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Entity.In plain English.

Definition

Updated

An entity is a distinct thing, such as a business, person or place, that search engines and AI models recognize and connect facts to.

Google introduced its Knowledge Graph in 2012 as a model of real-world things and how they relate, under the line 'things, not strings'. It describes the graph as holding millions of entries about entities such as people, places and things.

When many sources describe your business the same way, it is easier for engines to connect those facts to one business rather than several. Google says Organization markup helps it understand an organization's details and disambiguate it in search results.

Consistent names, linked profiles and structured data all help your business become a clear entity. In schema markup, sameAs lists the URLs of your profiles on other sites, such as your Business Profile, Yelp or Facebook page, and Google lets you list several.

For a local business, Google recommends the most specific LocalBusiness type, such as Plumber or Dentist, and requires the name and address.

Example: 'Smith & Sons HVAC', 'Smith and Sons Heating' and 'Smith HVAC LLC' on different sites look like three businesses. One name, one address and sameAs links to every profile make them one.

Sources

  1. Google for Developers: Knowledge Graph Search API, checked Nov 5, 2026
  2. Google: Introducing the Knowledge Graph: things, not strings (May 2012), checked Nov 5, 2026
  3. Google Search Central: Organization structured data, checked Nov 5, 2026
  4. Schema.org: sameAs, checked Nov 5, 2026