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What is an entity in search, and why does it matter?
An entity is a thing a system has decided exists - your business, held as a record with attributes and connections, rather than as a keyword. Being recognized as an entity is what lets a model say your name with confidence instead of describing a category.
Strings versus things
Older search matched the string "northline plumbing" against pages containing those words. Entity-based systems hold a record: this business, at this location, offering these services, with these reviews, connected to these profiles.
Once you exist as a record, systems can reason about you. Until then, you are text someone might match.
What builds the record
Consistent details across the web, so the system is confident all those mentions are the same business. Structured data on your own site stating your facts formally. Links from your site to your profiles, using sameAs. Being mentioned by other credible sites - local press, suppliers, associations, chambers.
None of it is exotic. It is the accumulation of unambiguous, corroborated references.
Why it decides AI outcomes
A model naming a specific business is making a claim it needs support for. A strong entity record supplies that support. A weak one produces the generic answer: "search for plumbers in your area and check reviews."
How to strengthen yours
Fix inconsistencies first. Add Organization schema with sameAs links. Get mentioned somewhere real - a supplier's installer list, a local news piece, a trade association directory. Three genuine mentions outperform fifty directory submissions.
The short version
- An entity is a record, not a keyword
- Consistency plus corroboration builds it
- Organization schema with sameAs links your profiles together
- A few genuine mentions beat bulk directory submissions
Related questions
Do I need a Wikipedia page?
No. Very few local businesses qualify, and it is not a requirement.
What is sameAs?
A schema property listing your official profiles, telling systems those accounts are the same business as your site.
How long does it take?
Months. It accumulates rather than switching on.
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Want this checked on your own business?
The free visibility check shows what AI assistants say about you today, where you sit on the map grid, and the three fixes worth doing first.
