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What is schema markup?

Schema markup is code added to a web page that labels its facts, such as your business name, address, hours and menu, in a shared vocabulary that search engines read.1

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Why it matters for a small business

The vocabulary comes from schema.org. Its LocalBusiness type covers a physical business or one branch of a bigger one, such as a restaurant.2

For a local business, Google reads markup for your opening hours, your menu link, the food you serve and your phone number.3

Google's AI search needs no special markup, by Google's own account. Markup still earns its place through rich results in normal search.4

A made-up bistro in Zadar

Petra's opening hours were only in an image in her site's footer. Her web designer added Restaurant markup with the same hours, the menu link and "Dalmatian" as the cuisine, and wrote the hours on the page as text too. The markup and the page now say the same thing.

How to check it yourself

  1. Run Google's Rich Results Test

    Paste in your home page address. The test lists the markup it finds and any errors that rule out a rich result.5

  2. Check the vocabulary too

    The Schema Markup Validator checks all of your markup against the schema.org vocabulary, including parts Google doesn't use.6

  3. Compare the markup with the page

    Every fact in the markup should be visible on the page. Google's rules say not to mark up content readers can't see.7

  4. Pick the closest type

    Use the most specific type that fits, such as Restaurant rather than LocalBusiness.3

Questions about Schema markup

Will schema markup get me a rich result?

Not for certain. Correct markup makes a page eligible, but Google decides when a rich result appears.7

Which format should I use?

Google accepts JSON-LD, Microdata and RDFa, and recommends JSON-LD because it is the easiest to keep right.1

Can I add schema markup without writing code?

Often, yes. Google notes that website builders such as Wix and WordPress may offer a search settings page or a plugin for it.1

Where this comes from

  1. Structured data is a standardized format that describes a page's content to Google; JSON-LD, Microdata and RDFa are supported and JSON-LD is recommended (last updated 10 December 2025)developers.google.com
  2. schema.org's LocalBusiness type: a particular physical business or branch of an organization, such as a restaurant or a branch of a bankschema.org
  3. LocalBusiness structured data can carry hours, a menu URL, cuisine and a telephone with country and area code; use the most specific subtype, such as Restaurant; validate with the Rich Results Test (last updated 8 September 2026)developers.google.com
  4. Google's guide to generative AI search: AEO and GEO describe work on visibility in AI search, which Google treats as SEO; its AI features retrieve pages from the Search index and link those that support the answer; Google Search ignores llms.txt files; no special schema.org markup is needed; Business Profiles help local businesses show in AI responses; measure with the Generative AI performance report; no third-party tool sees Google's ranking or AI systems (last updated 10 July 2026)developers.google.com
  5. Google's Rich Results Test, which tests a URL or code for markup that supports rich resultssearch.google.com
  6. The Schema Markup Validator, which checks markup against the schema.org vocabularyvalidator.schema.org
  7. Don't mark up content that is not visible to readers; correct markup makes a page eligible for a rich result but does not guarantee one (last updated 10 July 2026)developers.google.com

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