What is Google Knowledge Panel?
Understanding the Google Knowledge Panel
The Google Knowledge Panel is a feature that appears on the right side of the search results page when you search for entities that exist within the Knowledge Graph of Google. These entities can be people, places, organizations, things and more, that hold notable recognition in the offline world or have a substantial amount of information available about them online.
The Google Knowledge Panel aims to provide users with a quick snapshot of information on the topic they’re searching, gathered from various trustworthy sources. These panels offer a broad array of information, including but not limited to – an entity’s title, images, description, key facts and statistics, social profiles, and more. They also contain links to additional information and related searches. Google’s goal with the Knowledge Panel is to help users find comprehensive information without having to sift through countless websites and pages.
For instance, if you search for a famous personality like “Albert Einstein,” the Knowledge Panel on the right side will provide you with his photo, a brief description, personal details such as his birth and death dates, fields of work, known for, and a lot more. It also contains links to his associated searches and people of interest.
In the case of organizations and businesses, the Knowledge Panel may exhibit information such as the company’s description, founder, date of establishment, headquarters, parent organization, subsidiaries, and the list of CEOs among other things. Users will also find the company’s official social media handles and user ratings, if available.
Google Knowledge Graph: The Power behind the Google Knowledge Panel
The Google Knowledge Panel is powered by the Google Knowledge Graph. Launched by Google in 2012, the Knowledge Graph is a vast database that collects millions of pieces of data about keywords people frequently search for on the World wide Web and the intent behind these keywords, based on the huge amount of data gathered by Google Search.
The Google Knowledge Graph understands facts about people, places and things and how these entities are all connected. For instance, it identifies that the term “Apple” could relate to the tech giant or the fruit based on the context in which it’s being used in a particular instance.
The Google Knowledge Graph serves as the brain for the Google Knowledge Panel. When a user searches for a term, the Knowledge Graph works behind the scenes, quickly sifts through its massive data, refines the relevant details and presents them neatly in the panel.
How Google Knowledge Panel Benefits Users and SEO
On the user front, Google Knowledge Panel ensures a faster and more efficient search process. Users get relevant, varied and credible bytes of information at a single glance right after they enter a search term.
Moreover, Google Never neglects the rights of the website owners. It gives credit to the sources that it garners the information from. This prompts an increased visibility and potentially an increased click-through rate for these credited sources.
On the SEO front, Google Knowledge Panels can greatly increase a company’s or individual’s online visibility if the information is properly optimized. This can, in turn, impact the traffic and ranking of the associated websites in a positive way. SEO professionals can suggest to Google what image or information to use for a person or company via structured data and also by making sure their client’s “My Google Business” listing is accurate and up-to-date.
Thus, the Google Knowledge Panel is remarkable not only in enhancing the user search experience but also as an effective tool for online reputation and brand management.