Entity salience · Salience score
Salience is a score that measures the importance of an entity within a text, computed notably by Google’s Natural Language API. A target entity with low salience signals diluted content: the text covers several topics without the main one standing out.
Standalone definition · 41 words
How does salience work?
Entity analysis in Google’s Natural Language API identifies the entities in a text and gives each a salience score between 0 and 1. The higher the score, the more central the entity is in the analyzed text.
Why does salience matter for GEO?
A passage whose main entity has low salience is harder to tie to a subject. Measuring salience serves as an indicator of how focused the content is. Google does not present this score as a ranking factor, though: it is a tool metric, useful as a diagnostic.
How do you use it?
Run strategic pages through the Natural Language API, note the salience of the target entity and its competitors in the text, then refocus the title, introduction and sections to name the subject explicitly. Compare before and after the change.
Frequently asked questions
Is salience a ranking factor?
Google does not say so. It is a Natural Language API score, to be used as an editorial diagnostic.
What score should I aim for?
There is no official threshold. Compare the target entity with the other entities in the text and with competing pages.
Does salience apply to headings?
It applies to any analyzed text. Headings and first lines naturally carry the main subject.
Related terms
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