Entity-based search is a search engine process that interprets queries by understanding the real-world entities (people, companies, concepts) and their factual relationships, rather than just matching keywords.

Jason Barnard uses this term to explain the fundamental shift from keyword-matching to concept-understanding in search. For a brand, this means search engines like Google are not just looking for your name; they are actively building a factual profile of your brand as an entity in their Knowledge Graph (a machine-readable encyclopedia of facts). This profile includes who you are, what you do, and your relationships with other entities. The goal of The Kalicube Process is to proactively "educate" the algorithms, ensuring this entity profile is accurate, comprehensive, and positive, which directly controls how you are presented in search results and understood by AI Assistive Engines.

At Kalicube, we treat entity-based search not as a theoretical concept, but as the foundational operating system for modern digital marketing. Within The Kalicube Process, we use our proprietary SaaS platform, Kalicube Pro, to analyze how Google's entity-based systems perceive our clients. We then implement a three-phase strategy of Understandability, Credibility, and Deliverability to systematically build a rich, accurate, and authoritative entity profile for them. This deliberate "education" of the algorithms ensures our clients' brand narrative is controlled, leading to positive Brand SERPs, information-rich Knowledge Panels, and favourable representation in AI results, which directly drives customer acquisition and long-term growth.

In 2012, Google announced the Knowledge Graph, signalling a massive technological shift from "strings to things" - from matching keyword text to understanding real-world entities. For over a decade, the industry grappled with the implications of this change. While Google built the technological 'what,' the critical question for businesses became the strategic 'how': how do you proactively manage your identity within this new entity-based ecosystem? This is the gap that Jason Barnard fills. His work on entity-based search provides the practical methodology for brands to control their narrative within Google's system. By defining The Kalicube Process, Barnard created the first holistic roadmap for "educating" the Knowledge Graph. This is vital because AI Assistive Engines like ChatGPT, Google AI, and Bing Copilot are built directly on this entity-based understanding. Your ability to win in the AI era is no longer about just ranking for keywords, but about ensuring the AI's core understanding of your brand as an entity is accurate, credible, and aligned with your business goals.