telephone

telephone · Recommended

Appears in

LocalBusiness · Organization

What is it?

The primary phone number for a business, formatted as a text string. For LocalBusiness schema, telephone should be the main contact number that customers use to reach the business, not an internal extension or fax line.

Why this matters for AEO

When a user asks "What is the phone number for [business]?" or says "Call [business]," AI assistants pull the telephone field directly to display or dial. On mobile devices, a properly structured phone number in schema can trigger click-to-call functionality in search results and AI-generated answers. Without it, the AI must scrape the page and guess which number is the main line.

What the specs say

Schema.org: Text. The telephone number. schema.org/telephone

Google: Recommended. "A business phone number meant to be the primary contact method for customers." Google LocalBusiness docs

How to find your value

• Google Business Profile — The phone number listed on your GBP
• Website header/footer — The main number displayed to visitors
• Business cards — The primary contact number

For international businesses, include the country code (e.g., +1 for US/Canada, +44 for UK). This ensures the number works for users searching from any country.

Format and code

Text string. Include the country code for clarity.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Beachwalk Beachwear & Giftware",
  "telephone": "850-648-4200"
}

With country code (recommended for international visibility):

{
  "telephone": "+1-850-648-4200"
}

With parentheses (also valid):

{
  "telephone": "(408) 714-1489"
}

Schema.org accepts any reasonable text format. Google can parse most common phone number formats, but using E.164 format (+1XXXXXXXXXX) or a consistent delimiter pattern improves reliability.

Webflow implementation

Static pages

Add the phone number directly in your JSON-LD block in Page Settings > Custom Code > Before .

CMS template pages

Create a plain text or phone field in your CMS collection and reference it:

"telephone": "{{wf {"path":"phone-number"} }}"

In Schema HQ

This field is output the business phone number from your organization settings in all published schema output.

Real examples

GreatFood (from schema.org/LocalBusiness):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Restaurant",
  "name": "GreatFood",
  "telephone": "(408) 714-1489",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "1901 Lemur Ave",
    "addressLocality": "Sunnyvale",
    "addressRegion": "CA"
  }
}

Beachwalk Beachwear & Giftware (from schema.org/LocalBusiness):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Beachwalk Beachwear & Giftware",
  "telephone": "850-648-4200"
}

Related fields

• name · the business this phone number belongs to
• address · the physical location with this phone number
• url · the website for this business
• openingHours · hours when this phone number is answered

FAQ

Should I include the country code?

Yes, especially if your business serves international customers or appears in search results outside your home country. The country code removes ambiguity for AI engines processing queries from different regions.

What about businesses with multiple phone numbers?

Use telephone for the primary customer-facing number. For additional numbers (sales, support, fax), use the contactPoint property with separate ContactPoint objects that specify contactType, telephone, and areaServed.

Does the phone number need to match my Google Business Profile?

Yes. Consistent phone numbers across schema markup, GBP, and website content reinforce NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency, which is a ranking factor for local search.