Build one consistent identity
Use Organization, LocalBusiness, and WebSite information to reinforce the same real-world identity that visitors can see. Names, URLs, contact details, service areas, and profiles should agree across owned pages and major listings.
- Choose a canonical brand name and document legitimate aliases or prior names.
- Keep phone, address, domain, and service details current.
- Use stable @id values in JSON-LD to connect references to the same entity.
Use sameAs carefully
The sameAs property should point to profiles or identifiers that clearly represent the same entity. It is not a bucket for every directory, citation, article, or vaguely related account.
- Prefer official social profiles and authoritative identity records.
- Do not use sameAs for a partner, client, article, category page, or unrelated namesake.
- Make sure linked profiles display enough matching information to resolve ambiguity.
Wikidata candidates and ambiguous entities
Wikidata can be useful when an entity already meets its community standards and has reliable references. Forcing a thin or promotional entry is not an SEO strategy and may create more confusion than clarity.
- Check for existing entities with similar names before proposing a new record.
- Use reliable independent sources rather than the business website alone.
- Treat a Wikidata identifier as one corroborating reference, not a ranking token.
Audit consistency beyond schema
Machine-readable identity should match visible content, business profiles, social accounts, and major trusted directories. Conflicts should be resolved at the source rather than papered over with more markup.
- Compare the homepage, contact page, footer, Organization or LocalBusiness schema, and business listings.
- Document intentional differences such as a legal name versus a trading name.
- Avoid duplicating slightly different entities when one stable identity is correct.
Official references
- Schema.org Organization: Organization properties include names, alternate names, URLs, contact details, and sameAs references.
- Google Organization structured data: Google recommends accurate organization details that help disambiguate an organization.
- Wikidata notability policy: Wikidata entries must satisfy Wikidata's own structural or reference-based notability requirements.
FAQ
Does every business need a Wikidata item?
No. Wikidata has its own notability and sourcing standards. Consistent owned-site identity and accurate business listings are useful whether or not a Wikidata item exists.
Should every social profile be added to sameAs?
Only add profiles that clearly identify the same entity and are maintained enough to reduce ambiguity.
Can schema fix conflicting business information elsewhere?
No. Schema can state the intended identity, but conflicting visible pages and third-party profiles should be corrected directly.
Keep the Next Step Small
Use the related guides to confirm what the page needs. Ask for support only when the change reaches code, templates, or server settings you do not want to guess at.
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