Google\u2019s Knowledge Graph<\/b> is a database of entities that includes their attributes and how they relate to other entities.<\/p>\n
Google\u2019s Knowledge Panel<\/b> is a panel of information that presents entity information in the SERPs.<\/p>\n
Although Knowledge Panels on Google generally appear on the right-hand side of search results, for some more well-known entities, a Knowledge Panel will take up the entire above the fold section of the SERP.<\/p>\n
![\"Clint](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Clint-Eastwood-Knowledge-Panel.png\")
<\/p>\n
Why are Knowledge Panels important?<\/h2>\n
Google\u2019s Knowledge Panels are important for your SEO because they help you:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Generate trust and authority: <\/b>A Knowledge Panel is a significant trust signal when users search for a brand on Google. Its presence indicates that the business is established and considered an authoritative entity by the search engine.<\/li>\n
- Acquire more traffic:<\/b> Knowledge Panels take up significant SERP real estate, giving users more reason to click through to the entity, especially if the Knowledge Panel itself includes links to the official website or other web properties owned by the entity.<\/li>\n
- Increase your click-through rates:<\/b> Knowledge panels aim to answer simple queries in the SERP, but users may still click through to a website for more advanced needs. An informative knowledge panel can increase the perceived relevance and click-through rates.<\/li>\n
- Research Google entities:<\/b> You can use Knowledge Panels to understand how entities in Google\u2019s Knowledge Graph relate to each other. This will help you understand entity hierarchies and build out better topical maps<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Using Knowledge Panels in your SEO strategy<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s important to understand where Knowledge Panels fit into your SEO strategy<\/a>. To do that, let\u2019s use the Similarweb Keyword Analysis tool<\/a> to understand how users interact with Knowledge Panels in general.<\/p>\n
![\"Similarweb](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Similarweb-Keyword-Analysis-report-1024x448.png\")
<\/p>\nHere are some key Knowledge Panel stats:<\/b><\/p>\n
- \n
- 99.33%<\/b> of the results are organic<\/b><\/li>\n
- 69%<\/b> of keywords serve an informational intent<\/b><\/li>\n
- 21%<\/b> of keywords serve a navigational intent<\/b><\/li>\n
- 56%<\/b> of results resulted in a click<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The data indicates that the vast majority of the keywords serve informational or navigational search intent<\/a>, which, in general, is not profitable to advertisers, resulting in almost no ads. This makes sense because Knowledge Panels exist to give users a high-level summary of a topic so that they can explore it further rather than drive commercial activity.<\/p>\n
The key takeaway: <\/b>Knowledge Panels are great for generating awareness and visibility at the top of the funnel. They will help your brand build authority but will not directly generate revenue.<\/p>\n
How do Knowledge Panels work?<\/h2>\n
You now understand how they affect your SEO strategy; now, before we get into how to optimize your site to achieve a Knowledge Panel, let\u2019s first understand how Google creates them.<\/p>\n
Knowledge Panels are populated by information sourced from Google\u2019s Knowledge Graph. This includes two steps:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Gathering entity information for the Knowledge Graph<\/li>\n
- Generating a Knowledge Panel<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
1. Gathering entity information<\/h3>\n
To understand who or what an entity is about, Google searches its index to find any mention of the entity and analyzes:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Words commonly associated with the entity<\/li>\n
- Other entities that relate to the entity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The strongest signal for Google is a page that directly describes the entity itself, for example:<\/p>\n
- \n
- About us pages<\/li>\n
- Social media author pages<\/li>\n
- Author bios<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Google also follows links that point to mentions of the entity. For instance, if a person authors content across the web and consistently links to a single author page, Google will assume that author page to be an authoritative page that describes the entity.<\/p>\n
Consistent information about an entity across the web will be added to the entity information in the Knowledge Graph. The more reliable the information Google finds about an entity, the more likely it will add that information to the Knowledge Graph.<\/p>\n
This is an ongoing process, and Google consistently updates the entities, their attributes, and their connections in its entity database.<\/p>\n
2. Generating a Knowledge Panel<\/h3>\n
When Google receives a search query, the search engine generates a Knowledge panel by:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Gathering search results<\/b> related to the query<\/li>\n
- Identifying factual entities<\/b> (things or concepts) mentioned in the query<\/li>\n
- Choosing an entity<\/b> for which a Knowledge Panel can be displayed based on its relevance to the search results<\/li>\n
- Presenting the Knowledge Panel<\/b> alongside the search results, including information from different sources about the selected factual entity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Knowledge](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Knowledge-Panel-for-Charles-III.png\")
<\/p>\nInformation-rich Knowledge panel for Charles III<\/i><\/p>\n
How to win a Knowledge Panel<\/h2>\n
The basic strategy for winning your own Knowledge Graph is to:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Educate Google about your entity<\/li>\n
- Verify that the information is correct<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Google needs to understand what or who that entity is and what other entities it relates to. Here are some ways to educate Google.<\/p>\n
1. Establish an entity home for your business<\/h3>\n
The first step is to establish an entity home. John Mueller recommends<\/a> having a page dedicated to your entity.<\/p>\n
On that page, you should include:<\/p>\n
- \n
- A well-written explanation as to what your entity is about<\/li>\n
- Links to pages where your entity appears, including social media accounts and author profiles<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Speaking of author profiles and social media pages, any page representing your entity should have a description that matches your entity’s home. The key is to keep your description consistent across the web.<\/p>\n
As we described above, this will help Google understand what your entity is about and where your entity appears across the web. Recognizing how these entities are grouped together is otherwise known as \u2018Reconciliation\u2019.<\/p>\n
An entity’s home doesn’t have to be the home of your website. In fact, it can even be a social media profile page. However, Jason Barnard recommends using your About Us page as an entity home page because it\u2019s:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Entirely focused on describing your entity without the need for any distracting sales copy<\/li>\n
- A page you have complete control over<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When creating your entity home, use it to explain:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Who you are<\/li>\n
- What you do<\/li>\n
- Who you serve<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2. Add schema markup to your entity home<\/h3>\n
As we mentioned above, Google uses natural language processing (NLP) to gather data for its Knowledge Graph. However, the web consists of semi-structured or unstructured data, which means Google has to convert web content into a structured, machine-readable format.<\/p>\n
Google doesn\u2019t always get this right.<\/p>\n
This means you should help the search engine understand your content by adding schema markup<\/a> to your entity’s home page. Schema markup provides search engines with a structured, machine-readable version of your pages.<\/p>\n
When implementing schema markup, using the appropriate schema type is crucial. For instance, if you want to inform Google about your personal entity, use the ‘person’ schema type. If you’re providing information about a local business, use the ‘local business’ schema type. This will ensure that Google receives the right structured data for your specific entity.<\/p>\n
3. Verify your entity data on third-party sites<\/h3>\n
Google will verify that the information on your entity’s home is correct by finding credible sources around the web that mention your entity. It’s important to note that sites that you own or control don’t add much credibility because there’s an obvious conflict of interest.<\/p>\n
This means you must have your entity description appear on sites that you do not control.<\/p>\n
One of the best ways to do this is to create guest posts or to appear on podcasts.
\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\nMost sites that accept guest posts also include an author bio page. When setting yours up, make sure to include information that\u2019s consistent with your entity home page.<\/p>\n
4. Link out to where your entity appears<\/h3>\n
Wherever possible, you should link from your entity home to any place where your entity appears across the web, including social media home and author bio pages.<\/p>\n
You can also include a section that links to any podcasts you appear on or any guest posts you have created.<\/p>\n
![\"Entity](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Entity-page-for-Jason-Barnard.png\")
<\/p>\nJason Barnard\u2019s entity home menu including links to pages where he appears around the web\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
Look for opportunities by tracking your branded terms<\/h2>\n
Since your Knowledge Panel represents your entity in search, it\u2019s only likely to show up in branded terms.<\/p>\n
But Google will surprise you sometimes.<\/p>\n
When tracking your branded terms, you might notice some obvious opportunities with the help of tools like Similarweb Rank Tracker<\/a>. This specific tool has a SERP feature filter that can easily be set only to show Knowledge Panel keywords where your site is ranking.<\/p>\n
![\"Similarweb](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Similarweb-Rank-Tracker.png\")
<\/p>\nThis will bring you a list of keywords where your site ranks but does not appear in the Knowledge Panel.<\/p>\n
Knowledge Panels: Showcase your brand<\/h2>\n
Knowledge Panels are all about showcasing your brand in the SERPs. Nothing gives your potential clients confidence than having an information rich Knowledge Panel.<\/p>\n
Earning a Knowledge Panel comes down to one tactic: educating Google.<\/p>\n
If you do that, with a little persistence and consistency, you can see your own Knowledge Panel in the SERPs.
- Identifying factual entities<\/b> (things or concepts) mentioned in the query<\/li>\n
- Gathering search results<\/b> related to the query<\/li>\n
- 69%<\/b> of keywords serve an informational intent<\/b><\/li>\n
- Acquire more traffic:<\/b> Knowledge Panels take up significant SERP real estate, giving users more reason to click through to the entity, especially if the Knowledge Panel itself includes links to the official website or other web properties owned by the entity.<\/li>\n