What schema is
Your website is written for people. Schema is a small block of extra text, added to the page, that states your business facts in a form software can read without guessing: your name, address, phone number, opening hours, website and what kind of business you are. People never see it. Google and other tools that read websites can.
The format the Schema Builder produces is called JSON-LD, and the type is LocalBusiness. You fill in your details, and the tool writes the block for you to copy and paste into your site. Think of it as a label on a jar: the jar looks the same, but anyone picking it up knows exactly what is inside.
What it does, and what it doesn’t
What it does. It helps Google and AI tools read your details correctly. If your site says “Open 9 to 5 weekdays” in a picture or an awkward table, a machine may get it wrong. Schema states it plainly. It also makes it easier for Google to tie your website to the same business as your Google profile.
What it doesn’t do. It is not a ranking trick. Adding it will not push you up the map or the search results. Google’s own page on LocalBusiness structured data says Google does not guarantee that features built on structured data will appear, even when the markup is correct. Correct markup makes you eligible, nothing more.
Be wary of anyone who sells schema as a way to rank. It is housekeeping, and it is worth doing because it is cheap and it removes guesswork.
What goes in it
Google’s guidance lists the name and address as required for LocalBusiness. It recommends adding your phone number, website, opening hours and, if useful, map coordinates. The Schema Builder asks for these and leaves out what you don’t have.
A few notes on filling it in:
- Choose the most specific business type that fits, such as a dentist, plumber or restaurant, rather than the general one.
- If you are a service-area business and hide your address on Google, think about what you put in the address fields. Use details that match what your Google profile shows, and don’t publish a home address on your website that you have hidden on Google.
- Don’t add ratings or reviews you can’t back up. Google reserves review markup for particular situations, so leave it out unless you know it applies.
Keep it identical to your Google profile
Schema works when it agrees with everything else about you. The name should be your real-world business name, the same as on your Google profile, with no extra keywords. The phone number, address format and hours should match too, character for character where you can manage it: “Street” in one place and “St.” in another is a small thing, but it is a small thing you can avoid.
Google also says structured data should match the visible text on the page. If the schema says you close at 5 and the page says 6, you have created the confusion you set out to remove.
Whenever your hours, phone or address change, update the profile, the page and the schema together.
Where to paste it
The block belongs in the head of your page, or sometimes just before the end of the body. Both work. Put it on your home page, or on your contact page if you have one main location page. Multi-location businesses need a separate block on each location’s page.
Every website builder handles this differently, and menus move around, so look for the words “custom code”, “header code” or “code injection.”
- WordPress. Use a plugin that lets you add code to the header, or the SEO plugin you already use if it has a schema or custom code field. A theme’s header file also works, but it can be overwritten when the theme updates.
- Wix. Look in the site settings for a place to add custom code, and set it to load in the head on the page you choose.
- Squarespace. Use the code injection area in the page or site settings.
- Shopify. Add it to the theme’s main layout file, in the head section. Take a copy of the theme first.
- Plain HTML. Paste it between the opening and closing head tags of the page.
The block starts with <script type="application/ld+json"> and ends with </script>. Copy the whole thing, tags included, and paste it as it is.
How to test it
Before and after you publish, run the page through two free tools.
- Google’s Rich Results Test. It shows whether Google can read the markup and flags critical errors. Fix those. Google says other warnings are worth tidying but aren’t required for eligibility.
- Schema Markup Validator. It checks that the markup follows the schema.org standard, whether or not Google uses it for a special result.
If both read your name, address and phone correctly, you are done. Then check the live page once to be sure the block is there.
Questions owners ask
Will this get me more calls?
Not directly. It helps machines read your details correctly, which can reduce mistakes. Calls come from the profile, reviews and website.
Do I need a developer?
Usually not. If you can paste text into a settings box, you can do this.
What if I have several locations?
Create one block per location and put each on that location’s own page.
Do I have to update it?
Yes, whenever your hours, phone number or address change.
What the full report adds
The free check shows the headline. Your full report, put together by our team, covers every page on your site that should carry schema, whether your details match across your profile and website, and the exact code and placement for your site.