Schema markup is code added to a website that describes its content in a format search engines understand. It tells Google exactly what a page is about: your business name, address, opening hours, prices, reviews or events. Customers never see it, but it helps Google show accurate information about you in search results.

Your website tells customers who you are. Schema markup tells Google.

This guide explains what schema markup is in plain English, how it works, what changed in 2026, and what a local business should actually add to its website.

What Is Schema Markup?

Think of your website as a shop window. Customers walk past and instantly understand what they're looking at. Google doesn't. It reads the words and has to work out what they mean.

Your website might say "Open Monday to Saturday, 9 till 5" in a nice font. A person gets that immediately. Google has to guess whether those are opening hours, delivery times or something else entirely.

Schema markup removes the guesswork. It's a label behind the scenes that says: these are the opening hours, this is the address, this is the phone number, this is a café.

How Schema Markup Works

Schema markup uses a shared vocabulary from Schema.org, a project backed by Google, Microsoft and other search engines. Because they all agree on the same terms, one piece of code works across every major search engine.

The code is usually written in a format called JSON-LD, which Google recommends. It sits in your website's code, separate from the content customers see.

Here's a simple example. It tells Google a business is a café called Example Café, based in Newcastle:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "CafeOrCoffeeShop",
  "name": "Example Café",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "addressLocality": "Newcastle",
    "addressCountry": "GB"
  }
}
</script>

That's it. No design changes, nothing visible on the page. Just clear facts for search engines.

Common Types of Schema Markup

There are hundreds of schema types. Most businesses only need a handful:

  • LocalBusiness - your name, address, phone, hours and location. The most important type for any local business.
  • Organization - your brand details, logo and social profiles.
  • Product - price, stock and details for items you sell online.
  • Review - ratings and reviews shown on your site.
  • Event - dates, times and locations for events you run.
  • Article - the author and publish date for blog posts.
  • BreadcrumbList - how your pages are organised, shown as a path in search results.

Does Schema Markup Help SEO?

Yes, but not in the way many people think.

Google has said structured data isn't a direct ranking factor. Adding it won't push you up the results on its own. What it does is help Google understand your pages accurately, and it makes some pages eligible for rich results - the enhanced listings that show extra details like star ratings or event dates. Rich results are still active for types like Product, Recipe and Event.

For a local business, accuracy is the real benefit. If Google has to guess what your business is, where you operate or which phone number is current, your website is working against you. Big brands can get away with messy data because they have huge numbers of links and brand searches. A local plumber, café or solicitor can't.

What Changed in 2026

If you've read about schema before, some of what you were told is no longer true.

FAQ dropdowns are gone. Google stopped showing FAQ rich results on 7 May 2026. Most businesses lost them long before that, because Google limited them to authoritative government and health websites back in August 2023.

HowTo results are gone too. HowTo rich results no longer appear on any device, and several other types were retired in June 2025.

Your existing code is fine. When Google "deprecates" a schema type, the search feature disappears, but the markup stays valid and does no harm.

The lesson: use schema to describe your business accurately, not to chase a search feature that can disappear overnight.

Does Schema Markup Get You Into ChatGPT?

You'll see agencies claim schema is the secret to appearing in ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews. The evidence doesn't back that up.

Ahrefs tracked 1,885 pages that added schema and found no major increase in AI citations on any platform. In the same research, a separate test found five major AI systems, including ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode, didn't use schema when reading a page live.

Another 2026 study found basic, empty schema made no measurable difference, while detailed schema with real information filled in did better. But ranking well on Google mattered most, and each position lower cut the odds of an AI citation by about 24%.

Schema isn't a shortcut into AI search. It's one part of a well-built website.

Schema Markup for Local Businesses: Where to Start

If you only add one type, make it LocalBusiness.

Pick the right sub-type. "LocalBusiness" is the general category. Underneath it sit more specific types like Restaurant, Dentist, HomeAndConstructionBusiness, ProfessionalService and Store. Always use the most specific one that fits:

  • Café → CafeOrCoffeeShop
  • Builder → HomeAndConstructionBusiness (or GeneralContractor)
  • Hair salon → HairSalon
  • Solicitor → LegalService
  • Garage → AutoRepair

Match your Google Business Profile exactly. Your name, address and phone number must match your Google Business Profile character for character. Even "Main St" in one place and "Main Street" in the other creates an inconsistency.

Here's a full example for a made-up café in Newcastle, County Down. Swap in your own details:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "CafeOrCoffeeShop",
  "name": "Example Café",
  "url": "https://www.examplecafe.co.uk",
  "telephone": "+44 28 0000 0000",
  "image": "https://www.examplecafe.co.uk/images/shopfront.jpg",
  "priceRange": "££",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "1 Main Street",
    "addressLocality": "Newcastle",
    "addressRegion": "County Down",
    "postalCode": "BT33 0AA",
    "addressCountry": "GB"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": 54.2167,
    "longitude": -5.8894
  },
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday"],
      "opens": "09:00",
      "closes": "17:00"
    }
  ],
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/examplecafe",
    "https://www.instagram.com/examplecafe"
  ]
}
</script>

The sameAs section links your website to your social profiles, so Google connects them all to one business.

How to Add Schema Markup to Your Website

WordPress: Plugins like Rank Math or Yoast SEO (with its Local SEO add-on) add LocalBusiness schema through a settings screen, with no code needed.

Wix and Squarespace: Both let you add custom code to your site's header. Paste your JSON-LD there.

Custom or static sites: Paste the code into the <head> section of your homepage.

Three rules to follow:

  1. Put the full LocalBusiness markup on your homepage only. Duplicate blocks across pages confuse crawlers.
  2. Only mark up what's visible on the page. If your schema claims a 4.8-star rating, that rating needs to appear on the page.
  3. Keep it up to date. New hours, a new number or a move means your schema needs changing too.

How to Check Your Schema Markup Works

Test it with two free tools:

Then watch the Enhancements section of Google Search Console for warnings over the following weeks.

Schema Markup: Quick Answers

Is schema markup a ranking factor?
Not directly. It helps Google understand your site and qualify for rich results, which can improve how your listing looks and how often people click it.

Do I need a developer to add schema markup?
No. WordPress plugins handle it for you, and on most other platforms you paste one block of code into your site's header.

Is schema markup free?
Yes. The vocabulary is free, and so are Google's testing tools.

Should I remove my FAQ schema?
No. It no longer creates dropdowns in Google, but it causes no harm if left in place.

The Bottom Line

Schema markup is a small piece of code that tells Google exactly who you are, where you are and when you're open. It won't transform your business overnight, and anyone who says it will get you into ChatGPT is overselling it. For a local business, it's a foundation worth getting right: it takes minutes to add and keeps working for as long as your details stay accurate.

If you want the wider picture on how this fits together, our guide to local SEO covers the groundwork this sits alongside, and our piece on what E-E-A-T actually means explains how Google decides whether to trust your site in the first place.

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Sources

Mark Smyth · Founder, Donard Digital. I run paid media campaigns and build websites for businesses across Northern Ireland, and spend most of my week inside Google Ads, Google Search Console and client sites. More about me