Entity disambiguation
Entity disambiguation is how search engines and AI models work out which of several same-named things you mean, and how you help them pick you.
Entity disambiguation is how a search engine or AI model works out which thing a name refers to when several things share it. It's also the work you do to make sure, when the name is yours, that the system picks you.
If your brand name is unique, you rarely need to think about it. If it's a common word, a surname, or a name another business also uses, it's worth some effort.
How systems tell things apart
A model looks at the words around a name. "Pine" next to "espresso machine" and "grinder" points to Harrow & Pine. "Pine" next to "furniture" or "forest" points elsewhere.
It also leans on what it already knows: which websites belong to which business, what each one sells, where it's based. The more clearly those facts are tied to your name across the web, the easier the choice.
How to help
For example, say Fernhill Coffee shares its name with a village and a garden centre. Here's what helps the platforms keep them apart:
- Use the full name in your titles, your About page and your listings, so it reads Fernhill Coffee every time
- Say plainly what you are and where you are, in the same words, on your site and your profiles
- Add Organization structured data with your name, logo and links to your official profiles
- Get listed on reference sites, like Wikidata, with a description that sets you apart
In AnswerOrbit
You can tell us how to tell you apart too. In Settings, add every name and spelling that counts as you. If your name is a common word or another business shares it, open Matching to match its case exactly or to count it only in answers about certain words. Answers we can't place show up under Possibly another business, where you mark each one It's you or Not you.