Do you have your opening hours on your website? Probably. But does Google understand them? Often, opening hours are only stored as simple text or—even worse—as image files. These are readable for humans, but difficult for Google bots to interpret.
The risk: Google may display incorrect times or no times at all in its search results.
The solution: Schema.org markup
Think of it as a digital interpreter. Schema markup is invisible code in the background of your website that structures data so that search engines can recognize it without any doubt.
Why is this important?
- Voice search: When someone asks Siri or Alexa, “Is Müller Bakery still open?”, these assistants refer to structured data.
- Rich snippets: Google can display your opening hours directly in the search results before anyone clicks on your page.
- Consistency: It helps Google match the data on your website with your Google Business Profile.
How do you implement this?
There are plugins in WordPress that can help with this (e.g., Yoast SEO Local or RankMath). However, you need to know how to configure them correctly for local needs. It is also important to keep the times synchronized in three places:
- Google business profile
- Website (visible in the footer/contact page)
- Website (invisible in the code/schema)
Be careful with holidays
Don’t forget to update your website before holidays. Nothing is more frustrating than a website that says “Open” when the store is closed.
Too technical?
Don’t worry. When we build your new WordPress website, Local Schema Markup integration is included as standard. We make sure that Google understands you and your opening hours perfectly – so your customers don’t find themselves standing in front of closed doors.
