Entity-attribute modeling is the latest game-changer in organic lead generation.
While most marketers are still playing the keyword game, the winning players are those with systems in place that Google can comprehend on a semantic level.
Here’s the thing…
Search engine optimization no longer just matches keywords. It matches the meaning. And this fundamental change has created massive new opportunities for companies that can successfully adjust to it.
Here’s a preview of what you can expect:
- What Is Entity-Attribute Modeling?
- Why Traditional Lead Generation Doesn’t Work
- How Entities Drive Organic Traffic
- Building Your Entity-Based Lead Generation Strategy
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
What Is Entity-Attribute Modeling?
Entity-attribute modeling describes how information is stored about objects and things in the world in search engine databases.
Let’s break it down:
An entity is anything in the world that can be uniquely identified. A human being, a product, a company, even an abstract concept like “web hosting service” can be an entity.
Each entity has a set of attributes. The attributes for a business entity might include the company name, the industry and niche, the location, and a summary of the services it provides.
The important detail is that entities are not isolated from one another. They have defined relationships with one another.
Google’s Knowledge Graph maintains these relationships. When a search is conducted, the results come from a connected network of related entities.
Why Traditional Lead Generation Falls Short
Traditional organic lead generation was built around keywords.
The goals were to identify high-volume keywords. Stuff those keywords into as many places as possible on web pages. Publish those pages. Cross fingers.
The problem?
Keywords don’t really match meaning anymore. Search engines have evolved.
Intriguingly, new Metrics Marketer data details insights from 1.6 million business leaders on topics related to organic lead generation. The findings are extremely revealing.
Businesses succeeding in organic lead generation are doing something fundamentally different. They’re optimizing for both entities and the relationships that those entities have with other entities.
This fact becomes apparent when we see that 61% of marketers say generating leads is their biggest struggle. The number has remained fairly consistent for some time.
Why? Because most of the marketers are still stuck on an outdated framework.
How Entities Drive Organic Traffic
The reason that optimizing around entities is more successful is that it works better with the way that Google now processes information.
Once search engines can accurately identify which entity a content piece covers and how it relates to other topics, that content can be matched with a long list of relevant search queries.
This is because it has now:
- Greater visibility to more qualified target audiences
- Better stability in rankings over time
- Potential to rank for dozens of related terms using the same piece of content
The transition from keyword matching to understanding entities has been a process. Google’s Knowledge Graph, with its slogan of “Things, not strings,” was launched as far back as 2012.
Companies that create pages with content that is structured to highlight clear entity relationships see improvements in organic visibility. Greater organic visibility brings in more traffic. More traffic equals more leads.
Building Your Entity-Based Lead Generation Strategy
Wondering how to start making this all happen? Follow the proven framework below.
Identify Your Core Entities
Begin by creating a map of the most important entities that pertain to your business.
Every business is concerned with a set of core entities that it should be “owning” in search engine results. These typically include the brand itself, the product or services offered, target customer segments, and the industry niche.
Map Entity Relationships
Outline how these core entities relate to each other and to other topics in your industry.
Let’s take the example of a CRM software company:
- CRM software → sales teams → lead management → revenue growth
- CRM software → customer data → personalization → customer retention
These relationships form chains that when converted into content can uncover hidden opportunities ignored by most competitors.
Create Entity-Rich Content
It’s now time to develop content that distinctly sets up these entity relationships.
This isn’t keyword stuffing. It’s about creating all-encompassing content that naturally touches on an entity and its most important associations.
Implement Structured Data
The technical side also plays a role in this.
Schema markup tells search engines exactly which entities are present in a content piece. It eliminates all uncertainty about what your page is about.
Monitor and Refine
It is now time to observe how Google begins to view the entities you cover.
Google’s Knowledge Graph API allows queries to be run to determine what entities Google associates with certain search terms. Research indicates that marketing automation can increase qualified leads by 451% when combined with quality content. Entity optimization lays the groundwork for more successful marketing automation efforts.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Entity-based content optimization is not complicated. However, marketers make many mistakes in the process.
Mistake #1: Targeting Too Broadly
This is the mistake of businesses attempting to establish entity authority over dozens of topics that are not actually interconnected. Focus on a tight cluster of core entities. Dominate them before moving on to more subjects.
Mistake #2: Leaving Out Entity Attributes
Another mistake is to leave out some of the attributes that define an entity. If you’re a marketing agency, attributes could include your specializations, target industries, team expertise, and location. Leave no attribute off.
Mistake #3: Neglecting Technical Implementation
Publishing excellent content but not using structured data to reinforce the presence of the entities is a waste of results. Why let the algorithm second-guess what the page is about when a clear manual is provided?
Mistake #4: Waiting for Instant Results
Building entity authority takes time. The same entities will need to be reinforced by multiple pieces of content before Google trusts the signals.
Wrapping It All Up
Entity-attribute modeling is the future of organic lead generation strategies.
The brands winning at SEO today are no longer just playing the keyword game. They’re building interconnected libraries of content that search engines can better understand at a semantic level.
The key takeaways:
- Entities are the structures of information with which Google organizes the world
- Attributes and relationships to other entities form each entity
- Content optimized around entities ranks for more associated queries
- Schema markup accelerates entity recognition
Begin outlining your core entities today. Publish content that establishes relationships between them. Reinforce these efforts with appropriate structured data.
Entity-attribute modeling… this is what organic lead generation now looks like.
