In the fast-paced world we live in, people are busier than ever, often seeking quick and concise information about brands, notable figures, or locations. To cater to this need, Google introduced the Knowledge Panel in 2012. The primary goal of this launch was to offer essential details about a brand, personality, or place without requiring users to click on any website links.
In 2022, Semrush examined over 600,000 searches and found out that 25.6% of desktop users and 17.3% of mobile users didn’t click on website links in Google’s search engine results pages – they were ‘’zero-click’’ searches.
What does that mean?
It means users are getting the required information on the top of the SERPs and they don’t feel the need to open any website to learn more. That particular segment of information that shows at the top or right side of the SERPs is called the Google Knowledge Panel.
Now that we have given you a sneak peek, let’s dive deeper!
What is Google’s Knowledge Panel?
Google’s Knowledge Panel is referred to as a highlighted segment with 3-5 blocks of information along with 3-4 images of a search entity – places, personalities, and businesses as entities. Generally, this is the standard format that Google uses for the knowledge panels.
Here’s an example for a pop star.
As we see, for Michael Jackson, Google has displayed the date of birth and when he died, his professional details along with a few pictures.
In the case of businesses and companies, though, Google provides information about the founder, co-founder, history, headquarters, founding date, and other relevant details.
Here’s an example:
All the information that appears in the Google knowledge panel comes from the Google knowledge graph. According to Google, their knowledge graph had approximately 500 billion facts about different entities in 2020. All these facts come from various notable sources.
Now that we have covered the basics, let’s move over to another very important aspect of the Google knowledge panel.
Is Google Knowledge Panel Worth Caring About?
Here is the thing: if you want your name or your business name to appear on the search result page when a user is searching for you or your business, it’s truly worth caring about. When someone types in your name or your brand name, Google wants you to stand out among all searches, providing a better experience to the user.
Moreover, if your business name is on the knowledge panel, it reflects your authority in that particular industry. And more and more people searching for it shows that they want some kind of information. If the top section of the SERPs is filled with information exclusively about your business, chances are that people will click the links leading to your website.
How to Get One for Your Business?
By now you might have understood the importance of knowledge panels but the question is, how can you get one for your business?
Well, it primarily depends on Google to show those knowledge panels for your business.
Typically, Google search results are divided into two categories:
Personal or Branded Panels
These panels will appear on the search results automatically if your brand has enough authority. Generally, well-known brands and personalities get this place.
Local Panels
Local panels are more tailored to specific locations. For example, if you search for a company “Aquafina’’, the results that will appear on the screen will be the nearest to your location with company details, their products, product images, etc.
How to ensure your brand gets on the Google Knowledge Panel?
Although claiming your knowledge panels isn’t that easy as it depends on a lot of factors that aren’t in your control, you can still try your luck by following a certain procedure. It includes setting up the Google Business Profile and verifying other necessary details.
Follow these 6 steps:
- Search Yourself in the Browser
- Get Indexed in Google’s Knowledge Graph
- Develop a Strong Network (Secondary Sources)
- Set up Your Google Business Profile
- Create/Update Your About Page
- Build High Authority Links
Now let’s briefly go over these steps and see what exactly needs to be done to get your brand on the Knowledge Panel.
Search Yourself in the Browser (Google)
The first and foremost step is to search for yourself in the Google browser. See if you have the knowledge panel. Don’t worry if it’s inaccurate or outdated. You can verify it and make all the required changes by clicking on the ‘’Claim this knowledge panel’’ at the bottom of the panel.
Get indexed in Google’s Knowledge Graph
The second step is getting yourself indexed in Google Knowledge Graph. This is applicable only if you don’t have the knowledge panel.
To get into the knowledge graph, make sure that your information is coming from various sites and not just from your website.
As Google picks most of the information from Wikipedia, you must be thinking of creating your own Wikipedia page, right? Unfortunately, it stands in violation of Wikipedia’s guidelines. Even if you do so, it’s very likely that it will be removed from their platform.
So how to go about this?
Develop a Strong Network (Secondary Sources)
Developing a strong secondary network is also one significant step to getting the Google knowledge panel. It means your information should be published on various platforms. Putting it simply, Google wants other people to write or talk about you on their social media platforms, magazines, websites, etc.
Remember, you can’t write any article about yourself on Wikipedia until or unless you don’t have other notable information sources. There are several ways to build a strong network:
- Article featured in national and local newspapers.
- Articles published in journals.
- Appearance on TV channels.
- Appearance on podcasts.
Set up Your Google Business Profile
As mentioned above, setting up Google’s business profile is mandatory for your business if you want a knowledge panel. Register your business, add images, business details, opening and closing hours, etc.
Once the business profile is verified, it becomes easy to update information for the users searching for your business.
Create/Update your About Page
The “about” page of your business website depicts a lot. It describes who you are, what your business is about, what you provide, what sets you apart from other businesses, and a lot more that’s essential about your business.
So, if you don’t have an “about” page on your website, create one; or if you already have one, update it with as much useful information as you can.
Build High Authority Links
Backlinks build trust in your business. It also helps in improving the domain authority and driving traffic. Strong backlinking signals Google crawlers that other businesses and people trust you.
These steps are very helpful in getting Google’s Knowledge Panel. However, you can’t decide what to add to these boxes. All you can do is, work on building your authority, adding user-focused content, and using effective SEO strategies.
To sum up, the Google Knowledge Panel is your exclusive spotlight on the top fold of the SERPS. Whether you’re a brand aiming for recognition or an individual wanting to stand out, the Knowledge Panel is important.
More likely, through the combination of consistent marketing and branding, adding structured data, building an authentic Google Business Profile, and acquiring coverage from secondary sources, you might get landed on the Google Knowledge Panel.