The format problem is easy to fix first. Move the JSON-LD block out of the article body and into the page head or a footer template so readers see an article, not schema markup.
Voice search matters for local businesses because assistants still over-index on immediate, local intent. Google reports that mobile searches for “open now near me” have grown globally by more than 200% over time, which is the pattern local operators feel in leads and calls, not just in rankings (https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/near-me-searches/). That demand does not route through one surface anymore. In 2026, Google Assistant and Google Search still shape discovery on Android, Siri pulls heavily from Apple Maps and connected business data on iPhone and CarPlay, Alexa remains relevant for household service queries and reordering behavior, and in-car systems often reduce the answer set to one or two options.
That changes the optimization priority.
I have seen too many local teams spend months chasing featured snippets for spoken answers that never meaningfully drive calls. For plumbers, dentists, HVAC companies, med spas, and multi-location retail, cleaner machine-readable business data usually produces a better return. Accurate business categories, service areas, opening hours, review signals, Apple Maps and Google Business Profile consistency, and page copy that answers natural language questions all help assistants choose your business with less ambiguity.
Google Business Profile still carries the most weight for many local voice outcomes, especially for “near me,” hours, directions, and high-intent category searches. But stopping at Google is a mistake. Siri and many in-car experiences rely more heavily on Apple Maps listings, while Alexa often favors concise, structured answers and strong entity consistency across the wider web. If you want a useful example of how that conversational layer intersects with local intent, this write-up on conversational search for Baltimore businesses is worth reviewing.
The short version is simple. Local voice SEO is no longer a featured-snippet project. It is a data quality project with content support.