What is Google knowledge panel and how do I get a Google knowledge panel?

Google first introduced the knowledge panel in May 16, 2012, as a way to significantly enhance the value of information returned by Google searches, and it has graced the top of Google’s search results.

What is Google knowledge panel and how do I get?

The knowledge panel pulls the data like in key facts, pictures, reviews, and even social profiles related to your search query. It’s essentially Google’s way of trying to get you to the information you’re looking for faster, with less clicks and less reading. Because the knowledge panel is so visible in Google’s search results, it will be a great branding opportunity for an organization.

But how does Google decide when a search query deserves a knowledge panel? Where does Google get the information for its knowledge panels?

Information from the Knowledge Graph is presented as a box, which Google has referred to as the “knowledge panel”, to the right (top on mobile) of search results. According to Google, this information is retrieved from many sources, including the CIA World Factbook, Wikidata, and Wikipedia. In October 2016, Google announced that the Knowledge Graph held over 70 billion facts.

How Many Types of knowledge panel?

There are two main types of knowledge panel.

1. Brand — Brand panels contain general entity information including social profiles, product descriptions, and the entity’s creation date, among others. Local panels contain locally focused details including locations, building addresses, Yelp pages and reviews.
2. Local — In local You’ll notice it shows photos, contact info, reviews and a “People also searched for” section.

Example of Brand Knowledge Panel

Example of Local Knowledge Panel

It’s generally easier to prompt Google to display a local panel for your business rather than a brand panel. In fact, if you have a verified company Google+ (non-operational April 2, 2019) page and your website is old enough, you may already see a local knowledge panel when you search for your company name.

Unlike the local knowledge panel, the brand knowledge panel includes a logo, a Wikipedia summary, key organizational information, and interestingly enough, no reviews.

Data Source used by Google for Knowledge Panel, Here are 4 databases we’ve identified that Google relies on to populate the Knowledge Panel:

1. Wikipedia — Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia. Google frequently scrapes Wikipedia entries when building the Knowledge Panel.
2. Structured Data — Schema markup on a website that gives Google instructions on what the date and text on a page mean.
3. Freebase — Freebase is an online database. It is not as large as Wikipedia, but it is still a large source of structured data. Freebase entered read-only mode in early 2015, so the database is no longer editable.
4. Wikidata — Wikidata is a structured database that is maintained by Wikimedia, the same company that runs Wikipedia.

How do I get a brand Knowledge Panel?

I recommend following these steps to get your brand Knowledge Panel.

1. Create your Wikipedia page or find someone or learn about the Wikipedia ecosystem and create it yourself.
2. Add your organization’s info to Wikidata or learn about the Wikidata ecosystem and create it yourself.
3. Create a Google My Business page for your organization and verify it. (Takes 7–12 days)
4. Add structured data to your website with the help of Google’s Structured Data Mark-up Helper.
5. Take stock of your competitors to see which ones have brand Knowledge Panel vs. local Knowledge Panel and which ones have neither. We use a spreadsheet to see where there’s overlap between competitors with brand Knowledge Panel (e.g. they all have a Wikipedia page, Google+, and Twitter profiles) and where there are holes. You can then try to copy everything that your brand KP competitor has done.
6. Generate online reviews on sites like Yelp, Google My Business, or industry specific sites reviewcounsel.org

Originally published at https://www.ravidigital.com on February 19, 2020.