The Complete Guide to LocalBusiness Structured Data for Retail
Learn how JSON-LD schema markup can improve your store's visibility in Google search results and maps. Includes code examples and common mistakes to avoid.
Matt
Structured data is one of the most powerful (and underutilized) SEO tools for retail businesses. When implemented correctly, it helps Google understand your business information and can lead to enhanced search results.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about LocalBusiness structured data for your store locations.
What is Structured Data?
Structured data is code that you add to your web pages to help search engines understand your content. It uses a standardized vocabulary called Schema.org to describe things like businesses, products, events, and more.
For store locations, we use the LocalBusiness schema (or more specific subtypes like Store, RetailStore, or RestaurantStore).
Why It Matters for SEO
When Google understands your business information through structured data, several things can happen:
- Rich results: Your listing may show enhanced features like hours, ratings, or contact info
- Knowledge panels: Your business may appear in Google’s knowledge panel
- Maps integration: Better data for Google Maps and local search
- Voice search: Structured data helps voice assistants answer questions about your business
The JSON-LD Format
Google recommends using JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) for structured data. It’s added to the <head> of your page and looks like this:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"name": "Your Store Name - Chicago",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "123 Michigan Ave",
"addressLocality": "Chicago",
"addressRegion": "IL",
"postalCode": "60601",
"addressCountry": "US"
},
"telephone": "+1-312-555-1234",
"openingHours": ["Mo-Fr 09:00-21:00", "Sa 10:00-18:00", "Su 12:00-17:00"],
"geo": {
"@type": "GeoCoordinates",
"latitude": 41.8781,
"longitude": -87.6298
},
"url": "https://yourstore.com/locations/chicago-michigan-ave",
"image": "https://yourstore.com/images/chicago-store.jpg"
}
Required vs. Recommended Properties
Required:
@type: The type of business (LocalBusiness or a subtype)name: Your business name
Highly Recommended:
address: Full postal addresstelephone: Contact phone numberopeningHours: When you’re opengeo: Latitude and longitude coordinatesurl: The canonical URL for this location
Nice to Have:
image: Photos of your locationpriceRange: Price level (e.g., ”$$”)paymentAccepted: Payment methodsamenityFeature: Special features or services
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using the same data for all locations: Each location needs unique structured data
- Incorrect opening hours format: Use ISO 8601 format (e.g., “Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00”)
- Missing geo coordinates: Always include latitude and longitude
- Inconsistent NAP: Name, Address, Phone should match across all platforms
- Not testing: Always validate with Google’s Rich Results Test
Testing Your Structured Data
Before and after implementing structured data, use Google’s Rich Results Test to validate your markup. It will show you:
- Whether your markup is valid
- What rich results you may be eligible for
- Any errors or warnings to fix
How OptimizedStoreFinder Handles This
With OptimizedStoreFinder, you don’t need to write any structured data code. We automatically generate LocalBusiness JSON-LD for every location page, including:
- All required and recommended properties
- Properly formatted opening hours
- Geo coordinates from address geocoding
- Canonical URLs and images
The structured data updates automatically whenever you edit your location information.
Start your free trial and see structured data added to all your location pages instantly.