Entity
An entity is a distinct thing — a company, person, product or place — that a search or AI system recognises and reasons about as a single identifiable object.
Modern systems do not merely match strings; they resolve references to entities. 'Acme', 'Acme Ltd' and 'acme.com' should all resolve to one entity with known attributes and relationships.
Entity resolution fails when a business presents inconsistently — three name variants across a site, no structured data, no links to profiles elsewhere. The system cannot confidently determine that these references describe one company, and low confidence produces omission.
Why it matters
Entity clarity is the foundation everything else rests on. A business a model cannot confidently identify will not be recommended, however good its content.
An example
A company appears as "Northstar Legal" on its website, "Northstar Legal LLP" on a directory, and "Northstar Law" on a review site, with no structured data connecting them. A system reading all three cannot be confident they are one firm — especially if an unrelated Northstar exists elsewhere. The same references, stated consistently and linked with sameAs, resolve cleanly into one entity.
Common mistakes
- Using different name variants across the site, profiles and listings.
- Assuming a website alone establishes an entity. Independent sources that agree with it are what make it credible.
Questions
- How do I make my business a recognised entity?
- State your name, category, location and key facts consistently everywhere, publish Organization structured data with sameAs links to real profiles, and earn mentions on independent sites that describe you the same way. Consistency across sources is the signal.
- Why would an AI mix my business up with another one?
- Usually because names are similar and the distinguishing details — location, category, website — are missing or inconsistent. Clear, matching facts across sources are what let a system tell two businesses apart.