Think of search engine optimization (SEO) entities as distinct topics that search engines analyze for meaning, fitting them into a bigger picture. In this guide, I’ll break down what entities are in SEO, how they impact your visibility, and how to apply these principles. Using this technique, you can help Google better interpret your website and improve your rankings in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Understanding Entity SEO
Entity SEO involves expanding your keyword strategies from single keywords isolated on a page to broader, interrelated keyword topics. Let’s explore the concept of SEO entities further.
What Is an Entity in SEO?
An entity is a unique topic on which search engines gather information. It may be a person, place, thing, or idea; we define it by its relationships to other entities. “Disneyland” is an entity in SEO. It’s related to entities such as “Walt Disney,” “theme parks,” and “Anaheim” and fits contextually into a bigger picture.
The idea of relationships is key to entities in SEO, as isolated keywords have little context. Is a web page mentioning “cardinals” about the bird, the religious official, or the baseball team? To better understand content, Google uses entities to draw connections between topics.
Here’s how search engines might infer the context of the word “cardinals” in relation to other topics:
- If a web page is also referring to animals, nature, and conservation, “cardinals” is likely referring to a bird.
- If the website also mentions the Catholic Church or the Pope, “cardinals” is probably referring to a person.
- If St. Louis, the World Series, or outfielder Stan Musial also crops up on a page, “cardinals” is likely referring to a sports team.
How Entity SEO Differs From Traditional Keyword SEO
The traditional approach to SEO is to integrate target keywords within a web page’s content and metadata. As search engines crawl pages, they look for exact keyword matches to determine whether to display a URL for various queries. Using the cardinals example above, you can see how limiting it is to rely solely on individual keywords.
Entity SEO looks beyond keyword matches to build a database of information about an entity, naturally integrating search intent. By analyzing the content around an entity and its connection to a broader topic, search engines can provide more useful results. They understand that the word “habitat” is semantically related to nature, for example, so the keyword “cardinal habitat” is likely related to where a bird lives and not where the baseball team plays.
Why Entity SEO Matters for Rankings
Integrating entity SEO into your strategies lets you help search engines interpret your content and match it to user queries more accurately.
The Role of Semantic Search in Google’s Algorithm
Understanding the technology behind entity SEO can give you a better sense of how this approach works. Google uses semantic search to identify relationships and determine meaning. Machine learning models identify patterns and refine algorithms based on new knowledge, while natural language processing (NLP) recognizes the different ways humans use language. For example, search algorithms know that “Les Miz” relates to “Les Misérables” because of NLP. It can also determine that “Anne Hathaway Les Miz” is referring to the movie and not the play because of relationships.
As Google discovers connections, it builds a database to help process search queries. The Knowledge Graph that occasionally appears in the SERPs displays some of these relationships, pulling diverse information about an entity into one panel. A search for Bill Gates pulls up a Knowledge Graph with links to other entities he’s connected to: Melinda Gates, Microsoft, Seattle, and Harvard. With information about how ideas and topics are related, search engines can more effectively recommend content.
How Entity SEO Improves Relevance and Authority
Entity SEO can also enhance your brand’s credibility, which improves rankings. Remember, Google’s algorithms look for reliable content to display for queries, using the principles of experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). With an entity-based approach, you cover a topic comprehensively instead of creating random, keyword-driven pieces. This results in a solid inventory of resources to demonstrate your expertise and engage audiences.
How Victorious’ Keyword Strategies Align With Entity SEO
Although you may be unfamiliar with entities in SEO, at Victorious, we’ve fine-tuned these tactics over time. We’ve created a framework of best practices to provide search engines with as much context as possible.
Focusing on Keyword Themes Instead of Single Keywords
Our framework focuses on broad keyword topics. We start with core terms, but since everyone searches differently, we expand our strategy. Semantic searches reveal synonyms, variations, and related phrases that acknowledge the ways users look for information.
I’ll give you an example of how we move from targeting a primary keyword to building a comprehensive keyword cluster. Let’s say our target audience is interested in practicing yoga for the first time. We can start with the keyword “yoga for beginners.” Semantic keyword research uncovers keywords others might search for, such as “easy yoga poses” and “what type of yoga is best for beginners?”
Continuing with this theme, you could target terms used by audiences with more specific goals, such as “yoga for strength,” “yoga for flexibility,” and “yoga for seniors.” You can also connect the subject of yoga to topics such as mindfulness, meditation, and mobility to help search engines understand how these entities are related.
By grouping keywords and building out a comprehensive topic cluster, you can:
- Give search engines more information to help index your content.
- Establish your site as an authority on the topic.
- Attract different audience segments.
- Improve visibility for various searches.
Structuring Content for Entities and Context
Once you’ve developed unique content based on semantic keyword research, the next step is to structure it for search engines before publishing. This helps Google interpret meaning and index pages appropriately instead of relying solely on its machine learning and NLP capabilities. Our methodology involves on-page optimizations such as schema markup and internal linking to clarify what the words on your web pages mean.
Schema Markup
Schema markup is a type of structured data that’s added to your HTML. Audiences don’t see it on the page, but search engines find it when crawling content. Structured data tells search engines what specific pieces of content mean, clarifying how the information should display in the SERPs.
There are hundreds of types of schema markup related to products, events, businesses, and people. For example, you can add schema markup to give search engines information about your company: who founded it, who owns it, when it was established, and where it’s headquartered. You can also identify specific product names, images, prices, and ratings, which you can display in rich snippets to draw attention to your brand.
Internal Linking
Internal linking helps search engines connect topics and entities within your website. These links can be navigational, demonstrating your site’s hierarchy and showing main topics, subtopics, and related pages. They can also be placed within the text of your web page, leading between topics.
A company that provides business consulting services might publish a page about business planning, using links to point to related topics such as legal issues, financing, and branding. These links show how topics fit together and demonstrate the breadth of your expertise.
Featured Snippet
The way you format your content can also increase the chances of Google displaying it as a keyword’s featured snippet or an AI Overview (AIO). Featured snippets and AIOsare excerpts of high-performing web pages that sometimes appear at the top of the SERPs. Not all keywords have a featured snippet or AIO.
To optimize for this coveted search feature, answer the keyword intent in a simple and direct way on your page. Choosing the right format helps. You might use a short answer for a question keyword or a series of steps to explain how to do something.
Actionable Steps To Implement Entity SEO
You can apply the keyword strategies we use at Victorious to your own website. I’ve laid out our approach in clear steps that you can implement today.
Step 1: Identify Relevant Entities Using Keyword & NLP Tools
Find terms that are semantically related to your core keywords. Enter your primary terms into an SEO tool such as Semrush and Ahrefs, which can quickly pull up keyword synonyms, variations, question keywords, and long-tail keywords. These platforms also have powerful competitive analysis capabilities and can help you find topics your competitors are covering that you’re missing. Another option is to leverage NLP-powered applications such as ChatGPT or Bard to analyze entities and find connections between them.
Step 2: Optimize Content To Strengthen Entity Associations
Expand your SEO strategy to focus on topics rather than keywords. For example, if you’re creating a guide around organic baby food, refer to other entities in a natural way. You could reference the USDA, brands, and ingredients. These connections give context to your content and demonstrate relevance.
It’s also helpful to use precise, descriptive language to clarify ideas. Instead of saying, “You can buy these at Target,” consider removing ambiguities: “Our organic baby food is available at retailers such as Target.”
Step 3: Use Schema Markup To Reinforce Entity Connections
Add structured data to your web pages to label content and demonstrate relationships between entities. This avoids confusion when search engines process your content.
There are hundreds of types of schema markup relating to organizations, businesses, creative works, people, products, reviews, events, and more. Within these types are thousands of properties, so you can specify details that are relevant to a particular entity.
For example, you could use structured data to connect details about your CEO: name, job title, education, and areas of expertise. You can define your company as an entity, including address, phone number, operating hours, and logo. Keep going: Add schema markup to your products and indicate color, size, and SKU. Google can now understand that your CEO, company, and products are related entities.
To help strengthen connections, use the same attribute to direct search engines to authoritative mentions of the entity outside of your website. This markup indicates an entity on your page is the same as one mentioned on a reputable site such as LinkedIn, Wikipedia, or a social platform.
Step 4: Strengthen Internal Links To Build Entity Relationships
Now, let’s provide even more clues to help search engines connect the dots and understand your content.
- Create a logical site structure to reinforce entities. For example, instead of publishing random pages, group topics together.
- Add internal linking to show how topics are connected. Link within an entity topic, as well as between related entities.
- Use descriptive anchor text that clearly indicates the topic of the page you’re linking to.
Future of SEO: Why Entities Are the Next Evolution in Search
Search engines are becoming increasingly powerful when analyzing content thanks to machine learning and NLP. Keywords are still important, but there’s less reliance on literal keyword matching on web pages. Google can instead examine relationships between entities to determine how relevant a page is to a user.
By moving away from traditional keyword-based SEO and instead organizing your content around entities and themes, you’re aligning your website with modern search engine techniques. Providing clarity about your content helps search engines better index and rank your content and lays the foundation for long-term organic visibility and traffic.
Build Smarter SEO Strategies With Victorious
SEO is always evolving, which means strategies that once worked for your business may not be as effective. At Victorious, we’re constantly refining tactics to align with behind-the-scenes changes at Google and ensure search-first success. Learn more about how we can tailor our strategies to your audience and business goals. Contact us today for a custom SEO strategy.
