Definition

Local business structured data is schema.org markup using the LocalBusiness type (or a more specific subtype like Restaurant) that describes a business's details — name, address, opening hours and contact information — so Google can understand and surface them in Search and Maps.

Google uses LocalBusiness markup to help populate features such as the business knowledge panel, carousels of related businesses, and, with the Maps Booking API, reservation or ordering actions. More specific schema.org subtypes (for example Restaurant or HealthClub) can be used where they apply. As with other structured data, the markup makes a business eligible for these features but does not guarantee they appear.

Examples

• Restaurant listing

  A café adds LocalBusiness (Restaurant) JSON-LD with its address, opening hours and phone number. Google can use it to populate the café's knowledge panel in Search and its listing in Maps.

• Specific subtype

  A gym marks itself up with the HealthClub subtype rather than the generic LocalBusiness type, giving Google a more precise signal about the kind of business it is.

Sources

• Google Search Central — Local Business (LocalBusiness) structured data

Related terms

• Schema Markup
  Structured data added to a page that describes its content to search engines in a machine-readable format.
• Local SEO
  The practice of optimising a business's online presence to surface in location-based search results, including the Local Pack and Google Maps.
• Organization Structured Data
  Markup using schema.org's Organization type that describes a business so Google can understand and disambiguate it.

Where QueryCatch uses this

• Local Business Schema Generator
• SEO Audit