High-quality, consistent listing management services help businesses remain visible and accessible in consumer search for the AI Age. Alongside keywords, entity signals are the major way that search and answer engines weigh relevant data to rate, rank and supply business information to consumers. The bad news is that inconsistent citations create challenges that keep businesses from landing in front of consumers. Let’s take a look at what role local citations play in developing strong entity signals.
What Are Entity Signals in Local Search?
Google defines entity signals as “any piece of data or context cue that helps its algorithms identify, understand and establish relationships between entities.” An entity is a distinct concept, idea or thing that can be identified, such as a person, location, event, product or in our case, a uniquely identifiable business. Entity signals make sure responses sync up closely with user intent.
Search engines like Google and Bing use structured data in business listings to verify a business’ legitimacy, making NAP data (name, address, phone number) key to visibility. Other elements like business type, category, and products and services make the business easier to identify and relate to the consumer’s original search topic—and of course, that relationship is important. Entity signals in local search expand optimization beyond keywords towards a more entities-centered approach.
Top Ways Citations & Listings Affect Entity Signals
Now that we have a basic understanding of business entities and entity signals, how does this relate to local citations & business listings? We’re going to look at four main ways citations affect entity signals, what it means for your clients, and how we can help you continue to provide services that help your clients thrive.
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