What is structured data, in plain English?

A small block of code that states your business facts in a format search engines read directly: name, address, phone, opening hours, price range. Without it Google has to infer those from your page text and from directories, and directories are often out of date.

Will this make me rank higher?

Not on its own. What it does is make the information Google shows about you correct and complete, which affects whether people click and whether your hours appear at all. It is a prerequisite, not a growth hack.

Do I still need a Google Business Profile?

Yes, and it matters more than this. The profile is what puts you on the map; this makes your own website agree with it. Do the profile first.

Where exactly do I paste it?

Into the HTML of your homepage, just before the closing head tag. Squarespace, Wix, WordPress and Shopify all have a settings box for custom header code, which is the right place for it.

Is anything sent to you?

No. The generator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type here reaches us, and there is no server to store it on.

My hours change seasonally. What then?

List your usual hours and update them when they change, the same week you change them on Google. Structured data that contradicts your profile is worse than none, because it teaches search engines to trust neither.

Free tool

Put your hours and address into Google

Fill in the form, copy the code, paste it into your website. This is the block that lets search engines show your opening hours, phone number and address directly, instead of guessing them from an old directory listing. Free, runs entirely in your browser.

What kind of business is it?Business nameWebsite addressPhone numberWrite it the way you would say it, with the country code.Street addressCityRegion or stateOptional outside the US.PostcodeCountry codeTwo letters, for example US, GB, PL.Price rangeEither $$ style or a range like $20-$60.Booking linkBooksy, Fresha, OpenTable, Calendly - whatever you already use.Menu pageThe page on your own site, not a PDF if you can help it.CuisineSocial profileInstagram, Facebook or your listing on a booking marketplace.Another profile

Your code

The business name is required - it is the whole point of the block.
Street and city are missing. Without an address this cannot help you appear in local results.
No phone number: add one so it can be shown and tapped in search results.
No website address, so search engines cannot tie this block to your site.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Restaurant",
  "name": "Your business name",
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": [
        "Monday",
        "Tuesday",
        "Wednesday",
        "Thursday",
        "Friday"
      ],
      "opens": "09:00",
      "closes": "17:00"
    }
  ]
}
</script>

4 properties · generated in your browser, nothing is sent to us or stored anywhere.

Where this goes

01Paste the whole block into your site's HTML, just before the closing </head>tag. Most builders have a “custom code” or “header code” box for exactly this.
02Put it on your homepage. One block per business, not one per page, unless you have several locations - then each location page gets its own.
03Make sure it matches reality: the same name, address, phone and hours as your Google Business Profile, character for character. Contradicting yourself is worse than saying nothing.
04Check it landed: run your site through the website check. The line “Business details Google can read” should turn green.

Why this one block matters

Search engines read your page like a stranger: they see words, not facts. Structured data is where you state the facts plainly, in a format built for machines. When it is present and correct, your opening hours can appear directly in results, your phone number becomes tappable, and your address stops being pulled from whichever directory Google trusts most that week.

It is also the check that fails most often on small business websites. Our website check reports it as “Business details Google can read”, and on a typical site built with a template it comes back empty.

The rule that matters more than the code

Whatever you generate here has to match your Google Business Profile exactly: same name, same address format, same phone number, same hours. When your website and your profile disagree, search engines trust both of them less, and a visitor eventually turns up at a closed door and writes a review about it.

If you have not claimed the profile yet, do that first. We wrote about the order in website or Google Business Profile first.

Questions

What is structured data, in plain English?: A small block of code that states your business facts in a format search engines read directly: name, address, phone, opening hours, price range. Without it Google has to infer those from your page text and from directories, and directories are often out of date.
Will this make me rank higher?: Not on its own. What it does is make the information Google shows about you correct and complete, which affects whether people click and whether your hours appear at all. It is a prerequisite, not a growth hack.
Do I still need a Google Business Profile?: Yes, and it matters more than this. The profile is what puts you on the map; this makes your own website agree with it. Do the profile first.
Where exactly do I paste it?: Into the HTML of your homepage, just before the closing head tag. Squarespace, Wix, WordPress and Shopify all have a settings box for custom header code, which is the right place for it.
Is anything sent to you?: No. The generator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type here reaches us, and there is no server to store it on.
My hours change seasonally. What then?: List your usual hours and update them when they change, the same week you change them on Google. Structured data that contradicts your profile is worse than none, because it teaches search engines to trust neither.

The other free tool

The website check runs eighteen tests on your site in about three seconds and tells you, in plain English, what is costing you customers. Structured data is one of them. Run it before you generate anything, and again after you have pasted this in.

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