Understanding Entity SEO: Enhancing Your Search Visibility Through Entities

We’ve been looking forward to this one… Thank you Izzy Brand for sharing her guide to entity SEO, complete with SEO advice and food analogies. What’s not to love?!

If you’ve been working in SEO, there are some terms you’ve probably come across: “Topical Authority”, “Silos”, “Topic Clusters”, “Semantic Search” - and the dreaded “Entities”. All of these encompass the topic of Entity SEO.

The concept of Entity SEO is not a simple one and can drive you quite mad if you’re trying to figure it out through bits of information found scouring the web. I’m hoping to make that a little less frustrating with this article - and much more rewarding. (There’s only room for one crazy SEO in this industry - thank you very much!)

For us to delve into Entity SEO we need to break down exactly what an entity is - and is not.

Contents:

• What actually is an entity?
• What doesn’t qualify as an entity?
• What is a topic?
• The relationship between topics and entities
• The role of entities in today’s search algorithm
• How to create semantic relationships between your entities
• Using AI for entity SEO
• User intent

What Actually Is an Entity?

An entity – is a “thing”. Am I going to elaborate further? (No, just kidding - it’s my job).

The definition of an entity is: A thing (told you) or concept that is singular, unique, well-defined, and distinguishable from other entities.

Some examples of entities in everyday context:

• A person - Patrick Swayze
• A place - Your Mom’s House (I couldn’t help myself here)

• Brown University

• An organisation - Google
• An event - Brighton SEO
• A concept - Quantum Physics
• A thing (here we go again) - Brown Bear
• Granted, this one can be a bit tricky as it can refer to almost anything; such as an animal, a product or an item, but this also covers a wide range of other entities, too. This makes it a good default for situations where you’re unsure of how to classify your entity (try to keep the details as accurate as possible, where you can). 

What Doesn’t Qualify as An Entity?

As mentioned above, an entity is a specific, identifiable piece of information that is well-defined and distinguishable. So this a broad list – it might be easier to start from, what isn’t an entity.

The list is probably just as endless, but a good rule of thumb is that an entity isn’t:

• An adjective without a noun

• A number without context

An Adjective without a noun

Adjectives are used to describe qualities or characteristics but do not stand as entities on their own.

For example: “brown”

This word describes a colour but does not refer to a specific, identifiable object, person or concept.

“Brown” can become part of an entity when paired with a noun. For example, “brown bear” (thing) or “Brown University” (place)

A number without context

Numbers on their own do not qualify as entities unless they are given context, which identifies them as specific or meaningful concepts.

For example: 3

By itself, 3 does not provide any specific, identifiable information. But when given context, for example: “3 Blind Mice”, the information becomes identifiable as a beloved, if not slightly morbid, children's rhyme.

Exceptions to the rule

As with all rules, there are exceptions.

When a number is used frequently enough within context, it becomes identifiable outside of context. Prime examples are our beloved status codes: 200, 404, 301 and so forth.

404s in particular are a great example, as we often say “I visited the page and got a 404” - the number itself suffices and the whole entity “404 status error” does not need to be defined. The number has been used so frequently, it’s an entity in itself:

Entities within entities

That’s right, it’s called entity-ception (in my mind, anyway). An entity is not necessarily a standalone concept - it can be composed of multiple additional entities.

For example, a 2013 MacBook has the following specs:MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)

• Year: 2013
• Processor: 2.4 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
• Memory: 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
• Storage: 256 GB SSD
• Display: 13.3-inch Retina Display
• Display Technology: Samsung PLS (Plane-to-Line Switching)
• Graphics: Intel Iris 5100
• Battery Life: 9 hours
• Weight: 3.46 pounds

From the specs alone, 2 additional entities Samsung and Intel can be seen, but this doesn’t change the MacBook being classified as an Apple Product. In the context of the MacBook, it is a defined entity, composed of multiple other defined entities.

Entities aren’t finite

The list of entities out there is not finite, as new ideas and concepts are thought up and technology advances - the list of entities continues to grow and evolve.

Take our MacBook example above, and compare the specs to a newer model:

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023)

• Year: 2023
• Processor: 2.6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7
• Memory: 16 GB 2666 MHz DDR4
• Storage: 512 GB SSD
• Display: 16-inch Retina Display
• Display Technology: LG IPS (In-Plane Switching)
• Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M
• Battery Life: 11 hours
• Weight: 4.3 pounds

We now see three additional entities: Intel, LG and AMD, but this still remains an Apple product.

This newer entity also does not replace the previous one, they are each an individual entity in their own right, as they have definable differences. As can be seen by the difference in specifications alone.

A great example of this in SEO is trends.

When you categorise trends in SEO, they often start out as topics - encompassing related ideas and discussions. As these discussions become more specific, the idea around the topics becomes more distinct, identifying these trends as distinct entities.

Okay, But What Is a Topic?

A topic, by definition, is a subject or theme that something is about. It is quite broad and can encompass various subtopics.

The Relationship Between Topics and Entities

Topics are broad subjects that are comprised of various entities.

Entities are specific, identifiable pieces of information within those topics.

For Example, SEO can be classified as both a topic and an entity, depending on which context it’s used in.

As a topic, it is considered a broad discipline that involves various strategies, techniques and practices - entities such as Google (company), Brighton SEO (event), Keyword Research (thing) and Backlinks (thing) are examples of entities that make up this topic.

As an entity, SEO can be defined as a specific, identifiable field of study or a profession that is globally recognised.

My SEO Advice:

By leveraging the relationship between topics and entities, you can create well-structured, informative content that is both optimised for users and search engines.

Entities in SEO

Entities play a crucial role in today’s search landscape, as they help search engines like Google better understand and categorise content more effectively.

The role of entities in today’s search algorithm

As mentioned above, search engines use entities to better understand the content on a webpage. Using recognised entities allows search engines to comprehend the context and relevance of the information, this enables it to match content to user queries, more easily and accurately. This feat is made possible thanks to the Google Knowledge Graph.

How entities have evolved: The Google Knowledge Graph

Now there are two versions of the “Google Knowledge Graph”:

1. As a database

The Google Knowledge graph exists as a database composed of an extensive collection of interconnected entities, their attributes and their relationships between each other. Imagine a giant spiderweb - with the threads connecting related entities – this brings a new perspective to the World Wide Web, doesn’t it? It’s the Google Knowledge Graph that maps out and connects entities to serve their related content to users based on the search queries entered.

2. As a SERP feature

I’m sure you’ve come across the Knowledge Panel in your search adventures. Here’s an example of what it looks like:

The information present in the above example is the information present in the knowledge graph around the entity Ahrefs.

Under the “People Also Search For”, you can see all the similar entities that the knowledge graph has associated with Ahrefs.

The best way to achieve this search result is to establish your site’s entities using structured data, which we’ll cover a little later.

My SEO Advice:

Creating a Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) allows you to cover additional entities within your knowledge panel, such as ratings and physical address (useful for eCommerce sites with a physical location).

Semantic search

Another great example of something that can be considered both a topic and an entity: semantic search. This refers to both the range of strategies, techniques and advancements in Search Engines aimed at improving search results (topic) AND the process whereby search engines such as Google aim to improve relevance of search results, by understanding the intent behind a user’s query. By taking contextual meaning into consideration - this makes it a specific and identifiable concept (entity).

The latter is done by creating semantic relationships between the content on your pages.

Did you know?

The concept of a search engine with semantic search capabilities has been around since Google’s inception, with the concept of PageRank being present since incubation.

You can read the full paper on this here.

Semantic relationships

Semantic relationships are the connections between words, phrases and entities, which help define their meaning by providing context (very much like how numbers cannot be an entity without context - this emphasises that). In SEO, semantic relationships refer to the connections between different entities and concepts within a website’s content and across the World Wide Web (think of our spider web analogy).

The possibility for semantic relationships can be very broad - essentially anything can be semantically related, depending on context.

Here is where we head back to our topics; a good rule of thumb is that any entities within the same topic are semantically related to each other.

How to Create Semantic Relationships Between Your Entities Using On-Page SEO and Content

Keyword research & usage

1. Identify key entities and topics by using keyword research tools to find relevant entities & topics related to your content.
2. Sort these keywords into their corresponding topics - this where you’ll have heard the term Content Silo. A content silo is, as its name implies - a section or category of content pieces that are focused around the same topic. 
3. From here, further categorise and sort your keywords into the individual entities they cover - this is what is referred to as a “Keyword Cluster”

We can take our “SEO as a topic” as an example:

Content Silo Topic:	SEO
Entity 1:	Internal Linking
Entity 2:	Backlinks
Entity 3:	Anchor Text

The idea here is to take this information and create content around the silo topic (SEO) that includes information around the entities within the cluster.

Content structure

Strategic placement of keywords

1. Incorporate your keywords naturally into titles, headings, meta descriptions, and throughout the body content.
2. Use your headings (H1, H2, H3) to define the entities you wish to address to reinforce your topic.
3. If you find there are too many entities you need to cover, and including them all would be overwhelming or just too long and affect readability, this is where separate content pieces around the topic, covering a different set of entities, can be created.
4. You can then create relationships between those entities by using Internal Linking.

My SEO Advice: 

Connect your GSC to Sitebulb to extract all the keywords your site is already ranking for, by enabling keyword analysis.

You can use this list to identify which entities search engines have associated you with and ask yourself: are they relevant to your site?If yes:

• Are you adequately providing supporting information for these entities by incorporating them into topics or themes for content?

If no:

• Review your site's content to determine what could be giving this impression.

Internal Linking

Link to content that is conceptually relevant to your topic and entities. This creates a relationship between those topics & entities, helping both users and search engines navigate and understand the relationship between them.

My SEO Advice:

You can use Sitebulb to look for opportunities to optimise existing internal linking.

Anchor text

Good anchor text can make or break an internal link, and as a rule should:

• Be descriptive

• Include relevant keywords & entities

• Be located in a contextually relevant location

Having descriptive anchor text is all good and well, but having it placed willy-nilly renders all benefits moot. Make sure it's placed in a place that makes sense and gives a clear indication of the "destination" of the link.

For example, if your content is promoting a product, and you have a link such as "buy this super cool t-shirt here" but when you click it does not take you to a place where you can perform the implied action (buying the super cool t-shirt), it will not provide any benefit and may be detrimental to the overall distribution of topical authority on your site.

Also, no one likes that guy. Don't be that guy. :)

My SEO Advice:

You can analyse internal links and their associated anchor text using Sitebulb’s Link Explorer.

Multimedia

Use multimedia such as images, videos, and infographics.This not only helps illustrate concepts and entities but makes the content more engaging.You can even instruct search engines what your media is about by including alt text.

Pro Tip:

Learn how to audit your on-page content, including headings and alt tags, with Sitebulb

Reinforcing Your Entities with Technical SEO

Structured data for entity seo

Structured data, such as Schema markup, helps search engines understand the entities and relationships within your content. It achieves this by literally informing search engines on what entities you are covering.

For example, let’s have a look at Patrick Swayze from our initial list of every day entities as an entity in Schema markup:

Depending on your entity – use appropriate types such as "article," "person," "product," "event," "thing," and so on. The more variables you include in your Schema, the more "instructions" you are essentially providing to search engines.

In theory, the better your instructions, the more knowledgeable you are deemed around that entity, and in turn, the broader topic you are referring to within your content. This also increases the potential for rich results.

SERP features/rich results and entity SEO

These are enhanced search results with "rich snippets" that display additional information (they are "information rich").

For example, implementing event Schema can potentially result in ranking for an "Event" rich result - let’s have a look at brightonSEO as an example from our entity list:

My SEO Advice:

Learn how to audit the structured data on your site with Sitebulb

Reinforcing entities with off-page SEO

Backlinks

If you read the paper I shared about Google’s inception, you’ll understand exactly how backlinks help create relevance and context around entities. If you didn’t read it, that’s also fine – I’ve got you.

Backlinks and backlinking anchor text play a very similar role to internal linking and anchor text in the sense of creating and reinforcing relationships between entities - except the entities in question are located on a different site. Backlinks are a sign of topical authority - in layman's terms, someone has deemed your site’s information valuable and accurate enough around that entity to link back to it.

Using AI for Entity SEO

Advancements in AI have allowed for many SEO tasks to be streamlined, but is especially useful for entity SEO - because at the core of it, AI serves almost the same purpose as a semantic search engine - providing results based on contextual interpretation of a query. Thus, its database of entities is already quite vast. You simply need to log on to ChatGPT and ask it to provide you with related entities to your topic.

If you ask nicely, it will even provide the recommended Schema markup type for your entities and help you produce the code. (2024; what a time to be alive!).

It All Comes Together: User Intent

Let’s take everything we’ve learned above and round it up into an easy to remember example: Food.

Think of your website as a restaurant. When you think of a restaurant, what entities pop up?

• Food (of course), consider this your content, product or service
• A Chef (entity type: person) who cooks the food. Consider this your site’s authors, contributors, or admin
• Different courses, such as starters, mains, desserts and sides - these would be your content or topic silos
• Individual dishes within each of your silos, these are your individual topics
• Ingredients for each individual dish, these are your entities

Now, one thing about cooking is that the same ingredients often appear in different dishes. It’s the order in which these ingredients are combined that produces the final dish. Entities also follow the same concept. Each ingredient is a unique, identifiable thing (entity), and the sequence in which you combine these entities (context) forms the final dish (topic). And combining those same entities in a different sequence (different context) produces a different final dish.

Now, because those dishes use the same or similar ingredients (contain the same entities), those dishes (topics) are semantically related.How blown is your mind right now? 

We can take this metaphor even further by classifying our courses by intent. In a restaurant, different courses cater to the various stages of the diner’s meal (user journey).

For example:

Starters (Informational Intent)

The purpose of a starter is to whet the diner’s appetite and provide a light introduction to the meal. Informational content aims to educate users at the beginning of their journey by addressing queries where a user is searching for answers to specific questions.

On your website, these could be blog posts, how-to guides, or informational articles that explain basic concepts or provide introductory information. Example: a starter of nachos could be compared to a beginner's guide to keyword research.

Mains (Navigational, Commercial and Informational Intent)

The main course is the heart of the meal and satisfies the diner’s “primary hunger”. Navigational content helps users to find specific information they are actively searching for.

In the context of commercial intent, your main content would aim to convert users by providing more in-depth information about products or services. In the context of mains for informational content - similar to how starters on a menu are often a half-portion of the main course version, “starter” informational content could be briefer pieces of information, which then link to the main course version.Building on our example above, a full portion of nachos would be an advanced guide to keyword research.

My SEO Advice:

This is where your internal linking comes in, to create the relationship between the starters and the mains. 

Desserts (Transactional Intent)

Desserts conclude the meal and should leave the diner feeling as though they’ve got what they wanted. This is exactly how transactional intent content works to conclude the user journey once they’ve had their fill of information (starters and mains), by targeting users who are ready to take action.

Conclusion

In the dynamic world of Search, understanding the concept of entities and their relationships is crucial if you wish to enhance your search visibility through relevance. By leveraging entity-based SEO, you can create well-structured, informative content that aligns with how search engines interpret and categorise information.

Much like a restaurant menu, your website's content should cater to various user intents, guiding visitors through their journey from initial curiosity to final action.

As you continue to develop your SEO strategy, remember that the landscape is continually evolving; similarly, there is an ever-expanding list of entities in our world. Stay curious, keep learning, and adapt to new trends and technologies. By doing so, you’ll maintain your site’s topical authority and enhance its visibility in the competitive search environment.

Final Author's Note: Not all Entities are Known

What we’ve learned here about the relationships between entities and their contextual meanings applies to many aspects of life. Just as in SEO, where the significance of entities and their connections must be understood, the same principle holds true for real-world interactions. Some events and their connections to entities may not always be immediately apparent.

So, be kind and be patient. There is always a reason or context behind every action, much like there is a purpose behind every search term.

You might also like:

• How We Automated Schema on Sitebulb.com
• How to Optimize for Different Types of Featured Snippets
• Node Identifiers: From Structured Data to Linked Data