How structured data supports your business profile

Structured data might sound technical, but it shapes how your business appears to search engines and customers alike. For local business owners, the facts that are published—and how they are verified—affect not just your profile on Annuvell Local, but also how your information is seen, compared and trusted online. Knowing what is included, how it gets there, and what you can control will help you present your business clearly and consistently.

Structured data explained in plain English

Structured data is a way of organising information on your business profile so that it can be understood by computers as well as people. In practice, this means adding extra code to the page that sets out facts—such as your business name, address, phone number and opening hours—in a format that search engines like Google can easily read.

For your listing on Annuvell Local, this structured data follows the LocalBusiness standard, which is widely recognised by search engines. When your profile displays machine-readable facts, it can help search engines display your business more accurately in search results, maps and other tools. This is not about filling your page with keywords, but about making factual information clear and accessible.

If you have ever seen a search result with a business's address, opening hours or direct call button, that information is often pulled from structured data. By using a standard format, your business profile is more likely to be correctly understood wherever it appears.

What your business listing publishes—and what it never does

Your public Annuvell Local listing publishes only real, checked facts about your business. These include:

• Business type: The specific category or categories your business fits into.
• Business name: As you have published it, checked for accuracy.
• Address: The physical location where customers can find you, taken from your published details.
• Contact details: This includes phone numbers and email addresses that you have entered and, where possible, verified.
• Opening hours: Your stated hours of operation, which you can update as needed.
• Verified facts: Any piece of information that has been marked as verified (Yes), meaning it has been confirmed by you or by Annuvell Local’s checks.

What is not published as structured data—or anywhere on your profile—are AI-generated drafts, placeholder text, or unverified guesses about your business. If you use the AI preview, nothing from it goes live unless you approve it. Only the details you confirm are published and included in the structured data. This protects your business from having out-of-date or inaccurate information shown to search engines or customers.

No speculative content, such as "possibly open Saturdays" or "might offer delivery", is ever published as a fact. Structured data always reflects only what you have provided and approved, keeping your profile trustworthy and clear.

How published values influence your profile’s structured data

The information you enter into your Annuvell Local dashboard directly shapes what is included in your listing’s structured data. Here is how each type of value plays a part:

• Hours you save: When you specify your opening and closing times, these hours are added to the structured data. Customers searching for businesses open at a particular time, or search engines seeking to show "open now" results, rely on this information. Keeping your hours up to date means your business is less likely to be overlooked by potential customers searching at different times of day.
• Facts verified Yes: Each fact you or Annuvell Local have verified is included in the structured data. For example, if you confirm your phone number, that number is marked as verified and included. Verified facts are more likely to be trusted by both customers and search engines, reducing confusion.
• Business details you control: Changes to your business name, address, and contact details all update the structured data. If you move premises or update your phone number, making the change in your dashboard means the new information is reflected everywhere structured data is used.

This means you have direct influence over what search engines and customers see. Taking a few minutes to check and update your published values can help avoid lost enquiries, misdirected calls, or customers arriving when you are closed.

What structured data does—and does not—do for rankings

Structured data helps search engines understand the facts about your business, but it does not guarantee higher search rankings. Here is what to know:

• Improves clarity, not ranking: By making your business details clear and machine-readable, structured data increases the likelihood that search engines display your information accurately in search results and business panels. However, it does not automatically move your listing up in search results, either on Annuvell Local or on external search engines.
• Supports rich results: Well-formed structured data can make your listing eligible for richer search results, such as showing your hours, address or call button directly in a search snippet. Eligibility does not mean this will always happen, as search engines use their own criteria.
• No direct impact from payment: On Annuvell Local, payment does not affect structured data, ordering or visibility. Featured placements are labelled separately and do not change the facts included in your structured data. All facts in structured data are based only on what is published and verified, not on any financial arrangement.
• No guarantee of leads or enquiries: While clear, consistent data can make it easier for customers to find and contact you, structured data alone does not guarantee more views or enquiries. Other factors—such as your description, reviews, and relevance—also play a part.

Being honest about the limits of structured data helps you focus on what you can control: the accuracy and completeness of your published facts.

Why consistency with your website’s markup matters

If your business has its own website, the structured data on your Annuvell Local listing should match what appears on your site. Search engines check for consistency across the web. If your address, hours or contact details differ between your website and your listing, search engines may hesitate to trust either source fully.

• Confirm matching facts: Regularly check that your business name, address, phone number and hours are the same on your website and on your Annuvell Local profile. Even small differences—like "Suite 2" vs "Unit 2"—can create confusion for both search engines and customers.
• Use the same format where possible: If your website uses structured data (such as schema.org LocalBusiness markup), see that it covers the same fields as your Annuvell Local listing. This makes it easier for search engines to confirm the facts.
• Update both places when things change: If you change your opening hours or move location, update your website and your Annuvell Local dashboard at the same time. This avoids one source looking out of date.

Consistent information across your listings and website supports your business’s credibility and makes it easier for customers to trust what they find.

Keeping your listing accurate and comparison-ready

A well-maintained Annuvell Local profile does more than supply search engines with facts—it helps customers compare you fairly to others. The directory displays comparison facts side by side, with clear labels showing which details are verified, stated, or not stated.

• Check your profile completeness: Your dashboard shows which facts are missing or incomplete. Completing these not only improves your structured data but also gives customers more reasons to choose you over competitors with gaps in their information.
• Review your comparison facts: See how your business appears alongside others by using the compare tool. If a fact is labelled "Not stated", it is not shown as No—just missing—so it is worth filling in all fields you can confidently confirm.
• Verified information stands out: Facts marked as verified (from your published and confirmed details) are included in both the structured data and the comparison view. This can help customers see you as a more reliable choice.

For more on presenting your business clearly to customers, see How verified business information helps customers choose you and How to get your listing comparison-ready.

Next steps

Check your Annuvell Local dashboard to confirm your business hours, contact details and any other facts you want included in your structured data. Making sure your published values are accurate and verified helps both search engines and customers find and trust your business. If you have not yet claimed your listing, you can Find my business (claim your listing) to get started. Once claimed, review your profile completeness panel and update any missing information.

To learn more about how verified facts support your business, visit How verified business information helps customers choose you.