Schema Markup Explained: A Local SEO Strategy Every Business Needs

One of the main goals for every local business is boosting visibility on Google and other search engines. There are several strategies businesses can employ to improve their SEO, but one of the most significant, yet underutilized tools is schema markup.

Schema markup is structured data added to a website’s HTML that helps search engines better understand a website’s content. It helps local businesses stand out in search engine results pages (SERPs) through rich snippets, also known as rich results, which are enhanced search results that display engaging information like ratings, prices or images, assisting users in finding what they’re looking for while prominently featuring a business.

As a result, schema markup can help increase click-through rates (CTRs), drive local traffic and improve overall ranking. According to backlinko.com, 72.6% of pages on the first page of Google Search results use schema. 

Whether you run a local coffee shop or a high-profile dental practice, implementing schema markup is one of the most effective ways available to boost your online presence. Here’s a closer look at schema markup, why it benefits local businesses and how to add it to your website.

An In-Depth Look at Schema Markup

Schema markup was introduced in 2011 by major search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo through schema.org, with the goal of helping search engines better understand web content. Schema is a standardized vocabulary used to markup structured data, which involves organizing and describing information on a webpage by conveying additional information that helps search engines interpret your website. 

Ultimately, schema markup is defined as a form of structured data written in code, typically JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data). Schema markup can also be implemented through microdata, typically best used for simple sites, or RDFa (resource description framework in attributes). However, JSON-LD – a lightweight, structured data format used to express linked data in a way that is easy for both humans and machines to read and write – is typically the recommended option as it’s less prone to user errors and isn’t impacted by layout changes. 

Schema markup tells search engines exactly what the content on your page means beyond just what it says, helping them differentiate between types of businesses. Essentially, it can be viewed as a translator between your website and search engines. While search engines are advanced, they still benefit from detailed clues about content’s context. A prime example is mentioning the word “Apple” on your website. Schema markup can clarify whether you mean the fruit or the tech giant. 

For local businesses, this means helping Google recognize your name, address, phone number, business hours, reviews and more, all in a way that’s optimized for local search results. Keeping consistency across all platforms also remains important when it comes to schema markup, and your overall online presence. NAP (name, address, phone number) data should be in sync with what is published on your Google Business Profile and elsewhere. Meanwhile, in-depth keyword research and a strong content strategy can be keys to successful markup as well.

Why Local Businesses Should Use Schema Markup

Appearing in the top spots of Google’s Local Pack or map listings can make or break a small business. In turn, businesses are applying several SEO practices to ensure they rank near the top of search results. According to HubSpot and SEO Expert, 92% of searchers pick businesses on the first page of local search results. Schema markup can benefit SEO by improving:

• Search visibility – Pages with structured data can appear with rich snippets, which include additional information that is valuable to potential consumers like ratings, prices and operating hours. Appearing within rich snippets is one of the most eye-catching features in search results.

• Voice search readiness – Schema helps digital assistants like Siri or Google Assistant answer voice queries accurately. This can be an important element to attract customers as voice search continues to grow.

• AI visibility – AI use in search engines and virtual assistants has increased the importance of adding structured data to your website. Through platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini or Bing Chat, structured data plays a vital role in helping your landing page appear in front of consumers who may be looking for an answer or solution in a matter of seconds. Structured data helps AI systems deliver accurate information thanks to improved contextual understanding.

• Local Pack rankings – Structured data can play a role in enhancing eligibility in Google’s Local Pack, which is the map and business listings box that appears for local intent searches. Again, this can significantly boost visibility and help your business appear in front of a wider audience, leading to more conversions.

• CTRs – Businesses that have eye-catching SERP features can drive more users to click on their website than their competitors. Websites using schema markup have encountered a 40% boost in CTR, according to BlueTone Media.

• Competitive advantage – Overall, structured data markup can simply help separate your business from local competitors, particularly through detailed elements that can appear in rich results, influencing users to consider your business. According to Milestone Inc. rich results derived from schema markup receive 58% of user clicks compared to just 41% for non-rich results.

Types of Schema Markup Relevant for Local SEO

Over 800 types of schema markup exist on schema.org, but not all are equally relevant to local businesses. Here’s a closer look at some of the most important schema markups that local businesses should focus on:

1. LocalBusiness Schema

This is the cornerstone for any local business, providing structured data for key business details such as name, address, phone number, business hours, payment methods and price range. LocalBusiness schema is a subtype of Organization and Place schema, focusing on information that is important to a user who searches locally. It is typically used when a business has a brick-and-mortar location with an address and publicly available information. You can specify your industry further with business subtypes such as:

• AnimalShelter

• AutomotiveBusiness

• Dentist

• EmergencyService

• EntertainmentBusiness

• FinancialService

• FoodEstablishment

• GovernmentOffice

• LegalService

• MedicalBusiness

• RealEstateAgent

• SelfStorage

• SportsActivityLocation

• TelevisionStation

• TravelAgency

More specific/descriptive subtypes are available within many of these categories. 

Meanwhile, there are required and recommended properties to fill out that serve certain functions for LocalBusiness markups to be eligible for rich results. Required properties include: address, name, latitude, longitude, closes, dayOfWeek and opens. Some recommended properties include: aggregateRating, department, priceRange, review and telephone. Gathering accurate information for each of these categories is an important process when it comes to implementing schema markup for your business.  

2. Organization Schema

Organization schema should be implemented if a business is not open to the local public or doesn’t have a physical location, such as an ecommerce firm or a service provider that only does house calls. This markup is also eligible to appear in rich results on Google. Some common schema subtypes for Organization include:

• Airline

• EducationalOrganization

• GovernmentOrganization

• LibrarySystem

• MedicalOrganization

• NewsMediaOrganization

• OnlineBusiness

• PerformingGroup

• Project

• ResearchOrganization

• SearchRescueOrganization

• SportsOrganization

• WorkersUnion

3. Review and Rating Schema

If your business has customer reviews, you can use Review and AggregateRating schema to display star ratings and review summaries directly in SERPs. These visual clues can significantly boost user trust and engagement. 

4. Event Schema

If you’re hosting local events like grand openings, workshops or sales, using Event schema can help your listings appear in event-rich results. This is particularly useful for community engagement which helps your brand get noticed and can enhance consumer trust. 

5. Product and Offer Schema

Using schema to showcase products, prices and availability can enhance ecommerce and local shopping visibility. This is particularly beneficial for retail businesses that are trying to showcase what they have to offer to consumers. Product schema can be broken down further into two categories: product snippet markup, used to provide search engines with product details for pages where users can’t make a purchase but can see things like reviews, prices and availability, and merchant listing markup, used for pages where consumers can make a purchase while seeing things like pricing, stock availability and shipping and returns.

6. AboutPage Schema

Users can get to know your business better through a quality “About Us” page. This is often a make-or-break factor for a business, as a firm without an “About Us” page could reduce trust and drive potential consumers toward competitors.

7. FAQ and HowTo Schema

If your site includes FAQs or instructional content, applying this schema can lead to rich search results, which again occupy greater attention. An FAQ page helps educate potential consumers while limiting customer support questions.

Other schema types that could prove beneficial for local businesses include: WebsiteNavigation, NewsArticle, BlogPosting, ContactPage, Webpage, Person and Video. Over 400 business types exist on schema.org, so most companies should be able to accurately label themselves.

How to Add Schema Markup to Your Website

Adding schema markup to your website may seem like a daunting task, but it can prove easier than it sounds. Here’s a look at a simplified way to do so:

1. Choose your markup type

The initial step is to decide what schema markup(s) you might want to add. Schema.org allows you to explore types of schema that are relevant to your business. Often, local businesses will begin with the LocalBusiness schema. Make sure all schema is accurate with what your business is and the type of content that is on your website.

2. Ensure accurate, up-to-date information and follow guidelines

Search engines will bypass outdated information that is no longer relevant in rich results, so make sure everything is up to date. Also follow guidelines provided for implementing schema markup, such as the ones provided by Google for LocalBusiness. Additional Google guidelines emphasize things like marking up visible content and avoiding misleading information.

3. Use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper

Google offers a Structured Data Markup Helper that will guide you through the tagging process and generates the appropriate JSON-LD code.

4. Add JSON-LD to your website

Paste the JSON-LD code into the <head> or <body> section of your webpages. Various content management systems such as WordPress offer plugins like Rank Math or Yoast SEO that help simplify this process.

5. Test and validate

It’s important to make sure everything is properly in place before publishing. Using Google’s Schema Markup Testing Tool and Rich Results Test, or the Schema Markup Validator from schema.org, can help detect any potential errors. These tools can help measure the syntactical correctness (JSON-LD) on your schema markup and how it correlates with Google recommendations.

6. Monitor performance

Performance can be tracked using Google Search Console, where businesses can monitor metrics like impressions, clicks and other schema-related enhancements.

Areas of Focus and What to Avoid When Implementing Schema Markup

As with any strategy to help grow your business, there are several things to place a key focus on when implementing schema markup, as well as some common mistakes to watch out for.

Things to focus on:

• Enhance pages that benefit from rich results – Businesses should place a key focus on pages that could show up and benefit them within rich results, such as product listings, reviews and articles.

• Add as much relevant content as possible – Businesses should aim to fill out as much as they can provided their schema type supports multiple details. For example, LocalBusiness schema includes many details such as hours, location, etc. It is also important to use the most specific schema type, such as using Dentist over just LocalBusiness.

• Ensure data is consistent – Details about your business should be consistent across all platforms, whether that be your Google Business Profile, Yelp or social media platforms. Schema details should align with other platforms to continue proving that your business is trustworthy.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Inaccurate or outdated information – Schema should always reflect current data. For example, if your business hours change seasonally, your markup should be updated.

• Overmarking content – While marking as much relevant content as you can may lead to greater visibility, it’s important to not overmark or apply schema to irrelevant content, as this could lead to a lack of trust in your structured data from search engines. For example, don’t add Review schema to a page that has no reviews.

• Forgetting to test – Adding schema should ultimately help your business when it comes appearing more prominently in search results. However, it’s important to validate that it is working first. Otherwise, errors could prevent your business from displaying in SERPs.

It’s also important to note that schema does not ultimately guarantee higher rankings for your business, as Google has previously mentioned that schema markup itself is not a ranking factor. Still, it’s an indirect method to improve SEO by enhancing visibility, CTRs and user experience, all signals that can help boost your ranking over time.

As a result, implementing schema markup has become an essential step for businesses to keep up with their competition. While schema markup ultimately helps search engines understand your company, it will also help customers find, choose and trust your business.

How Structured Data and Schema Markup Have Impacted Real-World Businesses

Rakuten

Rakuten, a technology conglomerate based in Japan, has provided many services through the years, one being a home chef recipe service allowing chefs to post and share their own recipes on a website or app. Rakuten began using structured data in 2012, and started focusing specifically on Recipe schema a couple of years later.

After a few more years, Rakuten collaborated with Google to help maximize its structured data. The result was a significant boost in online traffic, as recipe pages saw 2.7x more traffic from search engines, while average session duration was 1.5x longer than before.

Jobrapido

Jobrapido, a leading job search engine headquartered in Milan, Italy, began using JobPosting schema several years ago. The goal was to improve visibility, attract more job applicants and improve user experience.

After the 2017 launch of Google for Jobs, Jobrapido saw increases in several metrics, including a 182% boost in organic traffic. The firm also saw a 395% increase in new user registrations from organic traffic, and a lower bounce rate from Google visitors to job pages.

Eventbrite

Eventbrite, an American live events marketplace and website, began using Event schema in 2015, aiming to boost visibility and discovery of events. This put it in position to further benefit as Google updated its search experience for events on mobile a couple of years later.

With users more easily finding events through Google Search and Google Maps, Eventbrite believes that it has seen a 100% increase in year-over-year growth of traffic from Google Search to event listing pages.

Best Version Media Can Help Your Business Grow Its Online Presence

How can you check to see if your website has relevant schemas? Talk to your web developer. Best Version Media can then help manage your online presence, making it easier for customers to find and trust your business through local search results.

Strong local listings, positive reviews, and effective reputation management are essential for local business success, and BVM provides support with all three. You can also streamline your efforts by bundling geo-targeted social media and display advertising campaigns, maximizing your marketing impact and budget from a single, easy-to-use dashboard.

Connect with BVM today to discover the right marketing strategy for your business.