Finding entities
To find the entities that matter for a topic, combine six methods: look up candidates in Google’s Knowledge Graph Search API and in Wikidata, run your and competitors’ text through Google Cloud’s Natural Language API, inspect search results and knowledge panels, read competitors’ structured data, and list the related entities that keep appearing together. Then record each entity with its identifier in an entity map.
Which methods should you use?
| Method | Best for | Cost | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge Graph Search API | Does Google have this entity? What ID and type? | API key | Guide |
| Wikidata | IDs, properties, official links, relationships | Free | Guide |
| Natural Language API | Which entities a text mentions and how central they are | Paid beyond free tier | Guide |
| SERP and knowledge panels | How Google presents an entity to searchers | Free | Guide |
| Competitor schema | Which entities competitors declare in JSON-LD | Free | Guide |
| Related entities | What a complete page on a topic must mention | Free | Guide |
What should you look for?
- Your own entities: organization, people, products, locations. Does each exist in Google’s Knowledge Graph and Wikidata, and are the facts right?
- Topic entities: the concepts, standards, tools and places a topic involves.
- Ambiguous names: other entities with the same or similar names (see disambiguation).
- Attributes: the properties engines associate with each entity type, such as founder, headquarters or service area.
What is a practical workflow?
- List seed topics and your own entities.
- Look each up in the Knowledge Graph Search API and Wikidata; record IDs.
- Search Google for each and note panels, “People also ask” questions and related searches (SERP inspection).
- Run the top-ranking pages and your page through the Natural Language API; compare entity lists.
- Extract competitors’ JSON-LD (competitor schema).
- Group everything in an entity map and assign entities to pages.
This workflow is practitioner practice; no search engine publishes an official entity-research method. Practitioner practice
What are the pitfalls?
- Cloud Natural Language output is not Google Search’s view of a page; it is a separate product.[1]
- Knowledge Graph API scores are not ranking metrics.[2]
- Copying competitors’ entity lists produces sameness; add entities from your own experience.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest free way to find entities?
Search Google and Wikidata for the topic, note the knowledge panel, related searches and Wikidata properties, and read the top pages' structured data.
Do I need paid tools?
No. The Knowledge Graph Search API needs an API key and the Natural Language API has usage costs beyond its free allowance, but Wikidata, SERP inspection and schema extraction are free.
See also
References
Pages accessed September 29, 2026 unless a date is given. See all sources and our editorial policy.
- ^ "Natural Language API basics". Google Cloud.
- ^ "Google Knowledge Graph Search API". Google for Developers.