Do I need schema to show up in Google's AI answers?

No. Google says no special schema is needed for its AI features. Schema still helps search engines read your business details correctly.

Does schema help local SEO?

It helps search engines read your name, address, phone and hours exactly. Google doesn't promise any special display from it, so treat it as one solid basic, alongside your Google Business Profile, reviews and listings.

Which schema type should a local business use?

The most specific LocalBusiness type that fits, like Plumber, Dentist or Restaurant. Google recommends the most specific type possible.

How do I add local business schema in WordPress?

Use a schema plugin, or paste a filled-in JSON-LD block into your site's code. Then check it in Google's Rich Results Test.

What about schema for multiple locations?

Mark up each location with its own details. For departments with their own hours or phone numbers, use the department property.

Local Business Schema Markup: Example, Rules and What It Won't Do

Q: What is LocalBusiness schema?

It's a block of structured data, usually JSON-LD, that labels your business name, address, phone and hours so search engines can read them exactly.

What is local business schema?

It's structured data: code from schema.org's LocalBusiness vocabulary that labels your business details, so search engines can read them without guessing. Google says it can use these details when people search for businesses on Google Search or Maps, for example in a knowledge panel. (Source: Google Search Central: local business structured data, updated September 8, 2026.)

What Google requires

Only two properties are required: name and address. Google recommends adding more when they apply, such as telephone, url, openingHoursSpecification, geo, priceRange and department, and for restaurants menu and servesCuisine.

Schema.org has many LocalBusiness types. Use the most specific one you can, like Plumber, Dentist or Restaurant, instead of plain LocalBusiness. Google recommends the most specific type possible.

A local business schema example you can copy

Replace everything in [brackets] with your own details, exactly as they appear on your Google Business Profile:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Plumber",
  "name": "[Your business name, exactly as on your sign]",
  "url": "https://[your website]/",
  "telephone": "[your phone number]",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "[street address]",
    "addressLocality": "[town]",
    "addressRegion": "[state]",
    "postalCode": "[ZIP code]",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": [
        "Monday",
        "Tuesday",
        "Wednesday",
        "Thursday",
        "Friday"
      ],
      "opens": "08:00",
      "closes": "17:00"
    }
  ]
}

How to add it

Put the filled-in block inside a <script type="application/ld+json"> tag on your home page, or on the page for each location.
On WordPress or another site builder, a schema plugin or generator can write it for you. Check what it writes.
Mark up each location with its own details. For a business with departments that keep their own hours or phone numbers, Google supports the department property.

How to test it

Paste your page address into Google's Rich Results Test and fix any critical errors.

What schema won't do

Google says it doesn't guarantee that features using structured data, such as rich results (sometimes called rich snippets), will show up in search results. And for Google's AI features, Google says there's no special schema you need to add. (Source: Google: AI features and your website.)

So when you hear that AI "reads schema code first" and names whoever has it, that isn't how it works. Schema is one of the nine basics we fix: good hygiene, not a switch.

Local business schema, explained