The Google algorithm has considerably improved since the first days of link building and keyword stuffing. The emphasis was shifted away from keywords and toward entity-based search engine optimisation, which was the most significant change (SEO).
Traditional SEO used a simple approach focused on keywords and the underlying user intent. However, Google goes above and beyond in its efforts to improve search by taking into consideration a number of factors, such as context, user intent, and relationships between words, which are all part of modern entity-based SEO.
What is entity-based SEO?
Entity-based SEO refers to a search engine’s attempt to produce the most accurate search engine results by tying together user intent, context, and the interaction between words.
Only humans are capable of understanding the intricacies of language; machines typically treat phrases literally. Entity SEO links entities with their meanings, contexts, and intentions by constructing knowledge graphs from the Google Knowledge Graph, LinkedIn, Wikidata, or Amazon’s product graph.
For instance, when the actor who portrays the “shiny vampire in Twilight” is searched for, a profile for Edward Cullen is displayed. The actor who portrayed the part, “Robert Pattinson”, is also mentioned by the panel. Google provided the answer even without our typing “Robert Pattinson” or “Edward Cullen”.
According to Google, anything that is “single, unique, well-defined, and recognisable” is considered an SEO entity.
According to this definition, an entity can be anything that isn’t an actual or physical item, such as colour, date, unit of currency, or concept. In contrast to keywords, which are used to spell out a word specific to a language, an entity has meaning and is different from the language and related phrases that are used to designate it.
How do entities & keywords work together?
Google initially concentrated on keywords. What prompted the change to entities, then? Here are three reasons:
- Keywords may be unclear. Many English terms have various meanings. Think of the company Apple and apple as an example (fruit). You will receive a poor variety of results if context, search intent, or comparable terms are ignored.
- It’s common for keywords to be language-specific. For instance, the keyword “la casa” in Spanish literally means “the house” or “la maison” in English and French respectively.
- Using keywords to create relationships is impossible. This is because Google couldn’t tell that they were connected at the time, different web pages from the same website may rank for different versions of keywords.
However, keywords weren’t entirely eliminated when Google switched to entities. The contextual terms are still used to define entities. These keywords enable search engines to find your material and connect it to related resources.
Advantages of entity-based SEO
Entity search has evolved as a result of how people conduct searches. Content discoverability and presentation are impacted by voice search, tailored search results, and mobile search.
The following examples highlight the significance of entities:
1. Better search results
The searcher experience has improved since Google switched to entity-based SEO. Entity-based SEO has enabled new search techniques like voice search (via digital assistants) and chatbots possible as well as improved mobile search results (through mobile-first indexing). Google has also started to consider numerous entities and decide how to interpret search intent depending on factors like:
- User search history: Google provides tailored results based on your search history. When you search for “staging,” Google may provide results for “staging sites” rather than “home staging,” for instance, if your most recent searches were for WordPress and websites.
- Global search history: Google takes into consideration current events and global search when displaying search results.
- Search location: Google takes into account your location for pertinent results. For instance, a search for “coffee shops near me” returns the closest ones.
- Spelling variation: Regardless of spelling differences, Google can still deliver pertinent search results.
Additionally, entity-based SEO helps companies and brands become more discoverable in addition to searchers. Companies can now rank for keywords that Google previously didn’t view as relevant to their brand. For instance, brands like Adidas can rank terms like “running shoes”, “basketball shoes”, or “CrossFit shoes”.
2. Improved translations
By using context hints from other languages and homonyms, search engines can identify relevant entities. If the searcher’s settings permit it, terms like “rojo” (Spanish) and “rouge” (French) may also appear in results for the keyword “red”.
3. Builds Google’s knowledge graph
In SEO, entities are utilised to help Google create its knowledge graphs.
Rich snippets are created with knowledge graphs (or Google results with additional data). For instance, these rich snippets include:
- The featured snippets on Google search results (which appear before the top result)
- Review ratings
- Recipes
- On event listings, the time and location
It is useful to have an entity-based SEO strategy in place to improve your success rate.
Conclusion
Entities are the most critical concept in contemporary SEO. Thanks to entities, search engines can now return better search results due to improved semantic search.
With this new information, you may want to improve the content on your website accordingly. Luckily, at Weave Asia, we provided practical solutions for enhancing your website’s entity SEO, as well as your overall digital marketing strategy. Get in touch with us today to get your company SEO-started!
