and page, is the most common reason structured data is ignored.

If you have more than one location

Google’s advice is to define each physical location as its own LocalBusiness entry. Where a location has distinct departments, such as a pharmacy counter inside a shop, the department property lets you nest each one.

In practice:

• Give each branch its own page with its own address, phone number and hours.
• Put that branch’s schema on that branch’s page, with the url pointing to that page.
• Use Organization markup on your homepage for the parent brand if you wish, and keep the branch details separate.

If you serve customers across several towns from one base, a well-built page for each area helps readers and search engines alike. Our guide to service area pages that rank and convert explains how to build them without copying the same text across every town.

Testing your markup

A single missing comma or a curly quote pasted from a document can break an entire block. Always test.

1. Paste your code or page address into Google’s Rich Results Test and fix any errors or warnings.
2. Use URL Inspection in Search Console to see how Google views the live page, and to confirm it is not blocked by robots.txt, a noindex tag or a login wall, as Google’s documentation advises.
3. Compare the schema, the page and your Google Business Profile line by line: name, address, phone, hours.

A valid test result means your code is readable. It does not promise a particular display in search, since Google decides what to show.

Keeping it accurate over time

Schema is not a set-and-forget job. A short routine is enough:

• Monthly: open one location page, re-run the test and confirm the phone number still matches.
• When anything changes: update the page and the schema on the same day. This matters most for bank holiday opening hours, Christmas closures and temporary changes.
• After a redesign or migration: retest, because new templates often drop the code silently.

The last point is where many small businesses lose their markup without noticing. When a site is rebuilt, someone needs to own the structured data as part of the launch checklist.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using the generic LocalBusiness type when a precise subtype exists.
• Marking up a home address you do not want the public to see.
• Adding review ratings you wrote yourself. Only mark up reviews that are genuine and visible.
• Letting the name drift from your signage and profile, such as “Ltd” on one and not the other.
• Pasting code from a document editor, which introduces curly quotes that break the block.
• Marking up details that are not on the page.

Our perspective

We build a lot of small business websites, and the pattern is consistent: schema is almost never the problem, and almost always the afterthought. It gets bolted on at the end, or added by a plugin nobody checks, and then a redesign wipes it out.

Our view is that structured data belongs in the build, not in a later SEO task. When we design a site, the contact details, opening hours and business name live in one place, and the visible page and the markup both draw from it. That is part of why we like working as a single partner for creative design and technical delivery: the person choosing your layout is also thinking about how the page is read by search engines.

It also connects to branding. Your name, logo and description should look the same on your shopfront, your site and your profiles. Schema is the machine-readable version of that consistency. We offer unlimited revisions on branding and web system work, so if your details, services or hours change, the site and its markup can be brought back in line without a fresh negotiation.

Start with an honest, accurate, specific block of markup. It is a small job that quietly supports everything else you do to be found locally.

Kukoo

Let us handle the technical side

If you would rather not wrangle JSON-LD yourself, we can help. Kukoocreative has partnered with UK business owners for over a decade on logos, brand identities and websites, and our web design and development team can build your site so that your business details are consistent and clearly structured from day one.

Already have a site that feels slow or tired? Our £25 Website Speed Improvement is a low-cost place to begin, and our website care plans keep things maintained. To talk through a new build or a refresh, see our web design and development services or get in touch via kukoocreative.com.

Where schema fits in your local SEO

Structured data is one piece of a wider local presence. Once it is in place, the sensible next steps are:

1. Complete and verify your Google Business Profile, and make sure it matches your schema.
2. Make sure every page of your site loads quickly on a phone. Our note on responsive website design explains why this matters.
3. Work through a practical list such as our local SEO checklist for UK businesses.
4. Build a steady habit of earning genuine reviews and keeping content current. Our overview of SEO best practices for UK small businesses is a good place to plan this.

If you are in Leeds, our look at local SEO tools for Leeds businesses can help you choose how to track progress.

For definitions of the terms used here, Ahrefs’ glossary entry on local business schema gives a concise explanation of the data it carries: address, working hours, contact information and more.

FAQ

What is the difference between LocalBusiness and Organization schema?

LocalBusiness describes a business with a physical location, so it carries an address, opening hours and often coordinates. Organization is broader and suits a company that has no fixed premises, or the parent brand of several branches. Choose the one that matches how you really operate.

Do I need a developer to add local business schema?

Not necessarily. A CMS plugin can output the markup from a settings screen, and a simple JSON-LD block can be pasted into a page by anyone comfortable editing their site. A developer helps when your site is custom-built, when you have several locations or when you want the markup generated automatically from your contact data.

How do I know my schema is working?

Run the page through Google’s Rich Results Test to check for errors, then use URL Inspection in Search Console to confirm Google can access the page. A clean test means the code is valid. Whether Google shows any extra detail in results is Google’s decision.

How often should I update it?

Update it whenever your name, address, phone number or opening hours change, and do it on the same day as the visible page. A quick monthly check of one location page, including a retest, is enough to catch most problems.

Sources

• Local Business (LocalBusiness) Structured Data, Google Search Central
• LocalBusiness, Schema.org
• What Is Local Business Schema Markup? And How to Add It, Semrush
• What is Local Business Schema?, Ahrefs
• Organization Schema SEO: The Complete Implementation Guide

Recommended

• What is local SEO? A guide for UK small businesses
• Local SEO checklist for UK businesses: rank higher now
• How to structure a website for UK small businesses
• Small business website must-haves for UK owners