The LocalBusiness Schema Checklist for AI Search Visibility

What structured data actually is

Structured data is a small block of code on your website that tells search engines and AI assistants exactly what your business is, in a format they can read without guessing. Instead of a computer trying to interpret "Sam's Plumbing — open until 6pm, serving Escondido" from regular webpage text, structured data spells out the business name, hours, service area and services in labeled fields. Google has used this for years to build rich search results. AI assistants use the same data to answer questions like "is there a plumber open near me right now."

The fields that matter most for AI-recommendation queries

Not every structured data field carries equal weight for AI visibility. These five show up most often in how AI assistants describe and compare local businesses.

Name, address and phone consistency

Your business name, address and phone number need to match exactly everywhere they appear — your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, and any directory listing. Structured data won't fix a mismatch; it just reports what's there. If your site says "123 Main St" and your Google listing says "123 Main Street," that inconsistency can quietly undercut how confidently an AI assistant recommends you.

areaServed

This field tells search engines and AI assistants which cities, neighborhoods or regions you actually serve — not just where your office sits. A home services business that only lists its city, but drives 20 miles in every direction, is invisible to "near me" queries from customers just outside that city.

Service listings

Generic category names ("home services," "beauty treatments") tell an AI assistant much less than specific, named services ("emergency water heater repair," "brow lamination"). Structured data lets you list services explicitly, which matches how people actually phrase questions to AI assistants.

aggregateRating

If you display review scores on your site, structured data can mark them up so they're machine-readable, not just visible text. This is one of the more visible cues AI assistants use when comparing two similar businesses.

Hours

Hours that are structured (not just written in a paragraph) let an AI assistant answer time-sensitive questions like "is this plumber open right now" correctly. Outdated structured hours are worse than none — they actively tell the AI assistant something false.

How to check your own site without a developer

You don't need to read code to see whether these fields exist on your site.

• Go to Google's Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results) and enter your homepage and one service page URL
• Look for a "LocalBusiness" or "Service" item in the results — if nothing appears, structured data is likely missing entirely
• Check that the address, phone number and hours shown in the test match what's actually true today
• Repeat for your top 2–3 individual service pages, not just the homepage — schema is often only added to the homepage and forgotten everywhere else

Common mistakes worth checking for

• Duplicate or conflicting NAP (name/address/phone) data across structured data and visible page text
• Structured data only on the homepage, with service pages left unmarked
• Hours that were correct at launch but never updated for seasonal changes or holidays
• Copy-pasted schema from a template that still references a different business name or city

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Sam's Plumbing",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "Escondido",
    "addressRegion": "CA",
    "postalCode": "92025"
  },
  "telephone": "+1-760-555-0100",
  "areaServed": ["Escondido", "San Marcos", "Valley Center"],
  "openingHours": "Mo-Fr 07:00-18:00"
}

Frequently asked questions