Entity SEO is the practice of optimizing content and websites around entities—distinct, well-defined things like people, places, products, brands, or concepts—rather than just keywords. Instead of optimizing for the string “best running shoes,” entity SEO focuses on specific shoe brands (Nike, Adidas, Brooks), shoe types (trail running shoes, racing flats), and the relationships between them.
I’ve been tracking entity SEO since Google launched the Knowledge Graph in 2012, but it’s become critical with the rise of AI search. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode all rely on entity recognition to understand content. According to Google’s 2025 Search documentation, entities are now the “building blocks” of how their AI models understand web content.
Why Entity SEO Matters for SEO in 2026
Google doesn’t think in strings of text anymore—it thinks in entities and relationships. When you search “Apple CEO,” Google knows you mean Tim Cook (person entity) leading Apple Inc. (organization entity), not fruit-related leadership. This is entity-based search.
The shift to entity-based ranking accelerated with Google’s MUM (2021) and Gemini (2024+) updates. According to Semrush’s November 2025 research, pages optimized around entities (explicitly mentioning entity names and relationships) rank for 2.4x more queries than keyword-focused pages.
But the real game-changer is AI search. Research from Princeton (December 2025) found that entity-rich content gets cited 3.1x more often in AI-generated answers. Why? Because LLMs extract facts about entities—specific people, products, companies, concepts—not vague references to “industry leaders” or “popular tools.”
What Are Entities in SEO?
An entity is anything that’s singular, unique, well-defined, and distinguishable. Entities have properties and relationships with other entities.
Entity Examples:
- People: John Mueller (Google Search Advocate), Matt Cutts (former Google engineer)
- Organizations: Google, Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz
- Products: Semrush Keyword Magic Tool, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog
- Places: Mountain View (Google HQ location), Seattle
- Concepts: PageRank, Core Web Vitals, SEO
- Events: Google I/O, SMX Advanced
Not Entities:
- “Good SEO tools” (vague descriptor, not specific thing)
- “Many experts” (unspecified group)
- “Popular method” (generic reference)
- “Best practices” (abstract concept without definition)
Entity SEO means explicitly naming entities: “Semrush” instead of “this popular tool.” “John Mueller” instead of “a Google representative.” “Core Web Vitals” instead of “Google’s speed metrics.”
How Entity SEO Works
Search engines and AI models use entity recognition and knowledge graphs to understand content:
- Entity Extraction: Engines scan text and identify entities (people, places, products, concepts).
- Entity Linking: Engines connect mentioned entities to their knowledge graph entries (e.g., “Apple” → Apple Inc. based on context).
- Relationship Mapping: Engines understand relationships between entities (Tim Cook → CEO of → Apple Inc.).
- Context Understanding: Surrounding entities provide context (iPhone + Apple + iOS = tech; apple + orchard + fruit = agriculture).
- Authority Signals: Engines assess whether your content is authoritative for specific entities based on comprehensiveness and external validation.
Example: You write “Semrush is a comprehensive SEO platform founded in 2008. It offers keyword research, rank tracking, and site audits.” Search engines extract entities: Semrush (organization), 2008 (date), keyword research (concept), rank tracking (concept), site audits (concept). They link these to their knowledge graph and understand your page discusses the Semrush entity.
Entity SEO vs Keyword SEO
| Factor | Keyword SEO | Entity SEO |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Keyword strings and phrases | Specific entities and relationships |
| Writing Style | “Best SEO tools” repeated | “Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz” (named entities) |
| Understanding | String matching | Semantic understanding of real-world things |
| Ranking Potential | Target keyword only | Target keyword + entity-related queries |
| AI Search Performance | Poor (LLMs can’t extract vague references) | Excellent (LLMs extract entity facts) |
| Knowledge Graph | Not connected | Entities linked to Google’s Knowledge Graph |
How to Implement Entity SEO: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Identify Core Entities for Your Topic
For each topic, list the key entities you should mention. For an “SEO tools” page:
- Tool entities: Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz, Screaming Frog, Google Search Console
- Concept entities: Keyword research, backlink analysis, technical SEO, rank tracking
- People entities: Rand Fishkin (Moz founder), Dmitry Gerasimenko (Ahrefs CEO)
- Organization entities: Google, Bing
Step 2: Mention Entities Explicitly and Early
Don’t write “this popular tool.” Write “Semrush.” Don’t write “a Google representative.” Write “John Mueller, Google’s Search Advocate.” Name entities in the first 100 words of your content.
Step 3: Describe Entity Attributes
Provide facts about entities that search engines can extract:
- Semrush was founded in 2008
- Semrush offers keyword research, rank tracking, site audits
- Semrush pricing starts at $129.95/month
- Semrush has 10 million users (if citing a source)
Step 4: Explain Entity Relationships
Describe how entities relate to each other:
- Semrush competes with Ahrefs and Moz
- Semrush integrates with Google Analytics and Google Search Console
- Keyword research is a feature of Semrush
Step 5: Use Schema Markup for Entities
Add schema markup to explicitly define entities:
- Organization schema for companies (Semrush, Ahrefs, Google)
- Person schema for people (John Mueller, Rand Fishkin)
- Product schema for products (Semrush Keyword Magic Tool)
- SoftwareApplication schema for software tools
Step 6: Build Entity-Based Internal Links
Link to pages about related entities using entity names as anchor text. For a Semrush review, link to:
- Keyword research guide (concept entity)
- Ahrefs review (competing tool entity)
- Technical SEO audit guide (concept entity)
Step 7: Monitor Entity Recognition
Use Google’s Natural Language API to see which entities Google extracts from your content. If important entities aren’t recognized, mention them more prominently or add schema markup.
Best Practices
- Name entities explicitly. “Semrush” beats “this tool.” “John Mueller” beats “a Google employee.” Specific > vague.
- Provide entity facts. Don’t just mention entities—describe their attributes, history, relationships, and characteristics.
- Use schema markup for key entities. Organization, Person, Product, and SoftwareApplication schema help search engines understand entity types.
- Link entities to authoritative sources. Link to an entity’s official website, Wikipedia page, or authoritative third-party reference.
- Create entity-focused pages. If you frequently mention an entity (e.g., Semrush), create a dedicated page about it and link to it from other content.
- Use entity-rich anchor text. Instead of “click here,” use “Semrush keyword research tool” or “Google Search Console.”
- Mention co-occurring entities. When discussing Semrush, also mention Ahrefs, Moz, keyword research, rank tracking—entities that commonly appear together.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using vague references instead of entity names. I see this constantly: “this popular platform,” “many industry leaders,” “a well-known tool.” Search engines and LLMs can’t extract facts from vague language. Name the entity.
Missing schema markup for key entities. If you review 10 SEO tools, add Product or SoftwareApplication schema to each. Without schema, search engines might not recognize them as distinct entities.
Not linking to entity sources. If you mention Semrush, link to semrush.com. If you mention a study, link to the study. External links to authoritative entity sources build trust.
Ignoring entity disambiguation. “Apple” is ambiguous. Is it the company or the fruit? Use context entities (iPhone, MacBook, Tim Cook) to disambiguate.
Shallow entity coverage. Mentioning an entity once doesn’t make you an authority. If Semrush is a core topic, discuss its features, history, pricing, alternatives, and use cases comprehensively.
Tools and Resources
Google Natural Language API – Shows which entities Google extracts from your text, their types (person, organization, product), and salience scores. Free tier available.
Schema.org – Reference for implementing entity schemas. Use Organization, Person, Product, SoftwareApplication, Event schemas.
Google’s Entity Search – Search for entities in Google’s Knowledge Graph: google.com/search?kgmid=[entity_id]. Useful for understanding how Google categorizes entities.
Wikipedia and Wikidata – Major sources for entity data. Google uses Wikipedia/Wikidata extensively for Knowledge Graph. Linking to Wikipedia for entities is smart.
InLinks – SEO tool focused on entity optimization. Analyzes entity coverage and suggests missing entities. Paid ($59+/month).
Entity SEO and AI Search
Entity SEO is critical for GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode extract facts about entities, not vague references.
According to Princeton’s December 2025 research, entity-rich content (explicitly naming entities and describing their attributes) gets cited 3.1x more often in AI answers than content with vague references.
Example: “Many popular SEO tools offer keyword research” (vague, no entities) vs “Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz offer keyword research tools with databases of billions of keywords” (entity-rich, extractable facts). The second gets cited; the first doesn’t.
LLMs also use entity relationships to understand context. If your content mentions Semrush, Ahrefs, keyword research, and rank tracking together, LLMs understand you’re discussing SEO software, not other uses of those terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find entities to mention in my content?
Analyze top-ranking competitors. Which entities do they mention? Use Google’s Natural Language API on competitor content to extract their entities. Also use Wikipedia—if a topic has a Wikipedia page, it’s likely an entity.
Should I create separate pages for each entity?
For major entities relevant to your niche, yes. If you’re an SEO blog, create dedicated pages for Semrush, Ahrefs, Google Search Console, etc. For minor entities, mentioning them on topic pages is sufficient.
Does entity SEO replace keyword research?
No, it complements it. Use keyword research to identify topics and user intent, then optimize by covering relevant entities comprehensively.
How do I measure entity SEO success?
Track the number of entity-related queries you rank for. Use Google Natural Language API to verify important entities are being recognized. Monitor AI referral traffic—entity-rich content should perform well in AI citations.
Key Takeaways
- Entity SEO optimizes around specific, well-defined things (people, products, companies, concepts), not vague keywords.
- Entity-optimized pages rank for 2.4x more queries on average (Semrush data).
- Name entities explicitly—”Semrush” beats “this tool,” “John Mueller” beats “a Google representative.”
- Use schema markup for key entities (Organization, Person, Product, SoftwareApplication).
- AI search rewards entity-rich content—LLMs cite entity-focused content 3.1x more often.
- Describe entity attributes and relationships to help search engines understand context and build knowledge graphs.