Modern search engines and LLMs don't think in keywords. They think in entities — people, organisations, products, places — connected in a knowledge graph. If you're a recognised entity, you get surfaced. If you're just a string of text, you're invisible. Entity SEO is the work of becoming the former.
Why entities replaced keywords
Google's Knowledge Graph and the embedding spaces inside LLMs both represent the world as entities and relationships. 'Marketing Savvies' as an entity has attributes (industry, founders, location, services) and relationships (clients, mentions, partners). Search systems resolve a query to entities first, then surface content about those entities.
How to become an entity
Five moves. First, a thorough About page covering who, where, what, when, why. Second, Organization JSON-LD with sameAs links to LinkedIn, Crunchbase, and any other canonical profiles. Third, consistent NAP (name, address, phone) everywhere your business appears. Fourth, third-party mentions on trusted sites in your category — podcast appearances, guest posts, directory listings. Fifth, founder/author profiles with their own sameAs links.
- Detailed About page.
- Organization JSON-LD with sameAs.
- Consistent NAP across the web.
- 10–20 third-party mentions in your category.
- Founder bios with their own entity signals.
How to measure entity strength
Search your brand name in Google — do you get a Knowledge Panel? Ask ChatGPT 'who is [brand]' and 'what does [brand] do' — does it answer correctly without hallucinating? Search Perplexity for your brand — does it cite you for branded queries? These three checks reveal whether you're a recognised entity or just a string.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Wikipedia page?
It helps but isn't required. Crunchbase, LinkedIn, and category-specific directories often do as much work for service businesses.
How long does entity work take?
3–6 months to see Knowledge Panel changes; faster for LLM recognition once schema and third-party mentions are in place.
Is this just brand SEO?
It overlaps but it's broader. Entity SEO includes products, locations, and people — not just the brand name.