AI Search · Entity & schema
Entity &
Schema(05)Make sure AI knows exactly who you are.
AI tools piece together who you are from your website, profiles and directories. I make every source tell the same story, then tie them together with structured data, so you’re described correctly and never confused with someone else.
Illustrative profiles. Details are examples.
What are entities and schema?
An entity is your business as a machine understands it: one specific thing with a name, a type, a location and facts attached. Entity work makes sure Google and AI tools recognize you and can tell you apart from anyone similar. Schema markup is structured code on your site that spells those facts out.
Why it matters
If AI tools aren’t sure who you are, they hedge, mix you up with someone else or describe you wrong, like calling a repair shop a truck dealer. Clear, consistent information is what lets them say exactly what you do, with confidence. Schema helps, but consistency everywhere does the heavy lifting.
01 · Know how you’re seen
Entity audit
Find out what AI thinks you are.
I check how Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Bing describe your business: your name, what kind of business you are, where you work and what you’re known for. Wrong categories, vague descriptions and mix-ups with similar businesses all get listed, with the source behind each one.
Illustrative audit. Descriptions are examples.
02 · Know how you’re seen
Profile consistency
Every profile tells the same story.
Your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, directories and social profiles should agree on your name, category, description, founding date and logo. I line them all up behind one clear description of what you do, so every source backs up the others instead of contradicting them.
Illustrative profiles. Details are examples.
03 · Spell it out
Organization schema
Spell out the facts in code.
Organization and LocalBusiness schema give search engines and AI tools your official name, type, logo, address, phone and profiles in a format machines read without guessing. I write it to match what’s on the page, use the same ID across your site and validate it. It won’t get you cited on its own, but it removes doubt.
Illustrative markup. Details are examples.
04 · Spell it out
sameAs links
Connect your official profiles, both ways.
The sameAs part of your schema lists your official profiles (LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, Yelp, YouTube and so on), so machines know they’re all you. I make sure each one is listed and links back to your site, and close or merge old and unofficial profiles. Wikidata only if you genuinely meet its rules.
Illustrative profiles. Details are examples.
05 · Own your panel
Knowledge panels
The box that appears when people search your name.
For most local businesses, the panel people see is your Google Business Profile. Larger brands, founders and authors can also get a Knowledge Graph panel, which can’t be bought or created, only earned and then claimed. I make sure the facts behind it are right, claim it where possible and keep it accurate.
Illustrative panel. Details are examples.
Recognized · AI search
AI Search & GEO
Featured on two 2026 lists of AI search and GEO agencies.
Independent roundups are starting to sort out who actually specializes in AI search. Ritner Digital was included in both of these, recognized for AI visibility, entity SEO and content work, and for a direct, founder-led way of working.
From the blog
More on entities and schema
- Entity SEOWhat Is Entity SEO? The Complete Guide for B2B BrandsWhat entities are, how to audit yours and how to build them up.Read the post →
- Schema, honestlySchema Markup Is Overhyped for AI Search. Content Wins.Why schema is useful infrastructure, but not a shortcut to AI citations.Read the post →
- Local entitiesHow Cincinnati Businesses Can Get Cited by ChatGPT: Entity SEO, LocalizedAirtight entity signals for a local business, step by step.Read the post →
- CategoriesAI Always Names Anderson First.Including how AI tools sorted the same dealers into different categories.Read the post →
- Structured dataIndianapolis Website Audit: 20 SEO Problems That Cost Local Businesses LeadsIncluding what missing or outdated structured data really costs you.Read the post →
- ConsistencyIndianapolis Local Citations: Which Business Directories Actually Matter?The profiles worth keeping consistent, and the ones you can skip.Read the post →
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True BlueAutos
A commercial truck dealership in Greensburg, Indiana. We built an SEO content strategy around the questions real truck buyers ask, and in about three months their Google visibility grew fast.
- +48%Google clicks
- +93%Search impressions
First vs. last 30 days, July–October 2026, Google Search Console. Search growth, not verified sales.
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