Entity SEO Explained (+ Examples and Expert Tips)

Entity SEO is a search engine marketing tactic that focuses on an entity itself (such as a person or business) rather than just keywords. Below, our marketing experts lay out what it means, why it matters, and how to leverage it in your SEO plan.

Entity SEO is one of those terms that’s been around for more than a decade – but don’t feel left out if this is the first time you’re hearing it.

That’s because this term represents a nebulous and somewhat technical SEO concept. However, we think it’s important enough to highlight here — what’s more, we think it will become increasingly relevant in the near future as machine learning evolves.

To break it all down, and offer some helpful advice for leveraging entity search engine optimization in your own digital marketing plan, we chatted with Joe Leija, one of HawkSEM’s esteemed lead strategists and senior SEO account managers.

Read on for his expert insights, tips to conduct entity research, and much more.

What is entity SEO?

In SEO terms, an entity is a concept (like a person, place, thing, or even a feeling) that a search engine can recognize and “understand” with enough context and understanding of natural language processing (NLP) to deliver relevant search results.

Put another way, “entity SEO is about optimizing for what your business or product represents, not just specific keywords,” Leija explains.

“Think of it as helping search engines understand the who, what, and why of your brand and how it connects to related topics as well as the user intent of those topics.”

For example, if you’re a medical equipment supplier, then entity SEO ensures search engines recognize your business as tied to terms like surgical instruments, hospitals, and medical certifications.

“It’s about giving search engines the full picture so they can connect the dots and present you as a trusted resource to users,” he adds.

How does Google view entity SEO?

As Search Engine Land reports, the most common types of entities you’ll see on the Google search engine results page (SERP) are related to locations, people, or businesses.

As you can see below, a search for “types of bikes for toddlers” yields relevant entities and filter options including price, ship time, wheel count and more.

That’s because Google’s large language models or LLMs (neural networks trained by tens of gigabytes of data to improve search results and better understand search queries) are constantly being tweaked and improved to create a search engine algorithm that understands nuance, semantics, and context.

A search for “types of bikes for toddlers” yields relevant entities and filter options including price, ship time, wheel count and more. (Image: Google screenshot)

Here’s another example of entities: If someone searches for a brand like “Old Navy,” then the algorithm uses machine learning to understand that the searcher’s search intent is for the clothing brand as a single entity as surface that for the Google Knowledge Graph, not just web pages that frequently feature the two terms separately.

What are the benefits?

One of the main benefits of entity SEO is how it can help increase opportunities for semantic searches to be recognized by LLMs, or large language models like AI.

“LLMs rely on context and connections between entities to deliver accurate responses,” says Leija. “They’re piecing together information from schema markup, trusted link sources, and the relationships your brand has built online.”

Think of entity SEO as a way to make sure your business is part of the foundation these AI bots pull from when answering questions.

“The better defined and more connected your entity is,” he adds, “the more likely LLMs are to recognize and understand you as a reliable source.”

Along with that, by giving search engines more structured data and clear connections about who you are and what you do, you’re putting yourself in a position to show up in answers, compete with others in your space, and become a go-to resource.

“It’s about helping search engines understand your story so they can share it with your audience,” says Leija. “The more work you put into defining and connecting your brand, the more you set yourself up for long-term success.”

“Optimizing for entities can lead to more prominent placements in search results, such as Knowledge Panels and rich snippets,” according to a post from Clearscope.

They add that these enhanced SERP features often rely on entity data, pulling from sources like Wikipedia pages and Wikidata, which often contain multiple data points on a larger topic (similar to a topic cluster hub-and-spoke content marketing model). The results: better visibility on the SERP and more organic traffic.

 SEO isn’t just about ranking for keywords anymore — it’s about tailoring strategies to your specific audience and goals. (Image: Summit Art Creations/Adobe)

Entity SEO examples

Here are some examples of entity-based SEO at work.

If someone simply searches “salsa classes,” Google will use location information to supply results nearby the person searching. This helps narrow down the information and provides more accurate results – showing classes in New York wouldn’t be as relevant, for example.

A search for “bob dylan movie” surfaces information about the most recent biopic starring Timothée Chalamet, as well as past movies based on the musician and in which he has appeared.

Rather than assuming this search is only referencing the most recent film, Google offers several options, along with contextual info about pricing and other related artists (like Joan Baez).

In this search for “spanx founder,” the algorithm knows the searcher is looking for information on Sara Blakely, despite not entering her name as part of the query.

Entity SEO: 5 tips from the experts

Now that we’ve covered the importance of entities and what entity-based SEO is, use these expert tips to put that knowledge into practice.

1. Create a cohesive online presence

Leija recommends starting by ensuring your brand information is consistent across all platforms.

This includes:

• Your website
• Google Business Profile
• Social profiles

Make sure all contact, NAP (name, address, phone number), and service info is correct, updated, and included on all applicable platforms both on your website and on third-party platforms like directories. Tracking metrics with tools that monitor performance can help pinpoint inconsistencies.

2. Implement Schema markup

Once you’ve got your brand info updated, you can implement schema markup (which can be found at schema.org) specific to your page types to help Google search engines understand key details about your business, like your products, services, and even FAQs.

Further reading: Why Schema Belongs in Your SEO Plan

3. Publish the right content

When you’re working on building SEO for entities, create content that highlights how your business connects to related topics or industries.

“For example, if you’re in ecommerce, write about how your products solve specific problems,” he says. “If you sell bikes, you should consider how a user might transport your bike and produce content like ‘How to Travel With Your Bike’.”

4. Connect your content internally

Some marketers put a heavy focus on backlinks (links that go from an external website to yours). While those are a great off-page SEO element, we’re seeing more and more positive results from inlinks or internal linking practices.

As such, you can help search engine bots better understand your content by knitting relevant pieces of content together through internal links. If you’re an automobile company, for example, you could create and link together content about car maintenance, specific parts, and the latest models. This entity-based approach creates a holistic picture and illustrates how all of these entities relate to your brand.

5. Know what elements to focus on

In Ahrefs’ marketing glossary, they recommend marketers interested in entity SEO focus on:

• Entity identification (Explicitly mentioning relevant entities within content)
• Contextual relevance: Ensuring that the content surrounding an entity is relevant and provides clear context. This might involve discussing related entities, historical information, or other data that helps define the primary entity.
• Structured data: (Another word for Schema markup as mentioned above)
• Authority and expertise (Two aspects of the E-E-A-T and formerly E-A-T SEO best practices acronym that stands for expertise, experience, authoritative and trustworthy)

Entities and the future of SEO

Moving forward, it’s important to realize SEO is becoming less of a one-size-fits-all approach. As such, Google and other search engines will become smarter and more sophisticated, meaning they won’t have to rely as heavily on keyword-based search terms to rank content.

Rather, they’ll be able to understand user queries and leverage synonyms, related topics, and other ranking factors to deliver the most high-quality user experience in search results.

Leija agrees: “SEO isn’t just about ranking for keywords anymore — it’s about tailoring strategies to your specific audience and goals.”

For instance, what works for a local law firm won’t work for an ecommerce brand selling globally. Search engines are getting better at understanding intent, which means your approach needs to not only align with what your customers are searching for but also with why they’re searching for it.

“It’s becoming more about building a customized SEO strategy that addresses the intent behind your users’ unique needs,” he adds.

The takeaway

As competition grows and the search algorithm evolves, it can be tempting to put all of your efforts into the latest and greatest marketing trends. The problem: This move can be as risky as it is overwhelming.

The better solution? Fold these newer practices into your existing, tried-and-true SEO plans and see what results come from a multi-pronged approach.

“Honestly, I think entity SEO is becoming one of those things you can’t ignore,” says Leija, “but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It’s about making sure search engines and AI tools actually understand who you are, what you do, and how you fit into the bigger picture in your industry.”

Of course, keyword research for your specific entity still matters. But so does building out your content strategy to include every element possible to help solidify your place in search results and as a thought leader in your space.

This includes more traditional tactics like link building, on-page SEO, and case studies along with newer methods like semantic SEO, voice search, and different entities.

In fact, Leija recommends focusing on the basics first — like using structured data and internal linking — in 2025 and beyond, because those are the tactics that help both users and search engines make sense of your site.

Ready to take your SEO game to the next level? Contact us to learn how we can help you get there.