- JSON-LD schema is a machine-readable layer that states what your content means.
- Four schema types cover most local businesses: LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage, Article.
- Schema removes ambiguity, which is exactly what raises a model's confidence to cite you.
Your webpage is written for humans. Schema markup is written for machines - a structured, machine-readable summary embedded in the page that tells an AI model what your content actually means.
When a model reads "Open until 9," it has to infer you mean today's hours. When it reads LocalBusiness schema with explicit openingHours, there is nothing to infer. Schema removes ambiguity, and removing ambiguity is what lets a model cite you confidently.
What schema is
Schema is added as a block of JSON-LD - JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data - usually in a <script type="application/ld+json"> tag. It describes your page using the shared vocabulary at schema.org, which both search engines and AI models understand.
It is invisible to visitors and decisive for machines.
The four types most local businesses need
1. LocalBusiness
The foundation. Declares your name, address, geo-coordinates, phone, hours, and sameAs links to your other profiles. This is the schema that anchors your identity across the web.
2. Service
One entry per service you offer, each with a name and a plain description. This lets a model answer "do they do X?" with certainty.
3. FAQPage
Marks up your questions and answers so a model can lift them directly. Answer-engine gold - it maps your content to the exact shape of a user's question.
4. Article / BlogPosting
For your content pages. Declares the headline, author, publish date, and what the article is about - the E-E-A-T signals that help a model trust and attribute your writing.
Getting it right
- Match the visible content. Schema must describe what's actually on the page. Mismatched markup erodes trust fast.
- Keep it consistent. The name and address in your schema should match your Google Business Profile exactly.
- Validate it. Use a schema validator before you ship - a single syntax error can void the whole block.
Why it's the language AI reads first
Prose is ambiguous; structured data is not. When a model has a clean schema block, it doesn't have to guess what your business is or what you offer - it knows, in a format built for machine reading. That certainty is precisely what earns you a place in the answer.