Short answerStructured data is code on your page that states your business facts in a form machines read exactly. For a local business Google requires the name and address, and recommends telephone, url, geo coordinates and opening hours. Google's examples use JSON-LD. The data must match what visitors see on the page, and the phone version of the page needs the same data as the desktop version.
Think of a warehouse where every box has a label. A person can walk through and find things by looking. A machine needs the labels to be written in a format it understands, in the same place every time. Structured data is that label for your website.
What structured data is
It is a block of code in the page, invisible to visitors, that says: this page is about a business, its name is this, its address is this, it opens at these hours. Search engines and AI assistants read it alongside the visible text, and it helps them avoid guessing. The vocabulary comes from schema.org, and a business type such as Restaurant, Dentist or HairSalon is a more specific kind of LocalBusiness.
What Google asks for
Google's documentation for local business structured data says it tells Google about a business so that it can appear in Search and Maps.
- Required: the name of the business, and the address written as a postal address.
- Recommended: telephone, url, geo coordinates with at least five decimal places, and opening hours written with openingHoursSpecification.
- Format: Google's examples use JSON-LD.
Two rules that keep it honest
- It must match the page. Google says structured data should match the visible text. If the code says you open at nine and the page says ten, Google has a reason to distrust both.
- The phone version needs it too. Google indexes the mobile version of a page, and says your mobile and desktop sites should have the same structured data.
What to include on a Dubai business site
- The business name exactly as on your signboard and your Google profile.
- The address with the street, area, emirate and country, written the same way everywhere.
- The phone number in international format, the same as on the page and the profile.
- Opening hours, including the Ramadan schedule when it applies.
- The web address of the page.
- Coordinates for the entrance.
- A link to your Google Maps listing and your social profiles.
For a page about a service, add the service and its answers in a question and answer block that matches an FAQ on the page. For an article, mark up the author, the dates and the headline.
What structured data does not do
It is not a ranking switch. Google's documentation for AI features says there is no special schema to add to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and that following best practices does not guarantee indexing or display. Structured data helps machines read your facts correctly, which is useful for the Maps profile, for search results that show hours and ratings, and for AI assistants that quote you.
How to check it
- Use Google's Rich Results Test and paste your address. It shows which data Google found and which fields are missing.
- Compare each field with the visible page.
- Look at Search Console's reports for structured data errors.
- Update the data whenever your hours, address or phone number change.
This week
- Run your home page through the Rich Results Test.
- Check that the name, address and phone number in the data equal the visible text.
- Check that the opening hours are current, and add the next holiday.
- Ask whoever built your site to add the missing fields.
This is part of a GEO project and of SEO. It also supports your profile, as described in how to rank higher on Google Maps in Dubai.
Questions
What is structured data for a local business?
Code on your page that states your name, address, phone number, opening hours and other facts in a format search engines read exactly. It is usually written as JSON-LD.
Which structured data fields does Google require for a local business?
Google requires the name and the address as a postal address. It recommends telephone, url, geo coordinates and opening hours.
Does structured data improve my ranking?
Google does not describe it as a ranking switch. It helps Google read your facts correctly and can support results that show details such as hours. For AI Overviews, Google says no special schema is needed.
Does structured data have to match the visible text?
Yes. Google says structured data should match the text that visitors see, so update both together.
How do I test my structured data?
Use Google's Rich Results Test on your page address and check each field against what the page shows.