The world of SEO is vast and ever-evolving. As technologies develop, our understanding of how to rank, optimize, and bring visibility to our content must also progress. One of the profound shifts we're seeing in the SEO landscape is the rise of 'Entity SEO'. But what is it, and why is it so vital for our digital success?
Entity SEO Demystified
To lay it out plainly, an entity can be defined as anything deserving of a Wikipedia article or an Encyclopaedia Britannica page entry. Whether it's as specific as the Eiffel Tower or as broad as hiking, entities are concepts that we, as humans, inherently understand. Dixon Jones, the CEO of Inlinks, puts it aptly:
"These are concepts that, as humans, we understand. And the thing about describing a page of content in terms of entities is you suddenly cut down the amount of memory that is needed to store that information."
Why Entities Matter to Search Engines
Consider a search engine attempting to comprehend a page of text. To do so, it needs to jump from one idea to another. Translating these ideas into a series of numbers (representing lookups in an encyclopaedia) makes it easier for the engine to organise vast amounts of information. These numbers not only serve as a unique identifier but also tell a story. They can be translated back into any language, presenting a similar narrative.
Branding in the Age of Entity SEO
Brands, both personal and corporate, need to ensure they're consistently associated with relevant topics. For instance, with his venture Majestic, Dixon was keen on positioning it authoritatively around the concept of backlinks. In this realm of entity SEO, disambiguation becomes critical. A brand must spend considerable effort ensuring it's recognised for its intended association.
Case in Point: Mustang – the word could signify a car, a wild horse, or even an aeroplane. If you're selling the car variant, the content needs to be so crafted that the association is clear. Tools like Inlinks, with their natural language processing algorithms, attempt to determine these associations based on the proximity to other entities.
Harnessing the Power of Knowledge Graphs
Inlinks looks at web pages and turns content into knowledge graphs, mapping out the most pivotal ideas. By associating these ideas with a Wikipedia URL, they ensure clarity about which entity they're addressing. This two-way communication, aligned with Google's database and other substantial knowledge graphs, aids in precise content interpretation.
Adapting to the Future: Action Points
Understand the Core of Your Brand: Know the primary entities you want to be associated with.
Disambiguate Effectively: Ensure clarity in your brand's message, eliminating confusion.
Leverage Tools: Platforms like Inlinks can help in bridging the gap between content and its correct entity association.
Conclusion: Embrace the Entity Revolution
Entities, by offering a systematic way to classify vast amounts of information, have changed the SEO game. As Google continues to prioritize this approach, understanding and adapting to entity SEO becomes indispensable for brands aiming for digital visibility.