Content revised 20 October 2026.
Local business structured data describes your business using facts that match the visible website. Start with accurate details, then check the markup your SEO plugin already produces.
Start with the business people can contact
Use the genuine business name, contact details and location information. If you serve another city remotely, that does not make it an office address. Opening hours, service details and profile links should describe the actual business. Check the contact page and relevant business profiles before adding facts to a schema graph.
Structured data is more than a plugin checkbox
WordPress SEO plugins can produce JSON-LD automatically, but the output still needs review. Check the page source to see which entities are present and whether identifiers connect the business, website, page and author consistently. Adding a second plugin or a separate code snippet can create conflicting versions of the same facts.
Reviews and ratings need care
Genuine customer feedback can help visitors assess a business. It does not automatically make the business’s own website eligible for review stars. Follow the rules for the specific structured-data feature. Do not invent ratings, review counts or testimonials to fill fields in a tool.
Do not promise a fixed CTR increase
Google publishes examples of websites that measured changes after adding structured data. Those are case studies, not a universal percentage that every business will receive. Correct markup can help search systems interpret a page and make eligible content available for supported search features, but display is not guaranteed.
A practical validation check
- Compare each marked-up fact with the visible page.
- Use Google’s Rich Results Test for supported search features.
- Check Search Console after deployment for relevant reports and errors.
- Review the output again after changing themes, SEO plugins or business details.
Keep the page useful without the markup
Visitors should still understand the offer, location and next step when reading the page normally. Clear service copy, accessible navigation and accurate contact details remain essential. See our technical and local SEO service for a broader website review.
Further reading: official documentation.