LocalBusiness

LocalBusiness schema tells search engines and AI assistants where a business operates, when it is open, and how to contact it. It powers the local pack (the map plus three results block in Google Search), Google Maps listings, and Knowledge Panels that appear when someone searches for a business by name and location.

Why LocalBusiness matters for AEO

AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity) rely on structured data to answer local queries like "best dentist near me" or "is [business] open right now." LocalBusiness schema provides the structured fields these engines need: name, address, phone, hours, and coordinates. Without it, AI engines must scrape and interpret unstructured page content, which produces less reliable answers.

Inheritance

LocalBusiness inherits from both Organization and Place simultaneously. This gives it:

• Organization properties: name, logo, contact info, legal details, social profiles
• Place properties: geo coordinates, opening hours, address

Always use the most specific subtype available rather than generic LocalBusiness:

• Restaurant, cafe, bar — Restaurant
• Dentist, doctor — Dentist, Physician, MedicalBusiness
• Retail store — Store
• Hair salon, spa — HealthAndBeautyBusiness
• Auto repair — AutomotiveBusiness
• Law firm, accountant — ProfessionalService
• Hotel, B&B — LodgingBusiness
• Gym, sports facility — SportsActivityLocation

Fields

Required

• name — The business name as customers know it
• address — Physical location using PostalAddress

Recommended

• geo — Latitude and longitude coordinates
• telephone — Primary customer phone number
• url — Website URL for this specific location
• priceRange — Relative cost level ($, $$, $$$, $$$$)

Not mentioned by Google (but commonly used)

• description — Short summary of the business
• image — Photo or logo of the business
• openingHours — Weekly hours in compact text format (Google prefers openingHoursSpecification)
• sameAs — Social profile and listing URLs

JSON-LD example

A complete LocalBusiness implementation with all 10 fields:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Restaurant",
  "name": "GreatFood",
  "description": "Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine in downtown Sunnyvale.",
  "url": "http://www.greatfood.com",
  "telephone": "(408) 714-1489",
  "priceRange": "$$",
  "image": "https://www.greatfood.com/storefront.jpg",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "1901 Lemur Ave",
    "addressLocality": "Sunnyvale",
    "addressRegion": "CA",
    "postalCode": "94086",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": 37.3688,
    "longitude": -122.0363
  },
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday"],
      "opens": "11:00",
      "closes": "14:30"
    },
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday"],
      "opens": "17:00",
      "closes": "21:30"
    },
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Friday", "Saturday"],
      "opens": "17:00",
      "closes": "22:00"
    }
  ],
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/greatfood",
    "https://www.instagram.com/greatfood",
    "https://www.yelp.com/biz/greatfood-sunnyvale"
  ]
}

Webflow implementation

Static pages: Paste the full JSON-LD block in Page Settings > Custom Code > Before wrapped in <script type="application/ld+json"> tags.

CMS template pages: Use an Embed element with CMS field references for name, address components, phone, and URL. Create number fields for latitude and longitude.

Schema HQ: Generates the complete LocalBusiness schema from your organization settings and publishes it directly to Webflow custom code. Supports multi-location setups where each page gets its own LocalBusiness block with location-specific data.

Google requirements

Google requires only name and address for a valid LocalBusiness rich result. Adding geo, telephone, url, and priceRange (all Recommended) significantly increases the chance of appearing in the local pack and Knowledge Panel.

Google prefers openingHoursSpecification (structured day/time objects) over the simpler openingHours text format. The structured format handles split schedules, seasonal hours, and holiday closures more reliably.

Common subtypes

LocalBusiness has dozens of subtypes. Using the most specific type helps search engines categorize the business correctly:

• FoodEstablishment: Restaurant, BarOrPub, CafeOrCoffeeShop, FastFoodRestaurant, IceCreamShop, Bakery
• HealthAndBeautyBusiness: BeautySalon, DaySpa, HairSalon, NailSalon, TattooParlor
• MedicalBusiness: Dentist, Pharmacy, Physician, Optician, MedicalClinic
• AutomotiveBusiness: AutoBodyShop, AutoDealer, AutoPartsStore, AutoRental, AutoRepair, GasStation
• FinancialService: AccountingService, AutoInsurance, BankOrCreditUnion, InsuranceAgency
• LodgingBusiness: Hotel, Motel, BedAndBreakfast, Hostel, Resort
• Store: ClothingStore, ElectronicsStore, FurnitureStore, GroceryStore, HardwareStore, JewelryStore, PetStore, ShoeStore, SportingGoodsStore
• ProfessionalService: Attorney, LegalService, Notary