If you want AI systems to understand your business, make your best facts easy for machines to read. JSON-LD is the most common format for doing that.
JSON-LD stands for JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data. It's a way of structuring information on your website so machines can read it directly, without having to interpret your page content.
Pro Tip
Think of JSON-LD as a machine-readable business card. Instead of hoping an AI can infer your business name, address, and services from page text, you provide a structured version of the facts.
Why this matters for GEO
AI systems pulling information about local businesses face a challenge: the web is messy. Your business name might be styled differently in your logo than in your footer. Your address might be written multiple ways. Your services might be scattered across pages.
JSON-LD helps by providing clean, standardized data. When a crawler encounters JSON-LD on your site, it can extract your business information with less ambiguity.
"AI recommendations are based on the AI's understanding of your business. The clearer that understanding, the more likely you are to be recommended accurately for relevant queries."
For the broader structured data layer, read What Is Schema Markup?. For multi-location brands, pair JSON-LD with the entity cleanup work in Why AI Treats Your 50 Locations Like 50 Strangers.
What JSON-LD looks like
Here's a simplified example of LocalBusiness JSON-LD:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Plumber",
"name": "Smith Plumbing",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "123 Main St",
"addressLocality": "Austin",
"addressRegion": "TX",
"postalCode": "78701"
},
"telephone": "+1-512-555-0123",
"areaServed": "Austin, TX",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.google.com/search?q=Smith+Plumbing+Austin",
"https://www.yelp.com/biz/smith-plumbing-austin"
]
}This gives crawlers a structured version of the core facts: this is a plumber named Smith Plumbing at this address with this phone number.
Key schema types for local businesses
LocalBusiness is the foundation, but you should use more specific types when available. Plumber, Electrician, HVACBusiness, BeautySalon. These give AI systems more context about your category.
Service schema describes what you offer. If you're a plumber who does water heater installation, emergency repairs, and drain cleaning, each service can be structured.
GeoCoordinates defines your service area. This helps AI systems recommend you for location-specific queries.
FAQPage marks up useful questions and answers on pages where that content is visible to visitors.
sameAs links connect your website to verified profiles like Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, BBB, Apple Maps, and industry directories.
Common mistakes
Important
A surprising number of local business websites have no structured data at all. That makes crawlers rely more heavily on inference and third-party sources.
Using generic LocalBusiness when specific types exist. If there's a schema type for your exact business category, use it. More specificity helps.
Inconsistent data. If your JSON-LD says your phone number is 512-555-0123 but your website displays a different number and your Google profile has another, you've created confusion. Standardize.
Overusing review markup. Google's guidance around LocalBusiness reviews is narrower than many plugins imply. Mark up only content that is visible, accurate, and compliant with current structured-data rules.
Not updating. If your JSON-LD has your old address or outdated rating data, you're sending bad information to AI systems.
Implementation
JSON-LD goes in a script tag in your page's head section. Most website platforms have plugins or settings for adding structured data. If you're using WordPress, there are several schema plugins. If you have a custom site, your developer needs to add this manually.
Pro Tip
After implementation, test with Google's Rich Results Test or Schema.org's validator. These tools will flag errors and missing fields.
Every local business website should have LocalBusiness schema at minimum. The businesses that do this well give AI systems cleaner evidence to work with. The ones that don't are trusting crawlers to piece the facts together from messy page content.
Further Reading
- LocalBusiness Schema Documentation. Official Schema.org specification with examples
- Google's Local Business Structured Data Guide. Google's official implementation documentation
- Google Review Snippet Structured Data. Google's guidance for Review and AggregateRating markup
- Google Rich Results Test. Google's tool for validating your structured data
- Schema.org Getting Started Guide. Introduction to implementing structured data
Amadeus Peterson is the CTO of Cheers, the local search platform for service businesses.