sameAs (Schema Property)
sameAs is a schema. org property that connects an entity on your site to its canonical representation elsewhere on the web — typically Wikidata, Wikipedia, official social profiles, Crunchbase, and authoritative directories. A single Organization JSON-LD block with a well-curated sameAs array is one of the highest-leverage entity-signal moves available. Why it matters: sameAs is how AI engines and search engines confirm that the "Smart Money Media" mentioned on this site is the same Smart Money Media in the Knowledge Graph, Wikidata, and across the social web. Strong sameAs arrays directly increase entity confidence, knowledge-panel eligibility, and AI citation likelihood.
Why sameAs (Schema Property) matters
This property eliminates ambiguity for search engines by explicitly tying a local mention to a globally recognized identity. It effectively merges fragmented data points into a single, cohesive entity profile, which increases the probability of appearing in AI-generated answers and rich snippets.
In practice
A technical SEO professional adds a JSON-LD Organization block to a site, including a sameAs array that lists the brand's Crunchbase profile, X handle, and its official Wikidata entry.
Common mistake
Linking to generic homepage URLs or internal site pages rather than the specific entity profile on an authoritative third-party platform like Wikidata or LinkedIn.
How it connects
This property bridges the gap between structured data and Entity Recognition, directly influencing how Knowledge Panels are populated by Google.
Learn more:
→ AEO Pillar GuideFrequently Asked Questions
What is sameAs (Schema Property)?
In short: sameAs (Schema Property) is sameAs is a schema. See the full definition above for context.
Which platforms are most effective for this property?熟
Social media profiles are the most frequent additions, but for high-level entity resolution, you should include your Google Knowledge Graph ID, Wikidata QID, and official entries in industry-specific databases like Crunchbase or MapQuest. These provide a more stable verification of who you are than transient social feeds.
How does this differ from the mainEntityOfPage property?
The sameAs property specifically identifies an entity by pointing to a different URL that represents the exact same thing, while mainEntityOfPage indicates that the current page is primarily about the entity described. You use sameAs to show external identity and mainEntityOfPage to define internal content hierarchy.
Is there a limit to how many links I should include?
While it is technically possible to list dozens of links, you should focus on the top 5 to 10 most authoritative and verified sources. Excessively long lists including low-quality directories can dilute the identity signal and create noise for search crawlers trying to verify your core footprint.
Related Terms
@graph is a JSON-LD container that lets a single <script type="application/ld+json">…
Google AI ModeGoogle AI Mode is Google's dedicated conversational search experience that replaces the…
ClaudeClaude is Anthropic's family of large language models, used in the Claude.ai consumer…
GrokGrok is xAI's large language model, integrated natively into X (formerly Twitter) and…
Bing CopilotBing Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) is Microsoft's conversational AI search experience,…
Entity SalienceEntity salience is a measure of how central a given entity (person, organization,…