Explaining Google Entities and How to Utilize Them

Since its inception, Google has honed its tools to better understand the content it is reading on sites so that it can share the best and most relevant information with its users in the fastest ways possible. In recent years, Google has been focusing its optimization on categorizing content into what it calls “entities.” Entity-based search has thoroughly changed the SEO landscape and will likely continue to do so in the upcoming years; as such, smart SEOs have pivoted towards optimizing content for entities rather than keywords alone. Understanding the difference between entities and keywords is crucial to the success of your SEO campaign as it is going to be the most vital concept that influences today’s search landscape.

What are Entities?

Entities are the culmination of Google’s understanding of context and its knowledge of a “thing or concept that is singular, unique, well-defined, and distinguishable” according to their patent filing for its procedure for processing entity-based data. Entities help simplify the user journey by contextualizing searches and optimizing the results according to that context.

When a user searches for something that could have multiple meanings related to separate topics, Google will try to recognize the context and serve the most relevant results to that topic, not just the keywords used to search. For example, if a user who does not live in the state of Washington searches for “Washington Treatment Center,” Google will show results for local treatment centers with Washington in the name, rather than ones in Washington state.

Keywords vs Entities – What’s the Difference?

Keywords are targeted towards specific queries and phrases rather than encompassing a subject in its entirety. Individual keywords create the context that entities are formed around and function as gateways to those entities.

For example, searching for “Washington State” will not only pull the standard list of results many are accustomed to, but also a card on the side with sections of relevant information about the state like its capital, governor, and universities.

This result answers the original query and provides the user with enough general information to cover multiple queries – effectively consolidating multiple keywords in one query. Entities allow users to comprehensively explore a topic without having to make multiple searches and trips to various websites.

How Does Google Collect Information for Entities?

Before Google can serve results for entities, it needs to collect information on the topic.

There are three primary tenets to collecting information for an entity: tapping knowledge bases, identifying relationships, and storing the information.

1. Google will identify and collect information on an entity from reliable knowledge bases such as Wikipedia or industry-specific databases.
2. Google will then identify connections between this entity and others like with the “destinations” section at the bottom of the Washington state card.
3. Finally, Google will store this information in its Knowledge Graph to further build its own database. There, it catalogues and interprets the information it’s collected while using this information as a baseline for future content.

How to Optimize for Entities

As Google continues to build out its knowledge base and entities, learning how to optimize for them is a top priority for sites wishing to stay relevant. Luckily, many of the already existing tips for maintaining a healthy site still apply.

1. Provide Context: Google’s Knowledge Graph is built around context – the more you can provide, the better it can see the whole picture and know which entities your content belongs to. It is for this reason that schema markup has become so important.
2. Implement Schema Markup: Schema markup is a form of microdata that explains to search engines what contents are on a page. For example, a page’s schema can tell search engines what the page’s content is, how it relates to other content or entities (such as the “manufacturer” tag to identify which brand creates the product), and any other information about the product that does not exist on the page.
3. Linking to Other Entities: You can also provide context through linking to other relevant entities such as Wikipedia pages on relevant topics, managing brand reputation online through popular review sites and social listening, and managing local SEO if it is relevant to your brand.

Setting Your Website up for Success Optimizing for Entity Based Search

Following the above strategies correctly will provide Google with the context needed to understand each page. The SEO team at CMI Media Group is trained to target and utilize entities and implement the above strategies whenever possible. Reach out to your SEO team to assure that your site is optimized for the correct entities.