In the evolving realm of search optimization, multi-location enterprises are turning to entity linking to sharpen their competitive edge. This technique, which connects on-site content to authoritative external knowledge bases, delivers unambiguous signals to search engines and AI systems. A recent case study from Search Engine Journal illustrates how Brightview Senior Living, operator of over 47 communities, leveraged entity linking to boost local rankings and non-branded query performance amid AI-driven search shifts.

Brightview faced typical hurdles for chains: search engines conflating ambiguous place names like Phoenix, Maryland, with Phoenix, Arizona, misdirecting users seeking “assisted living near me.” By adopting an entity-first approach, the company defined locations and services as distinct entities, then anchored them via schema.org markup to sources such as Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Google’s Knowledge Graph. Properties like “sameAs,” “mentions,” and “areaServed” provided the necessary disambiguation.

Disambiguating Locations Drives Precise Visibility

Implementation spanned community pages, blogs, and resources, forming a site-wide knowledge graph. Martha van Berkel, CEO of Schema App and the case study’s author, emphasized external linking’s role in clarifying content for machines. Krishna Madhavan, Bing’s Principal Product Manager, reinforced this in a Microsoft piece, noting, “Schema can label your content as a product, review, FAQ, or event, turning plain text into structured data that machines can interpret with confidence.”

Ryan Pitcheralle, Brightview’s SEO consultant, attributed gains directly to schema: “complete causation, not just correlation. This is why we’ve stayed competitive in clickthrough rate and performance while everyone else is sliding.” Results included a 25% rise in clicks and 30% in impressions for non-branded “assisted living” queries, plus 16% year-over-year click growth and 26% impression uplift across community pages—outpacing industry declines from AI Overviews.

Non-Branded Queries Benefit from Service Entity Mapping

Beyond Brightview, entity strategies proliferate. InLinks advocates entity referencing for topical authority, urging audits of content gaps against competitors to bolster semantic relevance. A 2025 survey cited there reveals 8 in 10 U.S. consumers search locally weekly, underscoring the stakes. Tools like InLinks categorize entities, enhancing internal linking and visibility.

Link-Assistant detailed a case where entity association, keyword clustering, and schema propelled a local business from zero traffic to page-one rankings. Starting with no backlinks or citations post-2016 domain registration, the site gained organic, maps, and Bing visibility by targeting geographic landmarks as entities.

Schema Powers AI and Traditional Search Accuracy

Schema App’s platform, used by Brightview, automates dynamic markup and entity linking for enterprises. Their research shows pages with linking see stronger clicks, vital as AI summaries reduce traditional traffic. Schema App reports Brightview’s entity analytics revealed higher impressions and CTR post-implementation, aligning with Google’s October 2025 Search Central Live emphasis on structured data.

HubSpot’s entity-based SEO explainer highlights Knowledge Graph connections enabling rankings beyond exact keywords. Content clusters with schema and internal links build authority, visualized via tools like HubSpot’s SEO recommendations. Fractl research notes 66% of consumers expect AI to supplant traditional search soon, prioritizing entity visibility.

Broader Industry Echoes Brightview’s Tactics

For multi-location brands, Searchscope recommends entity-rich content tying to local landmarks, bolstering internal links and on-page factors. Jasmine Directory stresses linking to Wikidata IDs for Knowledge Graph integration, citing Schema App data on SEO boosts. Google’s graph holds over 500 billion facts on 5 billion entities.

Forbes Councils post details hyperlocal entities like parks and events enhancing Google Business Profile metrics. A 2025 McKinsey study found 47% of consumers value “locally owned” traits, amplifying entity ties. Track GBP impressions for neighborhood terms and review mentions of landmarks.

Scaling Entity Strategies Across Chains

Prose Media’s entity-based link building evolves off-page SEO, associating brands with local entities for superior visibility over keyword links alone. Search Engine Land’s entity-first guide advises auditing top pages for canonical entities, aligning schema and links. Semrush data shows AI traffic converts 4x better.

X discussions amplify urgency. Search Engine Journal tweeted the Brightview case multiple times in January 2026, sparking insider buzz. Practitioners like Noel Ceta outline GBP optimization alongside entity tactics, while Schema App promoted van Berkel’s insights.

Future-Proofing Multi-Site Operations

Enterprise examples abound. Marriott manages 9,361 properties with entity governance, per MarTech. Rio SEO’s 2025 trends forecast structured data dominance for AI discovery. Whitespark’s 2026 factors prioritize GBP signals at 32%, reviews at 16%—entities underpin both.

Backlinko’s multi-location playbook stresses NAP consistency and location pages with schema. As AI like ChatGPT relies on entity patterns, brands must cultivate co-occurrences across Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and forums. Schema App observes entity-linked pages resist click declines, positioning adopters ahead.

Actionable Steps for Industry Leaders