Local Schema Markup: Complete Implementation Guide for LocalBusiness, Reviews, and FAQ

Schema markup is structured data embedded in your website's HTML that explicitly communicates your business's attributes to search engines in a machine-readable format. For local SEO, implementing the correct schema types bridges the gap between your website content and Google's knowledge graph—strengthening entity disambiguation, improving SERP feature eligibility, and reinforcing the relevance signals that drive Local Pack rankings.

In 2026, schema markup has become especially important for AI Overviews. Google's AI systems rely on structured data to verify business information, generate local recommendations, and determine which businesses to cite in conversational search summaries.

Schema markup serves three critical functions:

1. Entity disambiguation — it helps Google confidently connect your website to your Google Business Profile entity, ensuring website authority flows to your local ranking
2. Rich result eligibility — properly marked-up content can appear in knowledge panels, featured snippets, and rich search results
3. AI system compatibility — structured data is the primary format AI systems use to verify and present business information

Schema does not directly increase rankings, but it removes ambiguity that can suppress rankings. A business without schema forces Google to infer entity connections; a business with schema explicitly declares them.

Use the most specific LocalBusiness subtype available. Generic "LocalBusiness" is acceptable, but specific subtypes improve entity classification:

• Plumber — for plumbing businesses
• Dentist — for dental practices
• Restaurant — for restaurants (with further subtypes like FastFoodRestaurant, ItalianRestaurant)
• LegalService — for law firms
• RealEstateAgent — for real estate professionals
• AutoRepair — for auto mechanics
• HVACBusiness — for heating/cooling companies

Browse Schema.org's LocalBusiness subtypes for your specific industry.

At minimum, include these properties in your JSON-LD markup:

• @type — your specific LocalBusiness subtype
• name — exact business name (matching your GBP)
• address — complete PostalAddress with streetAddress, addressLocality, addressRegion, postalCode, addressCountry
• telephone — primary phone number (matching GBP)
• url — your website URL
• geo — GeoCoordinates with latitude and longitude
• openingHoursSpecification — structured hours for each day
• image — URL to your primary business image

For maximum entity clarity, add:

• description — brief business description
• priceRange — price indicator (e.g., "$$" or "$50-$200")
• paymentAccepted — accepted payment methods
• areaServed — geographic areas you serve (GeoCircle or Place)
• sameAs — array of URLs linking to your GBP, social profiles, and directory listings
• hasMap — URL to Google Maps page for your business
• aggregateRating — if you display reviews on your site

JSON-LD is the recommended format for schema markup. Place it in a script tag in your page's head or body. The structure makes it readable and maintainable without affecting your visible page content.

Each location page on your website should have its own LocalBusiness markup with location-specific data. For multi-location businesses, each location page needs distinct structured data with that location's name, address, phone, and geo coordinates.

If you display reviews or ratings on your website, mark them up with AggregateRating schema:

• ratingValue — your average rating
• reviewCount — total number of reviews
• bestRating — maximum possible rating (typically 5)
• worstRating — minimum possible rating (typically 1)

Important: Only use review schema for genuine first-party reviews displayed on your page. Do not mark up Google reviews or third-party reviews you don't control—this violates Google's guidelines and can result in rich result removal.

FAQ schema marks up question-and-answer content on your pages, making it eligible for rich FAQ results and voice search answers:

Structure each FAQ pair with:

• Question — the full question text
• Answer — the complete answer (can include HTML formatting and links)

FAQ schema is particularly powerful for local SEO when questions include geographic context: "How much does drain cleaning cost in Portland?" or "Do I need a permit for a water heater installation in Oregon?"

For service businesses, Service schema describes what you offer:

• serviceType — specific service name
• provider — links back to your LocalBusiness entity
• areaServed — where you provide this service
• description — detailed service description

Service schema helps Google understand the full scope of your offerings, improving relevance matching for specific service queries.

Breadcrumb schema helps search engines understand your site architecture:

This is especially useful for multi-location sites where breadcrumb trails establish the location hierarchy: Home > Locations > Portland > Drain Cleaning.

1. Test with Google's Rich Results Test — validates your markup produces eligible rich results
2. Test with Schema.org Validator — checks structural correctness
3. Review in Google Search Console — after deployment, check the Enhancements report for errors and valid items

• Missing required properties — address, name, and geo are commonly incomplete
• Incorrect property types — using a string where an object is expected
• Mismatched data — schema data not matching visible page content (Google requires consistency)
• Nested type errors — incorrect parent-child type relationships

Check Google Search Console's structured data reports monthly. Errors can appear when:

• Pages are redesigned without updating schema
• Business information changes without corresponding schema updates
• Google's schema requirements evolve

A service-location page might include:

• LocalBusiness schema for the business entity
• Service schema for the specific service
• FAQ schema for the page's FAQ section
• BreadcrumbList for navigation
• AggregateRating if reviews are displayed

These can coexist in a single JSON-LD block using @graph notation or as separate script tags.

The sameAs property is often overlooked but highly valuable. Include URLs for:

• Your Google Business Profile
• Facebook business page
• LinkedIn company page
• Yelp listing
• Industry directory profiles
• Wikipedia page (if one exists)

These links help Google's knowledge graph connect your website entity to your broader online presence—strengthening entity confidence scores.

Not directly. Schema improves entity disambiguation and rich result eligibility, which indirectly supports ranking by ensuring Google correctly associates your website signals with your GBP entity. Consider it infrastructure that enables other ranking signals to work more effectively.

Place LocalBusiness schema on your homepage and each location/service page. Blog posts and general content pages should use Article or WebPage schema instead—reserve LocalBusiness for pages specifically about your business entity.

Google typically processes new or updated schema within 1-2 weeks after recrawling the page. You can request indexing through Search Console to accelerate this.

Incorrect or misleading schema (marking up content that doesn't match what's visible on the page, fabricating reviews, or misrepresenting your business type) can result in manual actions. Accurate, honest schema implementation carries no ranking risk.

Yes. GBP and schema serve complementary functions. GBP is your entity in Google's system; schema on your website confirms and reinforces that entity. Both together create stronger entity recognition than either alone.

Local schema markup is the technical bridge between your website content and Google's entity understanding. Implementing LocalBusiness, Review, FAQ, and Service schema with accurate data reinforces every local ranking signal by ensuring Google correctly associates your website authority with your local business entity.

Start with LocalBusiness schema on your homepage and location pages, add FAQ schema to pages with question-based content, and validate everything through Google's Rich Results Test. Schema implementation is a one-time setup investment that pays continuous returns through stronger entity disambiguation and rich result eligibility.