Entity-based SEO: how to get your brand recognised in search results and AI answers

For years, SEO revolved mainly around pages. A services page had to rank well in terms of a services keyword, a category page had to show which products you sell, and a local page had to show Google where you operate. All of that remains important for rankings, but it is no longer enough.

With the rise of AI Search, AI Overviews, Gemini and Google’s AI Mode, the focus is shifting. When a search query is entered, Google no longer simply provides a link to websites, but also offers an AI-generated introduction or answer. That’s why Google needs to be able to easily understand who you are, what you do, who you’re relevant to, and why someone should trust you. This represents a genuine shift, from page optimisation to entity optimisation.

What is an entity?

By ‘entity’, we mean a recognisable unit that Google can understand. This could be a company, a brand, a person, a product, a place, an organisation or even a concept. In the context of search engine optimisation, it primarily means that your website can no longer be a collection of separate URLs. Every page must now help Google form the best possible picture of your brand. 

• A services page shows what you offer
• An ‘About Us’ page shows who’s behind it
• A case study demonstrates experience
• Reviews demonstrate reputation
• Job vacancies show how you position yourself as an organisation
• External mentions show what others are saying about you

All these signals together form a body of evidence from which AI systems can distil a clear picture of your brand.

Why is entity optimisation becoming important for SEO and GEO?

In traditional search results, users had to choose for themselves from a number of blue URL links. AI search results work differently: the system immediately summarises, compares, filters and sometimes directly recommends options. To do this, the system must understand which companies or brands are relevant to the user’s query.

After all, an AI system cannot recommend a good marketing agency if it does not understand what that agency specialises in. It cannot recommend an online shop if its product information is a mess. It cannot display a local service provider if the location, services and reviews contradict one another.

That’s why consistency is becoming more important. Your profile must use the same, recognisable text, and the essence of your brand must be consistent across the board. Your website, Google Business Profile, social media, reviews, press mentions, directories and job vacancy pages must all tell the same story. That way, you’re more likely to be picked up by Google.

Pages become pieces of evidence

For SEO and GEO, pages used to be written with one main question in mind: “Which keyword should this page rank for?” This has now become too narrow and should be rephrased as: “What does this page teach Google and AI systems about our business?” To answer that, websites will need to be approached differently.

• A services page no longer contains just the keyword. It must clearly explain what you offer, who it’s intended for, what problems you solve and what sets your approach apart from others.
• A case study does more than just attract traffic. It must demonstrate that you have experience in a specific sector, with a particular challenge and a concrete result.
• A team page no longer simply lists names and functions. It must highlight expertise, roles and credibility.
• A review or testimonial section isn’t just there to build trust. Testimonials help AI understand exactly what customers value about you.

Don’t create more content – create better content

Many companies are responding to AI Search by producing more content: more blogs, more landing pages, more generic explanations. But that really doesn’t solve the problem. If your brand story remains vague, adding extra content mainly just creates extra noise. AI systems may receive more text, but not necessarily a clearer picture.

So, focus primarily on these questions:

• What do you want to be known for?
• Which services or products are strategically most important?
• Which target audiences do you want to attract?
• What expertise should Google automatically associate with your brand?
• What evidence supports your positioning?

Only when that is clear does content become truly stronger.

SEO is becoming brand architecture

The SEO specialist of the past was optimising pages. Today’s SEO and GEO experts must help build brand understanding. This requires working on:

• Clear entities
• Consistent signals
• Strong internal relationships
• Structured data
• Genuine expertise
• External validation

Scheme markups and reviews aren’t magic solutions in themselves, but they do help Google to form a more reliable picture. The future of SEO no longer lies in being found via keywords, but in being understood as a brand.