JSON-LD

Google Search supports JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa for documented structured-data features. Google generally recommends the format that is easiest to implement and maintain, which is usually JSON-LD.⁴ Google's LocalBusiness guidance names Restaurant, DaySpa, and HealthClub as examples of more specific subtypes.³ Those names are vocabulary types, not formats; JSON-LD is one format for expressing structured data.^1,2,3

The markup belongs on the page that describes the business, usually in a JSON-LD script in the page's HTML head or body. Google says LocalBusiness can be added to any page, although a page containing the business information may make more sense. Define each local business location as LocalBusiness and use the most specific applicable subtype. Only state facts the page shows to the reader. For Google's LocalBusiness rich-result feature, name and address are required properties; fields such as hours, geo, telephone, and URL are recommended when applicable.^4,3

Meeting a documented feature's structured-data requirements can make a Search feature eligible, but Google does not guarantee that the feature will appear.^4,5 Google also says AI Overviews and AI Mode need no special Schema.org structured data. To be eligible as a supporting link in those features, a page must be indexed and eligible for a Google Search snippet, and Google does not guarantee crawling, indexing, or serving.⁶ The Google Business Profile and AI search pages cover those broader surfaces.

JSON-LD is therefore not the same as LocalBusiness, Schema.org, Microdata, or RDFa. It is one representation format. LocalBusiness is one vocabulary type. Google Search decides how supported markup may qualify for its features.^1,2,4,5