The entity checklist

Search stopped being about matching strings a long time ago. If a system does not recognise your business as a distinct thing in the world, it cannot confidently recommend you.

An entity is a thing a system can identify, describe and connect to other things: a business, a person, a place, a service. Being an entity is what lets a machine say "this is the same business mentioned in that review and that directory" rather than treating each mention as unrelated text.

Step 1. Define yourself unambiguously

• One canonical business name. Decide it, write it down, use it everywhere without variation.
• An About page that states plainly what the business is, who runs it, where it operates, when it started, and who it serves. This page is read far more by machines than by people.
• Organization or LocalBusiness schema markup carrying the same facts, with sameAs links to every profile you control.
• One page per service, each describing a single thing.
• Consistent facts everywhere. A different founding year on your About page and your LinkedIn is exactly the ambiguity that costs you.

Step 2. Build a footprint that can be cross-checked

A single source claiming something is an assertion. Several independent sources agreeing is an entity. The point of this list is not backlinks, it is corroboration.

• Google Business Profile, complete and current.
• LinkedIn company page, with the same facts and a real description.
• The main directories in your sector and country.
• Trade associations, accreditation registers, licensing bodies. These carry disproportionate weight because they are independently maintained.
• Supplier and manufacturer installer or partner listings, if you have them. Frequently the strongest signal a trade business owns, and almost always forgotten.
• Local chamber of commerce or business improvement district listings.

Step 3. Connect to things already known

Entities are understood partly through their relationships. Referencing known entities correctly makes yours easier to place.

• Name the towns you serve, precisely, using their real names.
• Name the brands you install, service or stock.
• Name the accreditations you hold, in full, with numbers where they exist.
• Reference real published research or standards where relevant, and link to the source.
• Name your people. A business with identifiable humans is easier to resolve than a faceless one.

The audit

Do this once, then annually

• Search your business name in quotes and list every place it appears. Note any contradictions.
• Ask an AI assistant "tell me about [business name] in [town]" and read the answer for errors.
• Check your schema markup with a validator and confirm the facts match your site.
• Confirm the founding year, address and phone are identical everywhere.
• Find one independent register or listing you are eligible for and are not on. Add it.